Condado

Between the ocean and the lagoon

Condado is one of the subbarrios of Santurce in San Juan. It runs from the Dos Hermanos Bridge in the west to De Diego Avenue in the east, bounded by the Atlantic to the north and by the lagoon and the Baldorioty de Castro Expressway to the south. Its spine is Ashford Avenue, about 1.77 miles long, named for Dr. Bailey Ashford.

The Condado Lagoon, about 99 acres and part of the San Juan Bay Estuary, connects to the Atlantic through El Boquerón inlet under the Dos Hermanos Bridge. The Antillean manatee is among the species recorded there.

A district with history

Development began in 1908, and the large hotels arrived in the 1950s and 1960s. The Condado Vanderbilt Hotel opened in 1919, built by Frederick W. Vanderbilt and designed by Warren and Wetmore, the architects of Grand Central Terminal. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, and its twin residential and hotel towers opened in 2014.

Who buys in Condado

Condado suits buyers who want city life at the beach: restaurants and shops along Ashford Avenue, Old San Juan a short drive away, and a condominium that can be locked while you travel. Neighboring Ocean Park offers beachfront single family homes, most dating from 1930 to 1950.

What to verify in a Condado condo

• Interior square footage separately from balconies and terraces.
• Building generator coverage: common areas only, or each unit, and whether elevators and the water pump are covered.
• Building cistern capacity and whether it serves every unit.
• Monthly maintenance fee, what it includes, and any planned special assessments.
• Rental rules, including short term rental restrictions in the building's bylaws.
• Window and door impact ratings, and the age of the building's major systems.
• Parking spaces and storage deeded to the unit.