Hotel of the week

This is my pick for the week....Hotel El Convento de San Juan.

http://www.elconvento.com/

I stumbled upon this place purely by accident two years ago after touring El Morro. I was on a cruise ship stop. I took a taxi on my own from the pier to the fort and then met up with some other cruisers and we hit the bar at this place. It was in a word...FANTASTIC.
Truly reminiscent of Old World Spain, it is a member of the Historic Hotels of America, and Small Luxury Hotels of the World. It is a former Carmelite convent built 3 and a half centuries ago. In the lobby, ornate chairs with the crest of Old Spain adorn either side of a beautiful hand carved armoire complete with soft lighting, perfect for catching up on your reading.
As we entered the Patio del Nispero, a lone guitarist sat in a corner strumming away soft tunes, echoing the romantic sounds of Andalucia. On the other side of the Patio sits one of the best bars in the world, El Picoteo. I tasted crisp and refreshing sangrias there and marveled at the fabulous kitchen set up for those most Spanish of foods, the culinary tapas.
I tried the Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp) and Aceitunas Calamatta (Calamata Olives) and just kept drinking Sangrias, enjoying the guitarist in the corner. I didn't want to leave, but alas, the cruise ship was about to leave port for St Maarten, and another adventure awaited me there, the chance to sail aboard a World's Cup racing yacht.