OLIVE BOUTIQUE HOTEL- A LUXURIOUS STAY IN PUERTO RICO’S TRENDIEST AREA
Settle into Condado’s Small Luxury Hotel by the beach and enjoy a taste of the Mediterranean with Olive Boutique Hotel. It’s no surprise that the hotel was awarded the Most Instagrammable Hotel by SLH in 2018. All 4 floors and 15 rooms are inspired by the owners’ travels through Southern Europe and reflect the unique styles of France, Spain, Italy, and Morocco. The walls are draped with large photos from their travels and every corner has been touched with love and care.
As you walk into the small lobby area, it’s cozy and quaint. There are rustic mirrors, a soft couch, pictures, and trinkets sprinkled around the area. The staff is always available, thoughtful, and ready to serve. Every detail is accounted for. Missed packing something for the beach?
No worries, they have prepared bags with towels, sunblock, and cold water. Guests are also treated to complimentary Coquitos whenever they want, for the duration of their stay, a favorite local cocktail made of rum, brandy, condensed milk, and coconut milk. Have your choice of coconut or pistachio, but if you’re lucky enough to arrive after the chef has released the 3rd flavor, chocolate, make sure you try it. Yummm!
As you make your way up the stairs to your room, take note of the details in every crescent. With just a few rooms per floor, you can expect privacy and attentive care. Instead of room numbers, there are unique tassels hanging on each doorknob, just match your key tassel with the one hanging on your door.
We stayed in the Mediterranean Veranda Suite and it was everything we could have wanted. The spacious room is over 350 sq ft. and has an open concept bedroom-bathroom. The standing glass shower is right next to the bed and on the other side is the open sink and private bathroom. The bathroom is stocked with soft cotton bathrobes and slippers, and L’Occitane bath products. Even cooler is the water therapy anion filter in the shower!
It looks like charcoal or coffee beads, but actually, the anion filter replaces unwanted minerals in the water with less objectionable ones like Calcium and Magnesium. This helps to minimize the number of toxins that seep through your pores.
The best part, by far, is the veranda. Heavy iron and glass doors open up to the balcony where you’ll find a hanging industrial style chandelier, a small table for 2, a mini-fridge and bar, and an epically large stone bathtub with a rain shower. The tub looks like it was once a fountain and large enough to comfortably fit two people. The cutest part is coming back to your room at the end of the day. Every day the housekeeper organized all of our belongings and left a sweet note for us.
Dining at the hotel is some of the best in San Juan. Sage Steak Loft is manned by the local celebrity chef Mario Pagán and his taste buds are unique, to say the least. Adding interesting zest and flavors like mango to the handpicked cuts of meat create an original dining experience.
It’s located on the main floor of the hotel and the high ceilings with custom rope draping create a romantic ambiance. Whether you indulge in the Prime Filet Mignon or the Dry Aged Porterhouse, there’s really no way to go wrong. Dinner here is a must.
However, if breakfast is your thing, then you’ll love this! The O:Live Boutique Hotel has a sister hotel across the street, OLV Hotel with another amazing restaurant, Arya. Every evening you will find an order sheet hanging on your door, after completing your breakfast selection, just hang it back on the door and breakfast will be delivered to your room at the specified time.
The rooftop at Olive is the icing on the cake. A gorgeous Amalfi-inspired rooftop with sectioned lounge areas, lemon covered branches hugging gazebos, and a small refreshing pool and fully stocked bar, all overlooking the ocean. Hanging lights twinkle over the tables as guests wind down with their favorite cocktail after a long day exploring the island.
Just a 10-minute drive from Old San Juan and walking distance to the beach, the experience guests walk away with after a stay at this exquisite hotel is nothing short of wonderful. Despite its luxury stature, you actually feel quite at home.