El Conquistador-Fajardo Puerto Rico

A couple of weeks ago Jack and I pleasure of traveling to Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Fajardo is located about on hour to the east of San Juan. We flew from Jackson, Mississippi to San Juan via Atlanta. And as brilliant as I am, we scheduled the first flight out (best flight but..it was daylight savings time so that 3:00am wake-up call was EARLY!) Long day but zero issues with travel so I am happy! We had tight connections but all in all we made it!

When we arrived in San Juan the convention we were attending had a driver waiting on a group of us. We grabbed our luggage from the carousel and jumped into the van and headed out on our way.

As we drove through the city and out the other side I couldn’t help but noticed the differences and similarities to the US. Puerto Rico is on the metric system, for example gas is sold by the liter and not the gallon.  They have a lot of tire shops, I mean ALOT and they are usually attached to som other form of business for example a building with a tire shop on the right hand side a and a bar on the left hand side. The medians on the roads are usually painted in very bright colors, I saw bright pink with a purple curb and bright green with a yellow curb. Majority of the homes are made of concrete and rather short structures, at least the ones we passed along the way and in the areas we are staying in. Make sense with all the hurricanes. They do love their colors, everything is so vibrant and the graffiti on the buildings was even incredible, detailed and beautiful. It seems to be a decoration here rather than “graffiti” as we see it in the south.

We pulled up to the registration and the views before we walked in the door were breathtaking! Everything was white with the exception of the bright blue waters that you could see through the atrium and the lush green foliage everywhere!

We were starving after a full (3:00 am wake up call to a 3:00 pm arrival at the resort) day of travel with very little layover time. Needless to say our trip on Delta was flawless and easy, Jackson to Atlanta, Atlanta to San Juan. but snacks only on the plane so hunger was all that was on my mind once we got here. We ventured down to an outdoor bar and shared a salad and a wood fired pizza where we soaked in the incredible views.

I sometimes wonder if people who live in such incredible places take these vies for granted or if they truly appreciate their home and work environments?

The next morning as Jack went to meetings I got to spend a little time on our balcony working. As I sit on this balcony and listen to the boats cranking below at the marina, I lookout on a vista where I can see houses and small villages growing out of the lush green mountains.  Those mountains look as if they extend right out into the sea. There are no natural beaches in the area where we are, however we did past several on the way to our resort.  Our resort is located on the top of a mountain, I am headed out to walk in a bit, we shall see how high up we are. The car bringing us here was struggling to get up the road so I feel sure I too will be struggling on our walk. There is a funicular that takes guests down to the marina, that tells me it is a steep climb.  This resort has a ferry that will take you to a private island if sandy beaches are your thing.

One thing I have learned as on so many of our trips, when we leave the mainland of the United States everything seems to slow down.  I don’t mean like drive slow, I mean we tend to be in such a rush with everything we do and as we travel I have noticed that other cultures tend to slow down and actually enjoy what they are doing. For example a meal is an entire night of fellowship and savoring all the flavors. A coffee is a time of reflection alone or a visit with friends, not chugging down a cup as you run out the door. We expect seedy service and immediate results.  Others are slow and allowing you to enjoy your time and not bothering you.  I am trying to embrace the slower pace!

Speaking of which- I am off to work on this incredible balcony before we head off to find our adventure for the day!

Each morning we grabbed our coffee at Alto Grande in the hotel lobby and went off to find our “spot” to drink and enjoy. Our spot happened to be in between 2 of the pools overlooking the ocean right by a fountain. I don’t know why but moving water is so soothing to me.

The hotel was incredible and the more we explored the more I adored it! We ventured down the funicular to the resort water park. The water park consisted of a couple of slides, a lazy river, some incredible restrooms (FYI) and a small bar/restaurant. It was secluded, tons of chairs and shade. While we didn’t have kids with us, those that were there seemed to be having the time of their life! Down by the water park was the spa, but the hotel is working on a new spa- this one is just temporary.

A little background we learned about the hotel as our time there went on.. The hotel was battered and shut down by Hurricane Maria in 2017, it remained closed for 4 years and it is now making quite the comeback! While only about 40% of the rooms are complete, those that are, are ready for guests! Originally the hotel opened in 1962 and was the first resort on the eastern end of Puerto Rico, the 320 acres was discovered by Hugh McPherson (looking to buy land for a US Navy Factory) and Raymond Burmeister (who was sailing around the world). Explaining alot about the architecture.

We walked the property, talk about some HILLS! Wow, not the same as Mississippi! Every turn brought a new incredible view! We walked everyday and even the workout room had incredible views! The hotel consisted of hotel rooms and villas. The villas were perched on the highest point of the property and had infinity pools that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. We were in the hotel, every room overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. We ventured to the water park, the lap pool, and the private beach. Not a single spot was a bad one!

Each restaurant was amazing. We ate at the Italian restaurant: Bono, the marina: BallyHoo, Palomino: the private island, Cafe Bella Vista, and the Oasis Bar and Grill. And while we didn’t eat at Vinos and Tapas, I heard it was great! They had an 18 hole golf course we walked along, we didn’t play but our friends that did said it was a great course, but it was narrow. (Not sure what that means- I am NOT a golfer!)

While we were blessed with incredible weather, and each day ended with the most picturesque sunsets known to man. Did we do all the excursions? Tours of San Juan, rainforest tours, zip lining, dinners out at local joints, yes this is our usual MO, however this trip.. we decided to that we were going to spend our time at the resort relaxing and soaking up the sun. (Well the shade-that’s a story for another blog!) If we went back I would venture to The Station a local BBQ place not far from the resort that I heard wonderful things about, but other than that I would do EXACTLY what we did. Sometimes you just need to relax, exercise and enjoy the unbelievable surroundings. We ended our four days (that went by WAY too fast) by taking the van back to the airport and headed back to MS. The San Juan airport is an easy one to navigate and since it is a territory of the US there are zero customs to deal with!

A couple of travel tips here..

1. I do not usually check a bag and this was probably the last time I will do it. I just think carryon is the way to go.

2. Connection times in Atlanta need to be no less than 45 minutes. To go to the restroom, grab a bite to eat and get settled on the plane. You could do it faster but not without undue stress. (When you luggage is tagged “Rapid Transfer” you do worry a bit)

3. Always line up a driver ahead of time if you are able. Again undue stress and pre-arranged transportation usually doesn’t cost that much more and is usually more comfortable.

4. Comfort Plus/Premium economy is worth the extra $ on long flights. This one could be controversial but on flights longer than 3 hours we try to upgrade. You have guaranteed space for your luggage, faster boarding, more snacks, and a larger seat with more legroom (Jack and I are tall people and that little bit of extra room helps!)

5. El Conquistador is an amazing resort, don’t give up on it if you are looking at the website or try to call. I tried numerous times to call about restaurant reservations, information about the resort, ask some questions about the location, what was near etc.. I don’t get much of an answer by phone or by chat. And while I am bias about photography, branding and websites…. Look at my pics to help make your decision about going!

100% I would go again tomorrow!!!

Cheers!