Alma San Juan is slated to open in the first quarter of this year in the city's Old San Juan historical district. The luxury, boutique hotel will comprise 56 rooms and suites and occupy the Pisos de Don Juan, the first Hispano-Mediterranean-style building in Old San Juan, dating back to 19th century.
Rooms and suites at the property will eschew Caribbean aesthetics and steer toward the island's natural beauty and sustainability, with the use of natural-toned fabrics and natural fibers in the rooms and natural light in corridors. Premier suites and rooms will have balconies that offer views of the historic Plaza Colon and La Bahia de San Juan. From the lobby to the guestrooms, the hotel will be adorned with artworks by local artists. The corridors and guestrooms on each floor will highlight a different local artist.
• Related: Revisiting colonial times in Old San Juan
Alma San Juan, located near the historic Castillo San Cristobal, will have two restaurants and three bars, all playing tribute to the island's culinary and mixology background. The restaurants are Andaluz, headed by chef Jose Enrique, who will pay homage to cuisine from Puerto Rico and the Andalusian region of Spain, and Mar y Rosa, whose Puerto-Rico born chef Jose Mendin, is a five-time James Beard semifinalist.
The Cafe at Alma will offer locally grown and sustainably sourced coffee and bites during the day and in the evenings will serve an array of tapas paired with wines and specialty cocktails.
The resort will also have a fitness facility and a rooftop plunge pool with daybeds. It will also offer its own fragrance, composed of citron, white fig, and musky sandalwood, to guests to take home in various formats, including candles and diffusers.
Alma San Juan expects to begin taking reservations soon.