Here We Go Again

Our first cruise of 2026 starts in San Juan, Puerto Rico — a new port for us.  Yesterday morning we left for the Houston airport at 6:30 a.m. for our 10:00 flight. (It’s a Tolbert Thing to arrive super early.) We appreciated getting to see the newly renovated Terminal E, and at that hour, it was very uncrowded.  We found good spots in the United Club and settled in.  

Boarding went smoothly, and our aisle seats across from each other were fine.  My seatmates, alas, got up SEVERAL times during the four-hour flight. Charlie was able to move up one row to the bulkhead and enjoyed the legroom. He had packed lunches for us, thank goodness. I finished one book (highly recommend Lady Tan’s Circle of Women), watched three episodes of The West Wing, and started reading The Correspondent (great so far!) before we landed at 4:20.  We’re now two hours ahead of Texas Time.

The car service was waiting for us after we collected our bags, and the drive to the hotel was scenic.  The last ten minutes or so were on narrow, cobbled streets, as our hotel is across from the oldest cathedral in the Western hemisphere, San Juan Cathedral, built in 1521.  Hotel El Convento opened in 1651 as the Carmelite Convent, which lasted 252 years.  The property was renovated in the mid-1900s as a hotel.

Upon check-in, the desk clerk advised us to head straight to Happy Hour, so of course we did.  On the third floor there’s an open air terrace with wines and cheeses offered.

We enjoyed chatting with a couple from Michigan, who were trying to get used to the heat.  It felt like home to us, with a nice breeze.

After dropping our bags, we went downstairs to dinner at Patio del Nispero, also open-air. We enjoyed their margaritas and sangria.

We shared a sampler platter of appetizers and polished it off.  That sufficed for dinner.  We are about to head out for a food tour, so I’ll close for now.