This week’s romantic rendezvous is in sultry Puerto Rico at the El Conquistador Resort.  Formerly a Wyndham property, the hotel has undergone admirable renovations that have moved it away from run-of-the-mill chain resort blah and into boutique ambiance.  It is still a large property, of course, with amenities befitting its size that include a casino and the superb Golden Door Spa.  There are also plans for a large water park to be added, making it exactly what we love: a luxury property that fits the kids right in.

For today, though, we’re looking at a weekend getaway sans children, and this LXR property offers an Island Romance package that includes:

• chilled Champagne and tropical fruits delivered upon arrival
• 2 50-minute Golden Door massages
• Roundtrip transportation between airport and hotel for 2 adults
• Full Caribbean buffet breakfast daily in Las Brisas Restaurant

This package may be booked for a minimum of 4 and maximum of 12 nights and is offered through December 31, 2008.  Package may be booked based on availability.  For more information and to check rates, click here.

Copyright Hotel El Convento

You may not be the beach nuts we are. You may find that it’s a perfectly wonderful vacation if you hit Puerto Rico and never once set foot on some sand. And it’s true, there’s a lot more to this Caribbean island than hitting the ocean. For one thing, with an estimated 400 historic structures, some of which have been around since the 16th century, Old San Juan is a treasure trove of history and Spanish colonial architecture.

Hotel El Convento is but one of those structures. The hotel began life as a Carmelite convent in 1651 and was home to nuns until 1903, when costly repairs forced the then Archbishop of San Juan to give up the building. The building then went through various incarnations including a dance hall, store and outright ruin, until Robert Woolworth of Woolworth’s fame purchased it in 1959 to turn it into a hotel. Now owned by San Juan businessmen, El Convento is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and features Old World styling with New World comfort (think flat-panel TVs with Bose stereos). (more…)