Condado vacation rentals

Staying in Condado

Staying in Condado puts the beach, the lagoon and dinner on Ashford Avenue within an easy walk, so a car is optional for the city part of a trip.

The beach and the lagoon

Condado Beach runs along the north side, but Discover Puerto Rico warns that swimming there can be risky because of strong currents in places, and suggests swimming where lifeguards are on duty or in the calmer lagoon. From the western end of Condado, Balneario El Escambrón, a reef-sheltered beach with lifeguards, lies across the Dos Hermanos Bridge. The walk there from the Condado end of the bridge is about 18 minutes.

The lagoon itself is protected as a nature reserve and state park. West Indian manatees still visit, and brown pelicans and magnificent frigatebirds are regulars there.

Walking to Old San Juan

Old San Juan is close enough to reach on foot. The walk starts at the Dos Hermanos Bridge, named for the Behn brothers, who opened the original bridge in 1910 to reach their new Condado development, and runs through Puerta de Tierra, past Luis Muñoz Rivera Park and the Capitol, to Castillo San Cristóbal at the edge of the old city. From the bridge, that is about 3.4 km (2.1 miles), some 43 minutes at an easy pace. From the homes on this page, allow 45 to 60 minutes. A taxi covers the same ground in minutes when you would rather save your legs for the old city's hills.

Towers, parking and power

Homes here tend to be apartments in condo towers, reached by lift and often looking out from a high floor. Street parking in Condado is hard to find, so a space that comes with the home is worth having if you are renting a car; check the listing before you book. Some towers run a backup generator and keep a water reserve, a real comfort during the brief power cuts that still happen on the island and in hurricane season, June through November.

Evenings on Ashford

La Ventana al Mar, the small seafront park between the Condado Vanderbilt and La Concha hotels, is where people gather for sunset. From Condado's southern streets, La Placita's market-square nightlife is a short walk away. The towers themselves are residential, with quiet hours that guests are asked to keep.

Who it suits

Condado suits a beach-and-restaurants trip without a car, couples, and first-time visitors who want Old San Juan close. It suits less well anyone looking for colonial streets, a quiet residential block, or a lifeguarded swim straight from the building. Old San Juan is about 11 minutes by car, and the airport about 12 minutes by car.