San Juan was our first major trip and another birthday present from ROB. After arriving at the airport and going outside, we saw Del la Hoya with many people seeking his autograph. Although Puerto Rico is a part of the USA, you feel as though you′ve arrived in another country so to speak. On the ride to the Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel & Casino we passed through downtown San Juan with a lot of hustle and bustle and traffic. Our driver pointed out the courthouse, Cathedral Church, market place and other sites. The hotel is right at the pier where cruise ships dock. Standing outside on the restaurant patio was a beautiful view of the ocean. Our only disappoint was the room we were promised with a view did not happen. Hopefully things have changed since then. Other than that, we had a wonderful stay.
We took a taxi to the Arecibo Observatory, the largest radio telescope on earth. Upon arrival we discovered we had to walk 500 steps uphill to the center. You could walk out on the viewing platform that provided a closer view of the telescope. Inside there was a miniature model of the telescope, displays of the meteorites & the solar system, the stars & galaxies and the Galaxy Souvenir Shop. After walking back down the hill to the taxi we road over to the Barcardi Rum Plant/Casa Barcardi located at San Juan Bay, and is the largest rum distillery in the world. The tour was part walking and part tram. You were limited to only taking pictures at the beginning of the tour and outside. Inside the distillery was something to behold, the huge barrels, the flowing and bottling process. At the end of the tour you were allowed to have a small taste of their various rums. From there you took a tram ride around the property and back to the souvenir shop where you could purchase as many bottles of rum as you liked along with other souvenirs. Although we are not rum drinkers, we enjoyed rum that day.
While in San Juan we decided to take our own walking tour of Old San Juan. This entailed walking from the hotel at the pier, through the Plaza to the San Cristobal fort, from there to the El Morro fortress, pass the City Wall, through the Plazuela de la Rogativa to the Paseo De La Princesa and back to the hotel with only 7 rest stops along the way. When we got back, we stayed, but it was a wonderful walk taking in all the history it had to offer and great exercise.
We had made friends with the staff of the Punto De Vista (Tapas Bar & Restaurant) which was a short walk from the hotel, so we visited them almost every day. We watched sports, Spanish music videos and enjoyed food & drink. They were very informative about the surrounding areas. You could dine inside or outside and the view of the ocean was marvelous. On one of our visits the cruise ship "Arcadia" had docked for the day. One afternoon we took a taxi to the Novus Plaza las Americas for some shopping and walking around. Later that evening we went to the Wyndham Condado Plaza Hotel & Casino and had a very nice time, it was just too cold from the a/c.
During our last couple of days we visited various restaurants such as the Mofongo Criollo, Spicy Caribbee, Cafe Bohemio, the Famiglia and of course our hotel lounge daily, the LaFogata. Yes I played the slots while in San Juan and this is where I learned that nickel ($.05) slots do pay off and have been playing them every since. When I won I had to ask someone what was wrong with the machine because I had no clue about how I won.