152 PLAZA DE ARMAS 302

ABOVE PLAZA DE ARMAS | RENOVATED BALCONY APARTMENT WITH A VIEW Set on the third floor of a handsome 1934 Spanish Revival building, the apartment looks directly onto Plaza de Armas, its mature trees, City Hall and the daily life that gathers around them. The Plaza has always been one of the Old City’s principal meeting places, and living here gives the apartment a sense of openness and connection to its surroundings. Step onto the balcony and the city is immediately present. Close the double-paned doors and windows, and the apartment becomes remarkably quiet. Inside, everything is new. What is particularly successful is that none of it feels disconnected from its setting: the choices of tile, fabric, color, lighting and furniture give the apartment a distinctly European, old-world sensibility that feels entirely at home in Old San Juan. Eleven-foot ceilings give the rooms wonderful proportions and make the apartment feel considerably larger than its measured square footage, while additional windows carry the light toward the bedroom area. The decoration is rich without feeling formal. Sheer, loosely woven draperies soften the tall openings to the balcony, while velvet greens and chocolate tones bring warmth and depth to the living spaces. The primary bedroom is especially well resolved, with a king-size bed, carefully chosen lighting and a wallpapered backdrop that gives the room a softer, quieter character. The second bedroom is smaller and is best understood as an occasional guest room or office. Both bathrooms are notably generous in size and feel comfortable rather than constrained. The address is as practical as it is distinctive. This is the only residential building directly on Plaza de Armas, with the supermarket, pharmacy, cafés and everyday services quite literally downstairs or steps away. Most apartments in the building are owner-occupied, and rentals here seldom become available. For someone who wants to be part of the life of Old San Juan—able to walk downstairs into the Plaza and the familiar rhythm of the neighborhood, then return to a quiet, beautifully considered home above it—this apartment offers a particularly appealing way to live in the city.