PJ Travel Savvy

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.

Le Clocher Pereire has been open about a year. Chefs Jean-Phillipe Leboeuf and Eric Jolbus met at Druant, then worked separately at the Crillon and the Bristol. Unusually, they develop recipes together and then take turns cooking and serving. Small, inexpensive and very popular delicate cuisine. 42, blvd Pereire (17) 01-44-40-04-15.

Pierre au Palais Royal has new management, with a change of menu and decor.

Hot Paris Tip from our Fashionista Antoine: A great selection of vintage jewelry at great prices can be found at Vintage Madeleine, rue d’Anjou 0140 0752.

Just returned, and had an enjoyable experience. It was the end of the monsoon season, but the rain didn’t detract from our experiences. The ancient cities, the spice and botanical gardens, the animals, the food—all were interesting. Shopping there is mainly for gems. The presence of the Tamil Tigers did not impact on our time whatsoever.

Lodging:

Sigiriya: The Elephant Corridor featured separate villas with a contemporary feel, a good restaurant and a delightful pool. 94 66 2231950 51.

Kandy: Kandy House is a 200-year old mansion that has been converted into an inn containing 9 rooms, an outside dining area and a pool. Our room was lovely, the bathroom very contemporary and interesting. No air conditioning, because not needed, but we did have mosquito netting.

Galle environs: Andres Pub. 94 777 989796.

Shopping:

We weren’t in Colombo, so we missed a lot of the shopping. We did buy local packaged spices near the tea plantation area at a spice garden we toured. There are also several bazaars in Sri Lankan towns that sell overruns and seconds of things manufactured there. We were able to get Helly Hansen and Columbia outerwear very inexpensively.

Everyone without exception was delighted to see Americans. Tourism is down following the tsunami and few Americans visit. I might point out that for those of us looking to minimize the effect of the declining dollar, places like Sri Lanka are very attractive.

Kandy: Prasanna Gem Centre, where I bought sapphires and semi-precious stones. They made them into a ring and earrings, and delivered them the next day to the next town in which we were staying. 921, Peradeniya Rd 94 08 12 389891-2.

Galle: Ibrahim, a gem dealer who sells very well made contemporary jewelry, using 18 karat gold. Bargaining is essential. 47, Church St 94 912 234 253. Good tabletop stores were: Elephant Walk, 30, Church St 94 912 248 031, and Barefoot, 41, Pedlar St 94 912 226 299.

Last but not least:

We had a guide whose English was excellent. He was not obtrusive but was very competent and most enjoyable. His name is Wimal Rathnasiri and his e-mail address is wimal@sltnet.lk. Phone # 94 (0)714776089. I highly recommend him.

We stayed at the Ritz Carlton Millenia, on the club floor. Well worth the extra charge: the breakfast was appealing and there were drinks, champagne and “nibbles” in the afternoon and dessert in the evening. The rooms are nice-sized; the bathrooms all had large port hole-style windows over the tub featuring views of Singapore (although the casino being built nearby is likely to block some of those views). The hotel is within walking distance of the convention center, as is the Mandarin Oriental.

Eating:

Hawkers selling food from stalls are a big feature of the Singapore street scene. We had lunch at the Maxwell Centre, which comprised many kiosks under the same roof, selling fish soups, oyster omelets, rice bowls, etc. Very clean.

Restaurant-wise, Min Jiang @ One North served terrific appetizers followed by excellent Peking duck, steamed sea perch and pork with cucumbers. 5 Rochester Park (65)6774 0122. Jade Restaurant in the Fullerton Hotel was also excellent, as well as a bit more formal. The restaurant offered several prix fixe dinners but was more than happy to change the dishes if necessary. Interesting, rather contemporary Chinese food. (None of the food we ate anywhere was the least bit greasy). Tung Lok Group. (65)6877 8188.

Song of India featured authentic (having been to India) and quite tasty Indian food. Marvelous prawns and crab (most of which, we were told, come from Sri Lanka). 33 Scotts Rd (65)6836 0055.
Our last Singapore lunch, at Iggy’s in the Regent Hotel, was disappointing. Touted as interesting modern European using lots of local ingredients, the food was nice but uninspired. (65)6733 8888.

Shopping:

Merchandise of local designers to be found at:
Asylum. 22 Ann Siang Rd (65)6324 2289.
Front Row. 5 Ann Siang Rd (65)6224 5501 & 5502.
. 33 Erskine Rd (65) 6536 6977 and 260 Joo Chiat Rd (65)6345 5200.