Gadlinks for Thursday, 1.28.2010

by Katie Hammel on

The weekend is almost here! Are you headed anywhere fun? I’m off to sunny Puerto Rico to escape Chicago’s latest cold snap. Here are a few bonus travel stories to keep you dreaming of warmer days.

  • Winter in the northern hemisphere means summer in Buenos Aires. If you’re headed down south, here are a few places to gorge yourself silly, courtesy of Matador writer Tom Gates. [via Matador Nights]
  • Nothing says summer like the sight of tan surfers catching some waves. How does a pro surfer globe-trot? Find out with BootsnAll’s How I Travel profile of surfer Holly Beck. [via BootsnAll]

More Gadlinks HERE.

Verdanza Hotel opens in Puerto Rico

by Tom Johansmeyer on

There’s a new hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. On Friday, the Verdanza Hotel opened its doors, offering an upscale urban-inspired experience … but only a few steps from the beach. It’s not far from the Isla Verde tourism district, so you’ll have plenty of access. And, the 222-room hotel (with 20 suites) boasts three restaurants and a pastry shop. Look for some personalized touches at the Verdanza Hotel, such as made-to-order picnic beach lunches, luxurious eco-friendly bath products, guestrooms that allow pets and a personal bike taxi ride to the beach.

Art lovers will be particularly thrilled with the Verdanza. The opening includes the kickoff of “Art and Friends,” which consists of local and experimental art from newcomers. Look for daily events that include live concerts, video art performances and other exhibits. The two-week show ends on December 13, 2009, with a Fair Trade Bazaar.

Ricky Newman, general manager of the hotel, says, “The new Verdanza Hotel is all about personalized service, attention to the small details and an overall experience that allows our guests to feel one with the true vibe of San Juan.” The Verdanza is the first independent full-service to hotel to open in the San Juan metropolitan area.

Tied to a chair and robbed in a five-star hotel

by Annie Scott on

No matter who you are or how fancy your hotel is, inviting strangers to your room is a risky business. Just ask Robert J. Anello, a New York Lawyer who was staying at the lovely Ritz-Carlton, San Juan in Puerto Rico’s posh Isla Verde district (shown). He was tied up in his room with lamp cords and a necktie just before dawn on Monday, and had $800 cash and his two cell phones stolen.

Associated Press reports, “Police say two of the suspects are women whom the victim invited to his room.” A 17-year-old girl was reportedly also in the room, but has not been charged.

According to Caribbean Business PR, this is how it went down:

“‘It was at his invitation that they gained access to the room,’ said Capt. Samuel Luciano, director of the Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Corps in Carolina.

‘Then they apparently called the other individuals over to stage the robbery,’ Luciano said.

According to published reports, the women tied Anello to a chair with lamp cords and a necktie at knifepoint and then let two male suspects into the room. The men then allegedly broke into the hotel room safe and swiped $800 cash, two cellular phones and four credit cards.

A third man allegedly waited outside the hotel in the getaway car. A hotel employee provided a good description of the vehicle and police nabbed the suspects a short time later.”

Anello seems to be okay; he declined medical attention, but as you might guess, it’s rough press for the Ritz-Carlton. As with hotels anywhere, they get their share of pool-crashers and other unwanted visitors — it’s to their credit that they were able to identify the criminals and help set justice in motion so quickly.

“The safety and security of our guests is our most important priority and we take very seriously the appropriate measures to protect the safety and security of our guests,” says Verona Carter, a rep for Ritz-Carlton’s Caribbean & Mexico resorts. They can’t really help it when guests make poor decisions (like inviting shady teenage girls to their rooms).

All five suspects, Alejandra Alicea Candelario, 18, Emanuel Alicea Candelario, 21, Julio Alicea Candelario, 24, Francheska Agosto Ríos, 21 and Luis Agosto Ríos, 25, have been jailed, and a preliminary hearing is set for November 30.

[via Huffington Post]

Photo of the Day (11.8.09)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Anyone looking for a taste Caribbean colonial charm should head for Puerto Rico’s Old San Juan. It’s an area with loads of atmosphere – brightly colored pastel mansions, cobblestone streets, and a surprising street art scene. I particularly liked the bold colors and gritty charm of this photo in Old San Juan by Flickr user robertrexdotcom. It reminded me of my visit last year, wandering the quiet streets.

Want your pics considered for Gadling’s Photo of the Day? Submit your best ones here.

Photo of the Day (10.3.09)

by Brenda Yun on

There’s something awfully distinct about the Spanish colonial architecture — especially walls that enclose cities all over Latin America and the Caribbean. I love the composition of this photo in particular, from the green foreground to the colonial wall that looks out to a stunning sky and what must be the open sea.

Today’s Photo of the Day was taken yesterday in Puerto Rico and comes to us from robertrex365, who just happened to work as a Obama campaign photographer. No wonder this photo is such a stunner!

If you have some great travel shots you’d like to share, be sure to upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr. We might just pick one as our Photo of the Day!