EL CONDADO
EL CONDADO
El Condado (Spanish for “county”) is primarily a middle to upper class community. It is located east of the historic colonial district of Old San Juan. It is one 40 “sub-districts” of Santurce district. The eastern border is marked by De Diego Avenue and its straight extension towards the Atlantic coast. On the south, the district is bounded by Wilson Street, Aldea Street, Expreso Baldorioty de Castro, Piccioni Street and Delcasse Street, and by the Condado Lagoon (from east to west). The western-most point is the Puente Dos Hermanos, where Avenida Ashford ends and leads into Old San Juan. In the north are the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean next to hotels and other attractions such as nightclubs, casinos, shops and restaurants. These days, El Condado is one of the island’s primary tourist destinations.
The neighborhood experienced an economic boom in the first decades of the 20th century when some of the wealthiest families built their homes in the area. The Vanderbilts built a summer home in 1919 which today has been converted into the luxurious Condado Vanderbilt Hotel. The Behn Brothers also built their home in Condado and to their memory Two Brothers Bridge or Puente Dos Hermanos is named in their honor as founders of Puerto Rico Telephone and the new electric tramway line that linked the county to Old San Juan.
The 1950s-60s era saw another boom in Condado, with the rapid industrialization of Puerto Rico, this flamboyant locale was becoming a popular tourist destination. Large hotels like the Caribe Hilton Hotel and La Concha Resort were built as part of a government sponsorship program under the Operation Bootstrap brand.
A convention center was built to host activities while many families began to move in during the development of high-end and high-rise apartment buildings. In fact, Avenida Ashford was named after another well-known Condado resident Dr. Bailey Ashford. It runs through the district and leads toward the Puente Dos Hermanos
There are also a variety of dining options, specifically in Avenida Ashford. Every year, El Condado holds a culinary festival of most of the popular restaurants around the area. El Condado features upscale stores such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton, Cartier and Gucci – making Avenida Ashford, in effect, San Juan’s answer to 5th Avenue in New York. Despite El Condado’s reputation for high-end retailers and glitzy hotels like La Concha, Avenida Ashford even has hotels for budget travelers, such as “Aleli By The Sea” and “El Canario Inn”.