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Originally a Carmelite convent built over three centuries ago, Hotel El Convento is now a boutique-style hotel located in the heart of Old San Juan and approximately eight miles from San Juan Airport. The hotel is within walking distance of bars, restaurants, and the Old San Juan attractions. It's about a 10-minute drive to the nearest beach. Hotel amenities include the library, fitness room, message therapists, plunge pool, Jacuzzi, and rooftop terrace with panoramic views of Old San Juan. The Garden Terrace, overlooking the Plaza de las Monjas and historic San Juan Cathedral, offers breakfast and afternoon cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. The 58 rooms are outfitted with handcrafted furniture, mahogany beams, Andalusian tiles, and marble bathrooms. All rooms have air-conditioning, TVs and VCRs, entertainment systems, refrigerators (filled with chilled water), two-line telephones, dataports, hairdryers, irons and ironing boards, safes, bathrobes, and slippers.
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Hotel El Convento Property Information:
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Rooms:
58
Floors:
5
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- Car rental desk
- Family rooms
- Luxury
- Spa
- Data port
- Luxury
- Free high speed internet
- Fitness facility
- Nonsmoking
- Meeting room
- Wheel chair access
- Swimming pool
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Hotel El Convento Reservation Policies:
Check-In:
1500
Check-Out:
1200
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San Juan Events & Entertainment
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Festivals
Everything is closed on public holidays. One of the most important is 24 June, though in fact the capital grinds to a halt the previous afternoon and everyone heads for the beach. There is loud salsa music and barbecues until midnight when everyone walks backwards into the sea to greet the Baptist and ensure good fortune. 25 July is the Día de la Constitución and when this takes place on a weekend it is almost impossible to get a hotel room. Reservations should be made in advance. Every town/city has local holidays for harvest festivals (pineapple, tobacco, sugar cane, etc) and for celebration of the town's saint. There is a festival somewhere every week.
Several towns and regions also have pre-lenten carnivales, complete with parades, folk music, local dishes, a carnival queen pageant, and music competitions. all are in early to late February.
January:
New Year's Day (1 Jan) - Public holiday; most businesses closed.
Three King's Day (6 Jan) - Religious holiday celebrated around the island with feasts and parties.
De Hostos Day (11 Jan) - Half-day holiday honors Eugenio Maria de Hostos, an educator and patriot.
San Sebastian Street Festival (mid-January) - Street party in Old San Juan with music, dancing, food and crafts.
February:
San Blas Marathon (early Feb) - Half-marathon in the southern town of Coamo attracts international and local runners. It's Puerto Rico's biggest race, and the crowds are always large.
Ponce Carnival (late February) - Every city in Puerto Rico honors its patron saint with a festival, but Ponce celebrates in grand fashion with processions, parades and floats. Colorful paper-mache masks are worn by many of the revelers.
March:
Emancipation Day (22 Mar) - This half-day holiday commemorates the emancipation of slaves.
April:
Good Friday and Easter - These religious holidays are the most solemn days of the year. The island nearly comes to a halt.
De Diego Day (19 Apr) - Celebration of the birth of Jose de Diego, writer, poet and statesman who was the first Puerto Rican president under U.S. rule.
June:
Casals Festival (mid-June) - The island's premier cultural event honors Pablo Casals, who founded the festival in 1957. It showcases top musicians from around the world as well as local talent. At the Performing Arts Center in Santurce. Tickets US $20-$40; phone 809-721-7727 or 728-5744.
San Juan Bautista Day (23 Jun) - The island's patron saint is celebrated at the beach, as "sanjuaneros" take to the water backward in order to bring good luck for the coming year.
July:
Barranquitas Artisans Fair (mid July) - The original artisans' fair in the hill town of Barranquitas still draws hundreds of crafts people (carvings, masks, jewelry, and paintings).
Munoz Rivera Day (19 Jul) - Celebration of birth date of statesman Luis Munoz Rivera, Puerto Rico's first resident commissioner in Washington and father of Puerto Rico's first elected governor, Luis Munoz Marin.
Loiza Carnival (late July) - St. James the Apostle is honored as Loiza residents masquerade with masks and costumes designed to frighten off the evil spirits. Music, dancing, food and crafts.
October:
Bomba y Plena (7-9 Oct) - Music festival celebrating the island's African-Caribbean heritage with music and dancing in Old San Juan.
Columbus Day (21 Oct) - Half-day holiday, known as La Raza, that commemorate Columbus' landing in the New World.
November:
Discovery Day (19 Nov) - Public holiday commemorating the day in 1493 when Columbus reached Puerto Rico; all businesses closed.
Thanksgiving Day (mid-November) - Businesses and offices closed. Most families gather for dinner; many restaurants offer special meals at reasonable prices.
December:
Bacardi Arts Festival - The largest festival for artisans on the island. Just about every craftsman turns out for this fair on the grounds of the Bacardi Rum Distillery.
Christmas Day (25 Dec) - Religious holiday; most businesses closed.
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San Juan Destination Overview
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Founded In 1510, San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, spreads out along the northern coast and also inland. Its nucleus is Old San Juan, a seven square block walled area, sitting on a point of land between the Atlantic Ocean and San Juan Bay. Old San Juan is filled with history and culture, and is a living museum. It is preserved in all its natural grace and beauty, and at 500 years of age is far from being decrepit. Some of its narrow streets are paved with small blue-gray cobblestones which came to the port hundreds of years ago as ships' ballast.
San Juan is a place to park the car and walk. The terrain is hilly and the sidewalks steep, but walking is safer than driving under these conditions, and there is so much to see! There are many charming cafés at which to stop, rest and enjoy a cup of fine Puerto Rican coffee or a meal along the way. The newer part of San Juan is a thoroughly modern, bustling city of a million people. A series of bridges link the inlet with the resort areas of Condado and Isla Verde as well as the residential communities of Santurce and the suburbs of Hato Rey and Rio Piedras.
Puerto Rico is a perfect family destination. The smallest children love the sandy beaches, the warm shallow seawater and the swimming pools constructed especially for them. Kite flying on the breezy days is a favorite pastime. There's no end to the activities available for older children, including boat rides, shell collecting, horseback riding, hiking, wind surfing, and snorkeling. The adults in the family will also enjoy exploring the underwater wonders of Puerto Rico.
On land, they will have the opportunity to play on what are considered the best golf courses ion the Carribean. the best golf Most resort hotels offer programs of activities, and many have play directors and supervised daily fun for various age groups. Music is a special source of Puerto Rican pride, and the bold Latin beat is best characterized by the music and dance form known as salsa, which shares not only its name with the Spanish word for "hot sauce" but also a zesty, hot flavor. This fusion of west African percussion, jazz (especially swing) and big band and other Latin beats produces mambo, merengue, flamenco, cha-cha, and rumba. San Juan is home to ballet, fine drama, symphony orchestra performances. It is also the scene of many lively and colorful festivals, which can take place at any time due to the warm, sunny weather that is present year round.
Government regulated casinos operate in the larger hotels, and provide enjoyment to many visitors. Most are open 20- 24 hours a day. Horse racing is another favorite sport on which to wager. Puerto Ricans welcome visitors and are eager to show off their city.
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