Hotel El Convento is a four-star boutique hotel in Old San Juan. It was originally constructed as a Carmelite convent in 1646, under the patronage of King Philip IV of Spain. Founded in 1651 by Doña Ana Lanzós—a wealthy widow who donated the land—it remained a cloistered space until 1903, after which the building sat closed for over five decades.

At just past 9:30 p.m. the plane touched down in San Juan with the familiar thud of American machinery. Immediately, a ripple of applause broke out among the passengers. I joined in—not out of obligation, but instinct. The ritual was familiar. It happens in Mexico too. That small, shared celebration of safe arrival.