Fairmont El San Juan Hotel, San Juan, Puerto Rico

As parents of a 1 and 3.5 year old heading out on a beach vacation just outside of mainland America, our main goals are to have fun, stay safe, and stay sane. It can be a lot of work to accomplish all three, especially when your kids are overly sick.

Nevertheless, Rachel and I enlisted fortitude and perseverance in our approach to enjoying time away with the family. We also enlisted the help of Rachel’s parents – it was a team effort all around, and I have to say we were successful, absolutely loving our time in Puerto Rico.

There were many moments of angst and stress, but those were easily washed away by the tropical vibes and Caribbean breeze floating through the interior and exterior of the El San Juan Hotel. An absolutely legendary hotel, I had stayed here many times before growing up, on frequent trips to Puerto Rico made by my family. A sense of pride surrounded me as I felt the torch being passed to my kids, who would experience a similar family vacation that I so cherished growing up.

We were beyond lucky to have incredible rooms overlooking the gorgeous ocean and expansive pool area. How could you not feel a sense of joy taking in that scene? As we juggled parental obligations, I decided to order a club sandwich and take it all in… it’s what the moment called for.

A bit of a hot mess, the Fairmont El San Juan’s club sandwich was hugely impacted by it’s (lack of) presentation, lending to poor ratio, poor holdability, and just an unsightly start to what should be a glorious meal and view combination. While the ingredients did not suffer sacrifice, with the bacon a solid thick and not-too-salty cut, the cheddar cheese overpowered most of the meal and I ended up picking through this club sandwich to quench my appetite.

I munched on the remainder of the French fries, watched the wind whisk through the palm trees, and focused my sights on afternoon activities. Just love Puerto Rico.