allyboy

My wife and I have made a decision to get away from all the snow and fly to San Juan late January to celebrate our 45th anniversary and my birthday!

This will be our first time in San Juan and we are having difficulty in selecting a hotel and location to stay in. It looks like the Condado area meets our needs as it has both beach and easier access to Old San Juan especially if you are not renting a car.

The problem is that when we check our hotels on Tripadvisor there are so many contradictory comments. So I am turning to you Fodorites to help point me in the right direction. Do you like La Concha, Marriott Stellaris? Has anyone been to these hotels recently? Any recommendations for other hotels? Restaurant and/or places to see?

allyboy

OK, I am answering my own posting!

I have made a reservation at La Concha and dinner reservations at Perla to celebrate our anniversary.

Now , what I need are other ideas regarding restaurants, sights to see and photograph (wife is an avid photographer) and any hints on how to make this vacation so special.

Golfergal

La Concha is very nice. We have stayed at both and really enjoy them both for different reasons. The bar at La Concha gets loud at night, but pool lounge at night is great. We loved the different pool options at La Concha.

Perla is a great option for the anniversary. Our last trip to San Juan was a culinary feast. We enjoyed Perla and it is very romantic - traditional elegant dining. Loved Pikayo for very upscale, eclectic Puerto Rican fare, Marmalade was our best dining experience by far - DH did the tasting meal of like 11 courses! We also went to La Picola Fontana at the El SJ - I'm guess we hit an off night as it was very disappointing. Several little issues just didn't create the great dining experience we expected. The food was good, but it just seemed over-rated to us. Others we have enjoyed on previous trips are Pamela's, Ajili Mójili, Dragonfly, Parrot Club, El Picoteo, and even Tuscany at the Marriott. Next trip we are planning to return to Marmalade and also try out Varita.

Have a great trip!

tom42

I stayed at LaConcha last year and I liked it but it is a very modern hotel with a young vibe to it. Not trying to dissuade you but just want to alert you ahead.

I didn't eat at La Perla when I was there because it was always practically empty. That being said, the setting of the restaurant is quite nice.

There are a lot of dining options in San Juan. Walking distance from your hotel are two restaurants that serve Puerto Rican food. Ajili Mojili and Ropa Vieja. I've eaten at both but prefer Ajili Mojili. Both are right on Ashford Avenue, which is the main drag that runs through Condado. Other restaurants that I recommend: Parrot Club in Old San Juan, Metropol in Isla Verde (casual dining, PR/Cuban food), KOKO ( in El San Juan Hotel, modern Caribbean food).

If you are there on a weekend, I would suggest a cab ride on either Friday or Saturday evening to El San Juan, which is in Isla Verde. A great lobby with live music in an elegant setting. Also, one Sunday a month (can't remember if it is the first or last), the Puerto Rican symphony performs for free in the El San Juan's lobby in the late afternoon. It is really amazing. If that interests you, I suggest you ask the concierge at your hotel about it.

tom42

I stayed at LaConcha last year and I liked it but it is a very modern hotel with a young vibe to it. Not trying to dissuade you but just want to alert you ahead.

I didn't eat at La Perla when I was there because it was always practically empty. That being said, the setting of the restaurant is quite nice.

There are a lot of dining options in San Juan. Walking distance from your hotel are two restaurants that serve Puerto Rican food. Ajili Mojili and Ropa Vieja. I've eaten at both but prefer Ajili Mojili. Both are right on Ashford Avenue, which is the main drag that runs through Condado. Other restaurants that I recommend: Parrot Club in Old San Juan, Metropol in Isla Verde (casual dining, PR/Cuban food), KOKO ( in El San Juan Hotel, modern Caribbean food).

If you are there on a weekend, I would suggest a cab ride on either Friday or Saturday evening to El San Juan, which is in Isla Verde. A great lobby with live music in an elegant setting. Also, one Sunday a month (can't remember if it is the first or last), the Puerto Rican symphony performs for free in the El San Juan's lobby in the late afternoon. It is really amazing. If that interests you, I suggest you ask the concierge at your hotel about it.

allyboy

Thanks golfergal and tom42 for your very helpful suggestions!

Any advice on going to El Yunque from La Concha? We weren't planning to rent a car and so either we will do this by a tour or by public transportation. How about the bioluminescent bay?