We sailed her last year as well, you can check out my review from last year here.
This trip was different in a couple ways: we were sailing by ourselves for the first time in two years. We sailed the Adventure of the Seas in 2009 on our own and had a great time. That's actually how we found the tour guides for our Serenade sailing in 2010 (visiting Barbados, Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Martin, and St. Croix). We were so happy with those tour operators that we went with them again last year with our Mom and friends.
This past May, I sailed with one of my best friends and my Mom on the Carnival Glory (review here). We had a nice time, but I think that sailing confirmed for me that RCCL's product just fits my husband and me better right now.
This trip was different in a couple ways: we were sailing by ourselves for the first time in two years. We sailed the Adventure of the Seas in 2009 on our own and had a great time. That's actually how we found the tour guides for our Serenade sailing in 2010 (visiting Barbados, Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Martin, and St. Croix). We were so happy with those tour operators that we went with them again last year with our Mom and friends.
This trip was also different because we decided to spend another day in San Juan after the cruise. I got to redeem enough US Airways miles for us to fly RT to San Juan for free, and the catch was that we would have to spend an extra night on vacation. How could I ever spend an extra night away with the love of my life?! (note my sarcasm, lol).
This vacation was also one full of milestones- our 5th anniversary, my 5th cruise (his 4th), and the longest vacation we've ever taken (10 days). It was our first time visiting any of the islands on this itinerary. This turned out to be one of my favorite vacations we've taken. It was nice to take time away from everything and everyone else, and have 10 whole days to enjoy and focus on our marriage. Married people take note- you need a vacation every year! Even if you have to get a hotel room on the other side of town for a few days, you two need some time to reconnect on a regular basis.
So I'm off my soapbox now, and ready to share the details of our vacation with you. I share lots of tips and photos, and the review will take me a few days to complete, so stop by every day or so for your reading pleasure :)
My husband and I flew out of Philadelphia the Friday before our cruise. We had an amazing friend agree to stay in our home with our dog, Dewey, as well as drive us to and from the airport. Our flight was at 9:40 AM, and we arrived at the airport around 8:00.
Our flight was smooth and uneventful. We arrived in San Juan around 1 PM. As soon as we had our luggage, we walked outside to the taxi stand and caught a cab to La Concha Renaissance Resort, in the Condado section of San Juan. The taxi cost about $22, including our luggage.
We've never stayed in the Condado area, having stayed at the Caribe Hilton closer to Old San Juan, and the Ritz Carlton in the Isla Verde area. Hands down, this is now my favorite hotel. It's FABULOUS. The entrance is clean and contemporary, using lots of white with lime green and red accents, pretty fountains, and greetings from a fantastic staff. Very modern furnishings...I have to say, the hotel just felt sexy! We felt like part of the "cool" crowd from the minute we set foot inside the hotel.
I got a great AAA rate about two months before our stay. I noticed that as we got closer to the trip, even that rate went up a little bit, so book early if you would like to stay here. Before our trip, I contacted the hotel to ask if we could have an early check-in, as well as to let them know we were celebrating our anniversary. It's just something I tend to do to make preference requests, etc, for a more personal touch. Frankie, the front desk associate who checked us in, treated us like royalty. He let us know that our room wasn't quite ready yet because he was trying to find us a really nice suite, which was fine with us. He asked if we would like some champagne, and of course we said yes! While we toasted to our trip, he took care of our luggage so we could tour the hotel a bit. Here are some of our first pics around the hotel:
After we finished our champagne, we realized that our tummies we pretty much empty. We decided to check out the Condado area for some lunch. Some shops to the right (and across the street from) the hotel:
View of the hotel from across the street:
We settled on Cafe de Angel, slightly to the left of La Concha, across the street. The restaurant served traditional Puerto Rican food, which I was craving. There was an outdoor seating area, and one indoors. When they asked our preference, my husband immediately said, "Indoors, please!" It took him a minute to get adjusted to heat. We live in NJ and were leaving 50 degree weather during his favorite time of year (fall), and my favorite season is summer. I love the heat!! You'll see me hanging out on the beach quite a bit this week while Wesley is either in the water, in the shade, or in the hotel or stateroom, lol.
Our view from inside the restaurant:
So anyway, this place isn't fancy by any means, but we don't care about that if the food is good. I have to say we were really happy with our meals. I ordered the roast pork, arroz con gandules (pigeon peas), and plantains. Wesley had chicken and rice, with red beans on the side.
I think everything was seasoned well. The prices were a little high, but then again we were expecting that for this area. I know people complained about the service, and most complaints I've seen were about the speed of the sevice (or lack thereof). Come on everyone- we're in the Caribbean, and on vacation. What's the hurry? Since we live in the Northeast, it takes me a few days to slow down and settle into the more relaxed pace in the Caribbean. It doesn't mean the service is bad. We just like to think of that as more time that we can sit and talk, and enjoy each others company. All in all, we would go there again for lunch.
First page of the menu they have available to take in front of the restaurant:
While we were paying the bill, we received a call from the hotel that our room was ready. Frankie let us know that someone would bring our luggage up, and we made a mad dash for our room.
We walked through the lobby, and went to the right to enter the Suite Tower. Here's the corridor that leads you to the Suite Tower Elevators:
We found our room, and the first thing we noticed upon our entry was the view!! Just a breathtaking view of the ocean:
View straight ahead:
To the right:
To the left:
Straight down: Private Suite Pool area:
Balcony:
Bedroom area and bathroom:
As a heads up, the bathroom shower wall is frosted glass. Fine for couples or people who don't mind, but if you're bringing family or traveling with friends, you may need to coordinate when you're in the shower. Perhaps everyone else can hang out in the living area while someone is in the shower? Just FYI:
Living room- Wes loved the flat screen TV's in the living room and the bedroom:
Someone's a happy camper. I did good choosing the hotel :)
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