Escape to the Isle of Enchantment
A Recap of My Decompression Trip to Puerto Rico
Last March, I needed to decompress after a pretty stressful couple of weeks at work and decided to head to Puerto Rico. I had an award ticket with United Airlines and I got upgraded to business class. ¡Wepa! My disappointment started when I boarded my flight. No pillows, no blankets, but thankfully, I could lay flat because I had not slept the night before. After breakfast, I pushed away my tray, lowered my seat, and fell asleep. I didn’t wake up until the flight attendant asked me to return my seat to the upright position. So, the smooth flight made up for my disappointment with my upgrade. It even made up for the children who were running back and forth in the aisles (I was vaguely conscious of them while I slept).
Upon arrival in San Juan, I took an Uber to my hotel, the Fairmont San Juan. Another disappointment. As I waited on the pool deck for my room, I counted three DJs playing three different types of music between the pool and the beach. Clearly, this was not the place to decompress. I checked out the next morning with no clear destination. I decided to do a tour of Old San Juan, and after chatting with a young family over lunch in the open-air restaurant at Palacio Provincial, I was convinced to book the remainder of my stay at the El Conquistador Resort in Fajardo.
When I arrived at the El Conquistador, all the joy I was feeling about this beautiful resort dissipated in the 45 minutes I stood in line to check-in. By the time I reached the desk, I was in agony from standing in flip-flops on the hard tile floor. I was then given vague instructions to find my room. I walked for what felt like an eternity through a maze of hallways and staircases only to discover that my room was right next to the elevators. Once inside, the carpet was damp, the bathroom door was broken, and there was no room service. ¡Ay, Dios mÃo!
I used Travel and Leisure GO for all my hotel bookings in Puerto Rico, but I wouldn’t recommend this service. I canceled my membership the minute I got home. I promise to write a post one day about my experience with the platform.
The El Conquistador Resort has all the trappings of an all-inclusive resort, complete with waterpark, but nothing is included. That evening, I ate dinner at the Brisas Courtyard Cafe. I had the Churrasco, with rice and beans and ripe plantains, and it gave me a better outlook on the resort. The next morning, I took the ferry from the resort’s marina to Palomino Island, a private island that is part of the resort, and enjoyed a relaxing day at the beach.
The following day, I lazed around on the resort’s pool deck and had an unimpressive deep-tissue massage at the spa. The El Conquistador is a family resort, so there were children everywhere. However, they were mostly contained in the waterpark, so I was actually able to enjoy the pool.
That evening, I dined under the stars at Café Bella Vista and retired early to my room to binge-watch Poker Face. I had an early flight the next morning and debated whether to go to sleep or pull an all-nighter. Sleep won.
If I wasn’t bone-tired, I would have stayed at the Fairmont. I really liked its location on the beach and being close to town. However, the El Conquistador Resort was just lovely, with stunning views, great restaurants, and close proximity to the ferries to Culebra and Vieques. Had I booked a longer stay, I would have organized a couple of day trips. I might have even bought one of the excursions that the representative at the concierge desk was so eager to sell me.
I would absolutely visit Puerto Rico again someday, but not to decompress.