Debarkation was slow and cold (forgot to mention the air conditioning on the boat works overtime!). We loitered with Butch and Christy until we were called to leave (around 11am).

We retrieved our luggage (phew) and got a cab to the Hilton. Check-in is at 3, so we got on the list for early check-in.

We had lunch and checked back and a room was ready! Our room was on the fifth floor of the main tower - had a great view of the ocean and Condado.

The Hilton was recently renovated and is awesome! There are three main pools - several waterfalls between them and a swim-up bar that is always shaded. There is a huge grove of palm trees, great for shade or lounging in a hammock (we did neither of these things). The ocean was pretty rough, but there is a breakwater which creates a swimming lagoon. Our spot was past the pool and the beach, out on a jetty by the fish feeding pier (extends out over the reef - throw a stale dinner roll to create a frenzy). The hotel is right near a really cool fort, which isn't really open for exploring but we snuck on :)

We went into Old San Juan twice - but the traffic was so bad it became a pain. We had an excellent dinner at Amadeau (on San Sebastian street) and yummy tapas (appetizers) at El Convento hotel. We wandered a while - very interesting and colorful architecture. We had New Year's Eve dinner at Martino's - which is on the top floor or a hotel in Condado by the Marriott - surf n turf - YUM!

Our return trip was the perfect end to the vacation - we volunteered because the flight was oversold, got flight vouchers, were put on a direct flight on American, got frequent flyer upgrades, and arrived in Chicago 10 minutes before our original flight was supposed to!!!

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