Puerto Rico Trip 1st Night

I heard mixed things about Puerto Rico. To tell you the truth, I didn't know what to expect from this trip. We arranged a hotel in Old San Juan for three nights on our way to Antigua and Barbuda. We stayed at Hotel Milano. It was an average hotel, not quite met our expectations, but the location was great. We rented a car at the airport, and drove directly to Old San Juan(despite all the things we heard about traffic in general in Puerto Rico and parking problem in Old San Juan). I think we have made a good decision, because we did not have any problems at all. The traffic was not bad at all, and there were lots of parking garages/lots close to our hotel.

More eateries

Another restaurant we'd like to recommend is Porton Del Estanco. It's a restaurant owned by a very sweet Italian man from Naples. His name is Luciano Ruggiero. The restaurant has a casual setting, it's located close to the Santa Domingo Plaza. We tried the Sea Bass and the Seafood Casserole. They were both excellent. Our Italian friends that we met at the Rosario island that day were having beef, that was excellent as well. This restaurant serves a nice lunch menu everyday. We didn't get a chance to go, but we heard wonderful things about it..

If you're in the mood to have some pastries and dessert, try this place - Mila. It's located on Calle de la Iglesia. It's very nice bakery. Recommend it highly. We had breakfast there once. They also breakfast items, sandwiches, and salad on their menu.

Restaurants in Cartagena

By far, our favorite restaurant was Vitrola. It's a Cuban style restaurant. They have a band playing there that reminded us of Bueno Vista Social Club a little bit. We went there on a Saturday night not knowing that we needed to make reservations. It's a small restaurant, they only host a number of people every night. We were able to make reservations for Monday night. We sat in the bar area where they have the band playing. The restaurant is so cleverly decorated that you totally feel like you're in Havana. The food was excellent. We had a shaved grouper as an appetizer. Then one of us had shredded beef, and one of us had seafood pasta. They were all very delicious. We had a really good time. Definitely a must see place.

One other restaurant that's a must see, if you're interested in trying the local cuisine is a place called Casa de Soccorro. It's not in the best neighborhood. It's not the fanciest place. But a great place to have local food. Some of the authentic food we've had there were turtle stew, minced shark..It's mostly specialized in seafood. My favorite was the sea bass in seafood sauce.

Streets of Cartagena

On our 2nd day, we walked all over the city. The architecture in Cartagena is so nice. It reminded me of Puerto Rico a little bit. The city is filled with small but interesting details. Houses in all different colors, orange, blue, and yellow, give it a very unique atmosphere. The doors of all the houses are made of wood. Some of them have very unusual door knobs that are shaped as lions, lizards, iguanas, and piranas. A guide we met told us that these door knobs in the old times were very symbolic, show how rich and powerful the owners are. The city has narrow, winding streets made of cobblestone. Within the walled city, you feel like you are in a different world hearing the church bells, sounds of horse carriages, and street vendors, smell of sweetness coming from the 'Portal de los Postres’, a street filled with candy vendors.

Colombia, Cartagena The Land of Good Food, Good People, and Romance

We just came back from a week long trip in Cartagena, Colombia. We had a wonderful time. It was relaxing, but advanterous, but romantic:) We arrived our hotel Santa Clara Sofitel on Saturday afternoon. Santa Clara is an old monastery built in the 17th century. It's definitely a very stylish and sophisticated hotel. Whoever did the renovation of this monastery did an outstanding job. The decoration is magnificique. They have some very interesting pieces throughout the hotel. It is in a great location -- within the walls of old Cartagena.