Urban Casita: Arts District near Ciudadela/Lote 23

4.97(128 reviews)SuperhostSan Juan, Puerto Rico

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Entire apartment hosted by Richard

1 guest1 bedroom1 bed1 bath

Entire home

You’ll have the apartment to yourself.

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Great location

100% of recent guests gave the location a 5-star rating.

20+ time Superhost. Unique historic house in San Juan's Arts District - Santurce.

The 1st floor casita is like having a traditional Puerto Rican country cottage in the center of the city.

I'll meet you for check-in & take you on an Arts District tour ending up at 'La Placita' - market/restaurants/bars.

My hotel/tourism consulting office is onsite - so I'm here for any assistance.

If you appreciate art, culture, music & history in a typical San Juan neighborhood, this may perfect for you!

The space
The casita suite is at the back of the house on the ground floor. There are two steps to from the street to the lobby and then two steps to the 'sunken kitchen' if access is an issue.

Guests use the main entrance and reception gallery to the house, but you have a private locked gate to your casita's exterior courtyard. From the semi-covered 'gazebo' courtyard, you enter your bedroom/ensuite private bath on one side and your ’sunken kitchen’ with a sit-up bar/counter on the other.

The bedroom has a king size bed, flat-panel TV with Cable Channels + Roku, Free Wi-Fi Internet, air conditioning, ceiling fan and closet area with robes and iron/board. The ensuite private bathroom has a sink, toilet and shower (no bathtub). Clean sheets and towels are provided on arrival. If you stay more than one week, we provide clean linens once a week.

The casita has a semi-open "sunken" kitchen (sink, gas stove (no oven), full refrigerator/freezer, microwave, coffee makers (Mr. Coffee, French Press, Nespresso and traditional stove-top moka espresso maker), electric kettle, blender, toaster, rice maker/steamer).

NOTE: The casita suite does not have an enclosed 'living area'. The bedroom and kitchen open to a private courtyard with 'gazebo-style' covering that keeps light rain away and provides shade during the day. However, when it rains heavily, the courtyard does get wet - so you may get wet going from the bedroom to the kitchen. You should not leave computers, papers or anything in the courtyard that may get wet, since we can have short showers anytime in the tropics. (See photos for reference).

NATURE ALERT: The house has a very open design that encourages open doors and windows. There may be small lizards in the courtyard (we like them - they're cute and they eat mosquitoes).

Small birds and hummingbirds are common. If you're lucky, you'll hear a 'coqui' tree frog singing outside your gate til about midnight.

Mosquitoes blow in when the wind comes from the lagoons during rainy weather (we provide spay and have screens on the bedroom doors/windows) and the fan in the kitchen usually keeps them away.

We also have rather large 'palmetto bugs' that look like roaches and only live outdoors - these are common all over the island, even in resorts, so if you freak out at bugs, be warned. They only come out from the gardens on certain nights and local lore claims that the males expire after mating. They do not live indoors, they love gardens - so if they do find their way near you it is usually by accident.

Finally - we have a phenomena here in PR called 'Sahara Dust' or 'Bruma' - where sand from the African desert blows across the Atlantic Ocean and lands in PR. This is not pollution - but can cloud the sky and leave lots of gritty dust on the floors. Locals walk around the house in socks to keep it from sticking to feet - but its easy to clean up with the swiffers we provide in each unit.

Sleeping arrangements

Bedroom
1 king bed, En suite bathroom

Amenities

Kitchen

Wifi

Free street parking

TV with standard cable

Air conditioning

Patio or balcony

Backyard

Luggage dropoff allowed

Hair dryer

Refrigerator

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4.97(128 reviews)

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4.97 out of 5 stars from 128 reviews

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Location

San Juan, Puerto Rico

When you arrive, I'll take you on a walking tour of the neighborhood and show you all arts venues, restaurants, bars, supermarket, ATMs, way to the beach, bus stops, etc. and end up at Plaza del Mercado.

The Santurce area of San Juan was the center of all business, shopping, restaurants, theaters and nightlife from the 1940's - 1980's. Often referred to as the 'Times Square' of Puerto Rico. Our area of Ponce de Leon had so many exclusive shops and boutiques it was called 'The Fifth Avenue of the Caribbean'. There was an elegant 'Rainbow Room' style dinner club one block away at 'Top of the First' and the highest concentration of movie palaces in the Caribbean.

All this changed when TV came to Puerto Rico. While the US mainland had their 'golden age' of TV in the 1950's, it wasn't until the 1970's that Puerto Rico developed their own local programming. After this, people could just sit at home for entertainment and no longer supported so many theaters. At the same time, the Hato Rey business district was created - luring many businesses out of Santurce. The final blow came when Plaza las Americas opened in the 1980's and Ponce de Leon Avenue was no competition for the largest shopping mall in the Caribbean. The neighborhood gradually just faded away with abandoned buildings and theaters on every block.

But like many urban areas - artists and creative entrepreneurs discovered a wealth of great spaces - just a few minutes walk across the highway from the best tourism areas of Condado and Ocean Park. Started as a 'grass roots' effort with private clubs, galleries, bars, etc. in the areas surrounding the Fine Arts Center (4 theaters and Symphony Hall).
The Arts District was formalized with the opening of the Puerto Rico Museum of Art in a former hospital, The Museum of Contemporary Art in a former public school and the Conservatory of Music in a former Catholic School.
With the Miramar Historic District at one end and Sacred Heart University at the other - it now forms the highest concentration of arts in the Caribbean.

The neighborhood is still evolving - so some blocks are still abandoned and a bit shabby around the edges. This isn't a Disney-style gentrification area, but a real urban neighborhood that has everything from homeless to ultra-chic condos and lots of artists and interesting characters in between. But even the bad blocks are considered safe for tourists and have some of the best urban art in the world!

If you want a generic resort vacation, this may not be for you... but if you want a fascinating local experience with easy access to great beaches, Old San Juan's UNESCO World Heritage, authentic Puerto Rico living and some of the friendliest people in the world - the Arts District might be perfect for your trip to San Juan!

Hosted by Richard

Joined in November 2009

503 Reviews
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Superhost

Living in San Juan for 20 years. Originally from Connecticut, but lived in New York City for many years working in the travel industry and helping develop early online travel applications including Travelocity. After the 'internet bubble' I moved to the small Caribbean island of Saba and ran a boutique hotel with my Saban cousins on one of the most unique islands in the world. My years on Saba were the most amazing experiences and a true 'Don't Stop the Carnival' lifestyle. When Hurricane "Geroges" destroyed the hotel I decided to combine online marketing and hotel operations experience and move to Puerto Rico to work as a tourism consultant. Clients included the Caribbean Hotel Association, Caribbean Tourism Organization plus hotels and resorts throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, South America, Asia and Europe. Now also a licensed real estate broker in Puerto Rico - so if you visit and fall in love with the island like I did, I can help you find your perfect home or condo! Travel extensively in the Caribbean for work, all over the globe for fun - but always glad to come home to San Juan!

Living in San Juan for 20 years. Originally from Connecticut, but lived in New York City for many years working in the travel industry and helping develop early online travel appli…

During your stay

On arrival - I'll meet you outside the house and give you an orientation in the lobby at check-in before showing you to your suite.

After you get settled, I'll give you a tour of the neighborhood so you understand the history/development of the Arts District and where to find supermarkets, banks, restaurant, museums, bars, clubs and galleries.

We'll end at Plaza del Mercado where you can find restaurants/bars and the weekly 'street parties' on Thurs, Fri and Sat nights.

I'll also point out how to get to Old San Juan, the beach at Ocean Park and the bohemian/hipster Loiza Street area.

I have my office hotel/tourism consulting and real estate at the back of the museum just off the lobby and is available from approximately 9am-9pm.

I'm always happy to help with directions or recommendations and love getting feedback on your adventures in San Juan.

My office is not open to the public - it is by appointment only, so there are no issues with strangers having access.

And of course, you're always welcome to visit the Museum or Art Gallery.

On arrival - I'll meet you outside the house and give you an orientation in the lobby at check-in before showing you to your suite.

After you get settled, I'll give you…

Richard is a Superhost

Superhosts are experienced, highly rated hosts who are committed to providing great stays for guests.