Lodging

Sheraton Hotel Perfectly located: in Old San Juan, where we could walk everywhere and on the harbor into where the cruise ships come. On cruise ship days it was very crowded; otherwise there weren’t too many tourists around. Hotel itself is adequate, no lobby because of the casino. Room was ordinary (much to my dismay, no makeup mirror).

Eating

The standout experience of San Juan was the food.

Breakfasts were eaten at cafes (Bomberia) that served a type of “danish” (mallorca) with powdered sugar and either plain or filled with ham & cheese and warmed. Coffee and espresso were uniformly mediocre in all the restaurants, no matter that it is grown in Puerto Rico.

We had dinner on Christmas at Tantra, an “upscale” restaurant. Indian-Latino cuisine, interesting but unexciting. Most of the restaurants used local ingredients, as did this one. Calle Fortaleza 356 787-977-8141.

We lunched twice at the Parrot Club, an informal place with a wide-ranging menu and our favorite mojitos. We had lamb in pita, empanadas with spinach and yoghurt (not spicy enough for me), chicken skewers in a good marinade with a salad of cherry tomatoes, avocado and onion. Calle Fortaleza 363 787-725-7370.

Next dinner at Pikayo in the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico. Beautiful contemporary space festooned with modern art. Very attentive service. Perhaps because a chef friend of ours had called ahead, we were greeted with a complimentary glass of champagne and salmon tartare on little rice cakes with a dab of peanut sauce. (then apps-sliced duck breast-a little fatty- with scallions, cucumber and a terrific sauce. Ditalli pasta with spicy crab. Main courses-shared a swordfish with veg and wonderful vinegary sauce. Dessert-cornmeal souffle with vanilla cinnamon sauce. 299 De Diego Ave 787-721-6194.

Another culinary highlight: dinner at Delirio (Alfredo Ayala’s restaurant), located in a lovely old house, modernized, with several small rooms. Very good service. (apps-divine crab cakes with beet, horseradish, yoghurt sauce and a little salad. Mutton in plantain, which looks like a sliced egg roll, cooks for 14 hours and was a local, very tasty presentation. Main courses-we shared a yummy black grouper with romesco sauce over fava beans with a bit of ham. Followed by small cheese plate with grapes, dates and quince mostardo.) Avenida Ponce de Leon 762 787-722-0444.

BTW, the wine lists in Puerto Rico were fairly priced; if anything, less-expensive than in New York.

Shopping:

Eminently forgettable, with the exception of a few exceptional jewelry stores. Particularly one called Bared.