OLD SAN JUAN

 

 

 

SHERATON OLD SAN JUAN HOTEL AND CASINO (Your starting point across from your cruise pier in Old San Juan)

     The Sheraton is the only choice if you want to gamble in Old San Juan. This 7,000 square foot casino offers over 400 slot machines, and a small number of table games, including Blackjack Caribbean Stud Poker, Roulette, Craps and Baccarat. Open 8:00 am - 4:00 am.

     From your cruise pier in Old San Juan go past the Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel and Casino on Calle Brumbaugh and take Po de Colon north two blocks (crossing over Calle Comercio).  As you cross over at Po Covadongo you will be in a small plaza with a statue of Arturo Somohano Portela (an important conductor of Puerto Rican folk music). Walk north through the plaza (the water is at your back) to Calle Recinto sur and head north.  The Teatro Tapia theatre will be on your left.

#C - TEATRO TAPIA (theatre)

      If you are fortunate enough to have an overnight stay in San Juan and are a theatre buff, you will really enjoy taking in a performance at this gracious old theater.   Appropriately named after local playwright, Alejandro Tapia y Rivera, the building's balconies, lobby and interiors are simply beautiful and have a distinct Italian flair that gives it a special ambience. The first stone, laid in 1824, began the form of the horseshoe-shaped opera house. Three tiers of original (or replicated) wooden seats provide enough space to seat about 700 people.   It has served as a cultural center for the city ever since being opened to the public and one gets the feeling that they really need to "dress to the nines" to give this old building the respect it deserves. In addition to traditional Broadway plays, the theater's performance schedule includes, operas, ballets and concerts throughout the year.

     The Teatro Tapia (Tapia Theater) was finished and inaugurated in 1832, remodeled in 1949, and again in 1987. It is the oldest free standing drama stage in continuous use in the United States.

     You'll find several some very nice eateries conveniently nearby for a pre or post theatre lunch. One of them being Toro Salao located behind the famous theater. One company owns some of these hottest and best restaurants in San Juan, including Parrot Club and Dragon Fly.  Stop in to enjoy delicious tapas and a beautiful outdoor dining area.

#D - PLAZA de COLON

Statue of Columbus in Plaza de Colon

     Bear to the left and walk through Plaza de Colon. This plaza features a stone column topped with a statue of Christopher Columbus.  Columbus Square (originally called St. James Square) was renamed in 1893 to honor Christopher Columbus on the 400th anniversary of his discovery of Puerto Rico; bronze tablets at the pedestal of the Columbus statue record important dates.  Walk through the plaza so that you are on the next street (San Francisco). From this end of the plaza, you’ll be able to see the San Cristobal Fort. You can get into the fort by walking up to the doors through the parking lot, or by walking up the hill on Norzagaray Street. As you walk northeast across the Plaza de Colón, notice the beautiful Antiguo Casino across the street on your right (it is not open to the public)

 

 Antiguo Casino

     After your visit to For Cristobal, you can retrace your steps back to Calle Fortaleza  for some fine dining--and shopping!

RESTAURANTS

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     Calle Fortaleza is a street favored by many tourists because of its attractive restaurants, hotels and shops. This 7-block area called Old San Juan is a den of traditional and Nuevo cuisine restaurants. One of the most popular areas is SoFo or South Fortaleza Street (Calle Fortaleza), where a number of new restaurants and bars have converted this formerly quiet area into a bustling hotspot in the evening. Each year they put on the SoFo Culinary Week, where the street and neighboring ones are shut down to traffic, and the area is transformed into a culinary plaza with tables full of food to sample.

      The eastern part of Calle Fortaleza (by Hotel Milano) is informally considered Old San Juan's Restaurant Row, as it has a small cluster of atmospheric restaurants, offering local and fusion cuisine and stylish interior decors ranging from traditional to ultra-modern. Prices range from $10-40 per entree, depending on the dish and restaurant. Many of restaurants are only open for dinner. Some restaurants there are Parrot Club, Sonne, Tantra, and Dragonfly. There are also a bunch of bars/lounges in the area. Three of the newer restaurants now getting a lot of attention for their originality and great settings are Divino Bocadito, and the SoFo favorites DragonFly, Aguaviva and Marmalade. Divino, located on Calle Cruz, is a tapas bar with a selection of hearty Spanish appetizers in a tavern-style setting with live guitar performances. A crazy Chinese-Latin fusion vibe is offered at Dragonfly, which has a noodle bar and seating at cabaret-style tables. Aguaviva is a standout because of its beautiful ice-blue décor (including interesting jellyfish-shaped lights), its Latin-spiced seafood entrees, and its oyster and ceviche bar. Marmalade offers a menu filled with American culinary landmarks such as Hudson Valley foie gras, Virginia lamb and malpeque oysters.

     You may want to start with breakfast-and everyone will point you in the direction of La Bombonera, a Puerto Rican institution located on Calle San Francisco. This bakery offers authentic mallorcas and other baked treats as well as good, solid meals and great Puerto Rican coffee.

     For Puerto Rican fare, you can go for the traditional at La Mallorquina, the oldest restaurant on the island, located on Calle San Justo. They specialize in authentic fare including Rice & Beans, Arroz con Pollo, Shrimp in Garlic Sauce and Asopao, served in a colonial ambiance. For nouvelle PR cuisine, head to Amadeus Café on Calle San Sebastian at Calle Cristo. To create their featured dishes they combine traditional ingredients like plantains and mango with the expected fare. Another local favorite is Barrachina, which claims to be the home of the Pina Colada. Located on Calle Cristo, it offers many traditional dishes in a lovely indoor/outdoor setting and consistently gets good reviews from visitors-especially those tasting the Pina Coladas.

     If you travel to the Latin Caribbean and then get a taste for French food, you can get relief at La Chaumiere, a two-story restaurant on Calle Tetuan that will have you swearing you suddenly transported to France. The food is everything you'd hope for with traditional French favorites, and the setting is charming. Another French restaurant popular with young professionals is Trois Cent Onze on Calle Fortaleza, a newcomer to the dining scene in SoFo.

     For more unusual cuisine, wander down to Recinto Sur, where you have U.N. type dining going on. There's Yukiyu for sushi and Japanese fare, Transylvania for Romanian cuisine, Hard Rock Café for the all-American entrees, and Royal Thai for the hot and spicy Thai dishes. Other unusual cuisines represented around Old San Juan include Brazilian at Bossanova and Mexican at El Patio Mexicano, both on Calle Fortaleza.

HOTELS

     If you are flying in and want to stay close to Old San Juan, which is a good central location for the rest of the island, several hotels are based here.

     Hotel El Convento was a former Carmelite convent (as you can tell by the name), and has been beautifully restored and is now a member of the Historic Hotels of America and Small Luxury Hotels of the World. The 58 rooms are furnished with period furniture to capture the historical sense and have many modern luxury appointments. The hotel also offers a pool, Jacuzzi, fitness center, in-room Internet access, and a beach club in Isla Verde for its guests. Location: 100 Calle Cristo, Old San Juan.   www.elconvento.com

     Right in the heart of Old San Juan on Calle Fortaleza is Hotel Milano, a straightforward hotel with 30 basic rooms and reasonable rates. Its main selling points are the central location and the value. Location: 307 Calle Fortaleza, Old San Juan.   www.hotelmilanopr.com

     The Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel and Casino is a favorite for pre- and post-cruise visitors since it is located near the port dock and has reasonable prices. It's also popular because of the casino and the rooms with views to the bay and the city. The restaurant on site, Fogata Latino Bar and Grill, is well regarded. Location: 100 Brumbaugh Street, Old San Juan.    www.sheratonoldsanjuan.com

     To get yourself in a proper Old San Juan mood, stay at The Gallery Inn, a quirky, unusual hotel that occupies a collection of small 300-year old homes. The 22 guest rooms scattered throughout the site are furnished with antiques, Tempur-Pedic mattresses, and a wealth of artwork created by the hotel owner Jan D'Esopo. Some rooms have views to the sea and some are very small, and you need to specify if you must have a window in your room because not all have them. Location: 204-206 Nozagaray, Old San Juan.   www.thegalleryinn.com.

CAPITAL BUILDING

                           

The beautiful marble Capital Building is a bit off the beaten path, but if you have a chance, you should visit it. It was built from three sources of marble, from Italy, Spain and the USA. It holds the offices of Senators in one wing and those of the representatives in the other wing, with galleries, friezes, mosaics, and an impressive rotunda in which Puerto Rico's constitution is exhibited.

ARCHITECTURE IN OLD SAN JUAN
(A feast for the artist's eye and a workout the camera) 

     I promised you a visual experience that you could take home with you and remember forever.  Here are some simply beautiful street scenes.  Old San Juan is a tourist's, historian's and photographer's dream.