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Puerto Rico's Cool Modernism and Hot Latin Flair
May 05, 2008
The Condado neighborhood, renewed with its "South Beach Style" makeover, is just one of the reasons to give Puerto Rico a second look
By Maureen M. Ashe
With travel a bit of a chore these days, Puerto Rico is the happy exception: Getting to and returning from this tropical paradise is a breeze. "Travel to Puerto Rico is so easy. From many cities in the U.S. you can fly direct," says Gloria Landow of Group Travel Specialists in Hauppauge, N.Y. Focusing on incentive travel to the Caribbean, Landow explains the advantages of choosing Puerto Rico, a U.S. commonwealth, over other island destinations: "There are no passports required, no customs hassles and no language barriers." Landow recently returned from the island after reviewing several properties she is considering, El San Juan Hotel & Casino and El Conquistador among them, on behalf of Henry Schein & Co., a large, Long Island–based dental supply distribution company. With Landow's guidance and expertise, the group of 200 employees has once again picked Puerto Rico as the destination of choice for their incentive program. The next one is scheduled for 2010.
Condado Style
 Not so long ago, Condado was known for its famous, if tired, set of oceanfront landmarks. Its historic "sister" hotels, La Concha and the Vanderbilt, have been refurbished in period style and revamped with new beach facilities. The San Juan neighborhood's grassy oceanfront park, Window to the Sea, has been groomed and upgraded. Glittering new casinos, buzzing new restaurants and a wave of sleekly designed hotel renovations have all added to Condado's transformation from uninspired tourist district to hot, new, trendy destination. The makeovers don't stop in Condado. Exciting changes can be seen throughout San Juan and along much of Puerto Rico's north coast.The original La Concha ("shell" in Spanish) opened in 1958 to rave reviews. With its prime waterfront location, innovative mid-century style and whimsical shell-shaped restaurant, it was touted as an architectural marvel. In a needed redo half a century later, Renaissance Hotels has invested a hefty $220 million in the property. Its much -anticipated reopening in September 2007 unveiled an ultra-chic new oceanfront resort with vintage tropical style and 21st-century luxury, comfort and amenities. Breezy open-air lobbies, streaming natural light and lush courtyards blend the indoors with the outside. The resort's fitness center, beach club and infinity pool open out and stretch to the sandy beach and shoreline. There are half a dozen hip restaurants to choose from, and come summer 2008, the resort's dazzling new casino will be up and running.
The 248 hotel rooms currently available feature ocean vista balconies, a color scheme of crisp white with calming blues and greens, flat-screen TVs, MP3 players, high-speed Internet and complete work desks. Another 235 suites in the new 12-story Atrium Tower, including 200 hotel condos, are scheduled for completion by mid-2009. The new La Concha offers complete event planning and business support services as well as 14,000 square feet of meeting space, including four salons, a ballroom and indoor and outdoor venues.
The five-star classically elegant Condado Vanderbilt Hotel is in the final stages of being refurbished and will return to its original 1920s splendor when its doors reopen in 2009. The 93-room oceanfront hotel will expand by adding two modern 12-story towers, each with 216 rooms. The towers will bracket the main structure, house condo units, shops and meeting space, and connect by glass bridge.
 LXR Resorts' Condado Plaza Hotel & Casino has also undergone a top-to-bottom renovation with the newly completed, dramatic redesign of its lobby, guestrooms and public and meeting spaces. The cool, contemporary lobby features a glass mosaic of hibiscus pinks and yellows and a canopied illuminated ceiling that changes color. The hotel's two waterfront residential towers are linked by skyway. Ocean Wing rooms are painted with bold colors and accented by the turquoise Atlantic just beyond. The Laguna Wing offers a more serene setting with rooms of tranquil neutrals and views of the Condado Lagoon. The 8,000-square-foot ballroom overlooks the water through floor-to-ceiling windows and has the classic look and feel of a 1950s dinner club. The hotel's trendy new restaurant, Strip House, is an outpost of the renowned Manhattan eatery, and features interiors by W Hotel designer David Rockwell.
Late-Night Isle Verde
In the fashionable Isla Verde District, the historic El San Juan Hotel & Casino continues its legacy of old-world elegance, glamour and hospitality. Stepping into the luxurious lobby, visitors will marvel at the rich mahogany paneling, red marble accents, carved ceiling and antique chandelier. The hotel's casino, often dubbed the "Monte Carlo of the Caribbean," continues to be a late-night draw for San Juan's social set as well as hotel visitors from all over town. LXR Resorts has just infused the oceanfront property with $52 million worth of enhancements, including a redesign of the 382 guestrooms, 22 suites, pool area and beach club. Guestrooms have been streamlined with a sophisticated mix of classic and modern elements. The new fantasy-inspired Encanto Beach Club, designed by Manhattan Buddha Bar designer Stephane Dupoux, features a music-filled open-air lounge with 24 dreamy canopied daybeds, 25 retro "lounging pods," a pool with swim-up bar and cocoon chairs. Aside from power lounging, eating and drinking, poolside activities include "Water Chi" and yoga classes. Beachside, three private tiki hut cabanas feature Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, minibars and safes. The Encanto Club is already garnering a reputation as San Juan's ultimate outdoor party scene. The El San Juan can entertain up to 1,200 guests with its 35,000 square feet of flexible space, which includes outdoor terraces with spectacular ocean and mountain views.
Where the Atlantic Meets the Carribean
The company Synerfac Technical Staffing of New Castle, Del., specializes in staffing positions in the engineering, scientific and IT sectors, and has 20 offices in the eastern U.S. Twice it has chosen El Conquistador as the site of its company-wide incentive travel program. The convenience of having so many amenities and activities available in one location is a big plus for groups. Says in-house planner David Ashbrook, "El Conquistador has it all—golf, a casino and spa, water sports, horseback riding. It's all on-site. That's what we're looking for. That and Puerto Rico's seemingly guaranteed warm weather in January."
Located just outside the fishing village of Las Croabas on the island's far eastern tip, El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa spreads over 500 acres atop a spectacular bluff overlooking the ocean. LXR has invested $120 million in a property-wide renovation. Last year, a brand-new conference center was unveiled. With 70,000 square feet of indoor meeting space per hotel room, the "El Con" offers more function space than any other resort in the Caribbean. It also offers the largest ballroom in the region, at 22,650 square feet. This year, the resort saw the remodeling of 750 guestrooms, the purchase of two high-speed catamarans and the addition of a 2.4-acre water park (with rain forest theme) at Las Casitas Village, the resort's cluster of villas. El Conquistador also features an oceanfront 18-hole golf course, the Zen-like Golden Door Spa, and private Palomino Island just off the coast, where guests can snorkel, sail, windsurf or ride horses on the beach. Movie buffs will enjoy learning that the resort's casino was the setting for a scene in the original James Bond film Goldfinger.
Editor's Note: For more on Puerto Rico, including a writer's tour through Old San Juan and the scoop on The Cervantes, a jewel box of a hotel, visit
www.incentivemag.com/puertorico.
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