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NEW BEGINNINGS
Driving down the streets of Condado brought back many memories of that trip. I asked the driver, "By the way, where did the Dupont Plaza Hotel used to be located?" The driver's demeanor changed. He looked at me with a solemn face as we pulled into the driveway of the San Juan Marriott and said, "Your hotel used to be the Dupont Plaza." Gulp! I sat still and quiet, looking out the window, trying to take it all in, goose bumps rising on my arms. I took a deep sigh, paid the driver, got out of the car and walked through the front door.

SAN JUAN MARRIOTT
Walking into the lobby didn't bring back any memories. Obviously, the hotel is completely different now. Everything is brand new and totally modernized. The biggest change was the service. I wasn't expecting much. This is the Caribbean and like most islands throughout the world, they're not exactly known for providing topnotch service. You know how it is ... the staff is usually very friendly but very laid-back and the locals operate on "island time". However, the opposite can be said of the Marriott's hotel staff. My experience began with a doorman holding the front door for me. There was no wait to check in and the front desk crew was not only efficient but happy. The same can be said for the wait staff in two of the hotel's restaurants. Speaking of the hotel restaurants: I loved the food at Tuscany's, which serves expensive Italian dishes, but I wasn't so fond of my late-night dinner at La Vista. The service was good but the food was average at best. However, La Vista is also where a $18 breakfast buffet is offered and while I found that to be above average, it was not outstanding.

A STRANGE COINCIDENCE
I didn't look at my room number until I was just about to press the button in the elevator. That's when I realized that I was in room 1910! Holy cow! Can you believe that I was assigned to a room on the 19th floor? Had I been paying attention at the front desk, I definitely would have asked that they switch my room. But it's a completely new hotel now (except for the frame) and I figured that they must have learned from their mistakes. The reason so many people died in the last fire was because the emergency exits were locked. And besides, there haven't been any incidents that I'm aware of, for the past 21 years.

RESCUE LADDERS: As a general rule, I try to stay in rooms below the ninth floor which is the highest a fire truck's rescue aerial ladders can reach; they extend 100 feet.

A ROOM WITH A VIEW ... AND A BALCONY!
My room was very nice; not terribly big but comfortable. I could have done without the large orange chair that just kept getting in my way but other than that, everything was newly renovated with a fresh and stylish, Cosmopolitan/Caribbean-inspired decor. The bed, the Marriott's patent "Revive Bed", is so comfortable that it makes you want to sleep late. It's also perfect for lazing around and watching movies as each room has a flat screen HDTV with a whole slew of channels. My bathroom was clean, stocked with soft fluffy towels and a showerhead, which spit out an enjoyably firm water pressure. But my favorite part of the room was the balcony, from which I enjoyed a spectacular view of the beach and Atlantic Ocean. Don't you hate it when you go to a hotel and you can't even open the windows? Here, all 525 rooms have a balcony and most with ocean views like mine. I didn't sleep very well the first night because the room was freezing and the duvet was too thick for my liking. So I was either too hot or cold. But the following night(s), I slept with the A/C turned off and the balcony door wide open. I covered myself with just the sheet and slept like an overworked donut maker. The hotel is well built; the walls are thick and I couldn't hear any outside noise from the hallway or my neighbors, just the pounding of the ocean waves ... a soothing way to fall asleep and wake up.

THE BEACH
The hotel has a well-deserved four-diamond AAA rating. They do a good job. I personally wouldn't spend my one vacation a year here, but if I was coming in early to catch a cruise or was on a business trip, I would definitely recommend it. Plus, you get to collect Marriott points. If you need to work or stay in touch with friends and family back home, Internet access is just $9.95 a day. There's also a full-service business center and eight meeting rooms, totaling 9,400 square feet of meeting space. The elevators are quick and the hotel has one of the most popular casinos and bars in town. Offering nightly live entertainment means there's no reason to even leave the property. The pool area is plush and complete with a waterslide and whirlpool. The beach out front has inviting, soft sand and for hotel guests, it's free to use the umbrellas and lounge chairs. But be warned: I don't recommend swimming in the ocean when a red flag is posted. Puerto Rico has a lot of fantastic places to swim but Condado Beach is not one of them. In fact, it's downright dangerous when it's rough out. Unfortunately, when I was there, a 13-year-old boy drowned. As the rescue team searched for his body well into the next day, another man swimming there drowned, right next to the searchers. Both were locals and a hotel staff member told me that most who drown here are locals. It seems that many of them don't fear the ocean and don't heed the hotel warnings. San Juan Marriott, 1309 Ashford Avenue, San Juan, Puerto Rico; tel.: 787-722-7000, toll-free: 800-464-5005.

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