San Juan & Easter Brilliance Cruise with pictures!

Hi Everyone,

I get such great information from this site that I felt the need to pay it forward! Here is my first attempt at a review; I am afraid it will not be too long or detailed...and I am having a heck of a time uploading pics!

We arrived in Old San Juan on Wednesday afternoon. When we got to the airport and collected our luggage, we went outside and were ushered into a cab and was told how much the fare would be ($21 plus $1 per bag). Nice! Our cabby was very nice and told us places to see and restaurants we should not miss in Old San Juan. He told us about the Feds coming in and cleaning up LaPerla so it is safe now (I did not use his recommendation on that one!) We are so excited to be back in OSJ! We hope DD loves it as much as we do!

We were dropped off at Caleta 64, our home for the next 3 nights.

Betsy, the owner, met us as we exited the taxi and showed us into the LaPuerta apartment on the first floor. Last year we stayed in a dingy, overpriced hotel. When looking for a hotel for the 3 of us, the prices were even higher! Then, I found Caleta 64, read all the great reviews, and knew this was the place for us. Betsy was like an old friend; extremely personable. She gave us tips, a map, and her phone number in case we needed anything. The one time we did have to call her, she was at our door within 5 minutes! She heard our DD coughing (allergies) and brought a dehumidifier over from the next room. The apartment is very OSJ! It is very rustic, beautifully decorated and wonderful. It has tall, heavy dark doors that can be opened to let breezes in. The woodwork is huge and chunky and the floors are brick. It has everything you need. The air conditioner was wonderful. There is wifi and a big screen TV with satellite. There is a new daybed with trundle in the livingroom. The kitchen has a small refrigerator, microwave, dishes, misc dry food items, stove, small appliances and an oven. We had a washer and dryer to do our laundry!! There is a small, but adequate bathroom in the loft. It has a wonderful rain head shower and wonderful linens. There is a new queen bed with a very comfy mattress and beautiful linens in the loft.

My photos look huge! I am going to post this and see how it looks. I may have some work to do before installment #2!

Lauri

Looks great so far! Looking forward to this as I'm considering booking this hotel for my upcoming Jewel cruise.

We loved staying in an apartment! Caleta 64 is in the perfect location. Just across the street is the El Convento, just up the street is the Cathedral, just down the street is the City Gate. Just a short walk to both the Paseo Princesa and the Paseo El Morro. Quick walk to Plaza De Armas and OSJ shops. It was perfect!

The apartment was so comfortable! Room to move around and laundry facilities! Everything was there that we needed.

Betsy the owner is a total GEM! She made us so comfortable and we knew if we needed anything, she would be right there. Do not hesitate to stay here! Its a steal for OSJ!

Lauri

Photos look great!

We wanted to show DD some of Old San Juan and needed to stretch our legs, so went on a walking tour before dinner. It was so nice to be warm! We left a snow storm the day before and were now in 95 degree heat. The first thing we did when getting into the apartment was get out of our jeans and long sleeve shirts, and into shorts, t's and sandals..AHHH...

We love the architecture and colors of the buildings!

We walked past the Governors Mansion, St cristo chapel, Plaza de armas, Plaza de palomas, and through a few shops. I purchased a Cobblestone Cat book which helps the Save a Gato program. It is a nice coffee table book with tons of pictures of the cats and some history of Old San Juan. We went to Walgreens for snacks and sodas, and a new hat for me.

We walked to Barrachinas since we needed to have dinner there either tonight or Thursday since they were closed on Good Friday. We originally had a group of 12 Cruise Critics meeting for the Flamenco show and dinner on Friday, but they called me at the last minute, apologizing that our reservation never should have been accepted! We walked in to Barrachinas and a girl met us, saying they were closing for the night but not offering any other information. It was about 6 pm on Wednesday. Bummer!

We had read about Rosa Triana which was just 20 feet from our apartment doorstep, right across from El Convento. They supposedly serve Tapas and great Sangria. They did not dissappoint! Part of the restaurant was built in 1523 to store weapons. This is one of the oldest structures in Old San Juan.

DD had a virgin daiquiri, we had a half pitcher of really yummy sangria. Some hot bread with a creamy buttery garlicky spread was brought to the table. It was divine! We ordered skirt steak with garbanzos, a bean and sausage casserole and ground beef fritter with a sweet sauce. $64. All of it was so delicious. The waiter brought over a complimentary apple shot for dessert!

It was a long day and it was so nice to walk just a few steps and let ourselves into LaPuerta. I think we turned Survivor on and chilled out!

More later...I took over 3000 pics while we were gone..so hard to just pick a few.....Lauri

We got up in the morning and headed out for mallorcas at Cafe Mallorca. Last year LaBonbonera was still open and we loved our breakfast there. We ate at Cafe Mallorca last year too and our mallorcas were burned and our coffee never arrived, so we were not all excited to go back, other than wanting DD to try a Mallorca. Let me tell you, Cafe Mallorca redeemed themselves with great stong coffee,great mallorcas and wonderful fresh squeezed OJ! We were refreshed and ready to explore!

After breakfast, we rode the trolley in a round about loop to the fort. Apparently we got on the slow track to El Morro bus!! But it was nice for DD to get a lay of the land in Old San Juan. We went to El Morro and walked around there for a few hours. DD loved El Morro, the history, the views, the kites, the kitty!

More to come...Lauri

When we visited last year, we only viewed the cemetery from afar. I really wanted to visit this year!

This is definitely the most gorgeous cemetery I have ever seen. Huge, ornate, beautiful statues. I took a ton of pictures; all with the ocean and fort as the backdrop. We walked around the cemetery for almost two hours...

Notice the open doors.....

Lauri

Some smart alec put a Boston Red Sox ball under this guys arm....

We could see through LaPerla to San Cristobal. I kept my eye on those tourists walking across LaPerla...dont they know it is dangerous?

This was probably the most realistic, most touching statue. The way she was crouched down and her lips were poised, then I noticed the tear coming down from her eye. Wow!

Some of the tombs were in really bad shape. Some were sinking into the ground, others broken up and destroyed.

We decided we had seen enough and started walking towards the entrance gate and this is what we saw....

We were locked in with another couple, who, luckily spoke Spanish. They called to some people up on the wall to get the Ranger from the fort. He came over but didn't know who to call or what to do either. We waited around but son decided that we might be stuck in here for a while. We wanted to get on with our day! So, here is what we did.....

Now, thankfully my family did not take a picture of me climbing the fence. I am not a small girl! I got to the top just fine but figuring out how to turn myself around to go down the other side took a minute. DH and DD were very proud of me! So, off we go to walk around OSJ some more! What a fun story we will have for years to come!

Lauri

We stopped and had a refreshing Shave Ice (Hawaiians call it that! Cannot remember what it is called in San Juan!) We started walking back toward our apartment, passing by a plaza

and more colorful, gorgeous buildings with great architecture.

We stopped in at Ben and Jerrys for lunch.

Lauri

We went into the Cathedral. It is gorgeous!

This is where Ponce De Leon is interred, next to the stack of folding chairs...

DD is loving all the cats running around; they are everywhere! The Save a Gato program spays, neuters and feeds them. We took way too many pictures of the cats...here is just one for good measure....

We walked along the Paseo Princess and saw the Plaza Rogativa.

After going back to the apartment to rest up, we walked to Barrachinas to have our favorite chicken mofongo and pina coladas. DD had virgin pina coladas..the first of many for this trip, and she loved the Mofongo!

We told the guy at the desk about our cancelled reservation for the flamenco show and he said they had moved the Flamenco show to Thursday night! It was Thursday night! I was so disappointed that I was not told that on the phone or I would have changed our reservation. He said the show was full but at the last minute, a table for 4 opened up!! So we got to see the show and it was all the same dancers, singers (we call him Tonto for his unique singing style) and guitarist (we call him Hans Christian Janitor) from last year...DD loved it and we all had a great time! It really was a perfect day!

About the nicknames...no offense...The singer sounds very American Indian in some songs...and supposedly he and the guitarist are brothers. To us, the guitarist looks like a Scandinavian from back home but he wears an all blue outfit, making him look like a science teacher, or a janitor. We just have fun! We are all about good natured fun and making family memories!

We woke up early to take a walk on the Paseo El Morro but the tide was very high so the gates were closed. We changed directions and ended up at the Plaza De Armas kiosk getting coffee and mallorcas. Really yummy!! DD was still sleeping so we brought breakfast back to her.

This guy had the Good Friday spirit (probably still leftover from Thurday night!)

Already this morning there are a lot of people at the cathedral. When we toured yesterday, there were big set ups with cameras in the Cathedral, so they must be preparing for tonight and Easter service. While we were waiting for the rain to clear, we heard singing and instruments. We opened our windows in time to catch big groups of people walking by. It was amazing!

Today we are planning to go to San Cristobal fort then walking the east side of Old San Juan. We want to go to Punta Vista for lunch and stop for beers at Old Harbor Brewery. We plan to watch the Good Friday procession at 5 pm. It is a bit rainy today so we waited until noon to go to the fort.

This was our first time at San Cristobal. Though walking through the dungeons was cool and seeing the prisoner's art on the walls was neat, we really prefer El Morro. Partly could be the weather is very overcast and rainy.

Your pictures are wonderful. Thank you for the review!

Your pictures are beautiful. We enjoy San Juan and there is so much history there. The more you walk around the more you find. Next trip we will try to get to the cemetery, but don't want to get locked in. That must have been a little scary. Great review and waiting for more.

We left San Cristobal with plans to walk to Punta de Vista for lunch but they had a faulty exhaust fan so was closed. Instead, we walked to Old Harbor Brewery and had lunch..DD and DH had burgers and fries, I had Sancocho. We love the beer there, I had the Taina and Mke had some ear waxy IPA. We walked back to our apartment through the Paseo Princesa.

At 5 pm, we walked just up the street and saw crowds of people gathered around the Cathedral. It was interesting, but very crowded so it was hard to see what was happening.

After Pontius Pilate came out, they made Jesus carry his cross down the street. We couldnt see it, but you could hear the wood of the cross hitting the street. The crowd turned and followed him down the street. There was a platform and speaker setup in the back of the truck. I think the Priest rode in that and spoke/sang from there.

We had planned to go to el Jibarto for dinner but it was closed. As we left our apartment, we saw this....it took your breath away...There was still many people milling around the cathedral. It was very emotional.

Instead we went to Pizza e Birra in the El Convento Hotel and had a tasty thin crust pizza and a few Presidente beers. (We felt very strange going out for beer and pizza after seeing what we had just witnessed)

Saturday: We got up early and walked down to the Paseo El Morro. The gates were open! It was a gorgeous morning and the views were beautiful. We saw where they had cleaned up after the recent landslide. Some of the walls looked like they had sprayed concrete on them to prevent that from occuring again. We met many new kitties and had them pose for pictures!

After our walk, we went back to the kiosk at Plaza de Armas for mallorcas and great cappucinos. We brought back breakfast to sleeping beauty DD. We had to be out of the apartment at 10 am. After saying our good byes to Betsy and her daughter, we walked out to the street by El Convento just as one family stepped out of the taxi. Their luggage had Brilliance of the Seas tags on it. What perfect timing! We jumped into the taxi and were on our way. She was such a great taxi driver! We told her that we were going post-cruise to the Rainforest so she had a lot of tips for us. As we got to the dock, there was a torrential downpour. After dodging raindrops, we checked in and were sitting down in the waiting area by 1100 am. We boarded the ship by 1130 am.

More to come, hopefully tomorrow.

Lauri

That's scary you got locked IN a cemetery.

We stopped and had a refreshing Shave Ice (Hawaiians call it that! Cannot remember what it is called in San Juan!) We started walking back toward our apartment, passing by a plaza

 

 

 

Lauri

The shave ice is call "piraguas" in Puerto Rico. Lauri, Beautiful pictures!!! The archbishop of San Juan is in one of your Good Friday's pictures. :)

Your pictures are beautiful! Don't worry about how many you have as you can never share too many! :)

Jimbri, cool cruise, Seminole fan and pasupa, Thank you for the compliments. Funny story about this camera, the Canon D20. I bought it to snorkel with but heard that it is also a good all around camera. I was tired of lugging my larger 12x zoom Canon so brought this to Bermuda right after I bought it. Came home from Bermuda and realized that all our pictures were crappy. I was playing with the settings before we left and didnt realize I had reset it to take pictures of a very small size! I thought the camera was a lemon until I called Canon customer service. So this was my first real experience with the settings as they should be, and for a camera that you can fit into your pocket, it takes pretty nice pictures!

Drarill, Thank you...yes Piraguas! My IPAD want to change that to Paraguay! They are refreshing on a hot day. Puerto Ricans don't put those funny beans in them! So, which one is the archbishop? The guy with the slicked back hair? We heard a collective sigh from the crowd when he walked out, so we figured he must be important!

Kings girl, we have learned that the caretaker closes up when he goes to lunch, but you would think he would take care to not lock anyone in! it was all fun, though...

Glad you are all enjoying it...my first real review! lauri

Thanks for sharing your cruise adventure and pictures with us!

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