As you drive down the narrow cobblestone streets of Old San Juan away from El Morro castle, look for Cristo Street, a narrow, one-way transito heading out of the old town. As the street reaches the bottom of the hill, you'll likely spot a gentleman in a white pith helmet standing by a valet parking sign. Give him your car and you're in for a treat, because you've reached El Convento, one of San Juan's most memorable hotels.
El Convento dates back to 1651 when it was built as a cloister for Carmelite nuns. After the last members of the order vacated the building in 1903, it went through various stages of occupation. From flophouse to garbage-truck parking lot, El Convento has been through the mill.
The first attempt at turning it into a hotel started in 1962, but the idea failed and the government reclaimed it for tax purposes in 1970. It took until 1995 for new owners to spend some US$15 million on restoration, and today El Convento is a world-class historical site.
The hotel's 55 rooms occupy the upper three stories of the structure, with access from the street entrance and restaurant via a key-controlled elevator. In the open-air courtyard of the restaurant, just opposite the elevator, there is a 300-year-old nispero fruit tree which is the centerpiece of the landscape. The hotel corridors and rooms feature Andalusian tile floors and mahogany beams, and the furniture replicates Spanish-occupation-era pieces. While the rooms tend to be somewhat smaller than expected in a first-class operation, the effect is overwhelmingly a time transport.
Step outside your room and you fully expect to be greeted by the 15th century. You can almost hear the nuns' habits whispering past and feel the thump of the booted gentry striding down corridors that open to the bright daylight of the courtyard. Is El Convento haunted? If not, then it certainly fakes it well, wrapping guests in a cloak of Spanish-Colonial intrigue.
A restaurant, gift shop, cafi and galleries - all open to the public - are located on the first two floors. A private dining area for continental breakfasts, evening cocktails and the nightly wine-and-cheese soiree provided for guests is located near the small check-in desk. There is a fitness center, sundeck and open-air plunge pool as well. Each room comes with a view of Old San Juan.
For evening libations among locals and tourists, check out Momo's just up the street on the corner (with the big Miura bull's head over the bar and the Budweiser clock counting down to 2000). For a truly delicious meal, hit Amadeus (great menu, prices and service) right next door to Momo's.
Single, double and queen rooms at El Convento run from US$190-$375 per night, junior suites for US$500 and suites from US$750-$1,200. For more information, call 800-678-8946 or 787-723-9020; fax 787-721-2877.
Posted online 08/01/99.
