Don Rafa Boutique Hotel & Residences

A four-year restoration turned the Miramar family home of "Don Rafa" into a 36-suite boutique hotel and residences, developed entirely by Puerto Rican talent under Iván Zavala Steidel. Opened in January 2023, it was named Puerto Rico's Leading Boutique Hotel at the 2023 World Travel Awards, with rooftop restaurant Canvas as its dining centerpiece.

The place

Set on Avenida Miramar in the historic Miramar district, a residential neighborhood a short walk from Condado Beach and the lagoon.

The concept

Don Rafa converts a mid-20th-century family home — built, per the hotel's own account, by a Spanish immigrant entrepreneur to house his extended family — into a 36-suite boutique hotel and residences. Puerto Rican developer Iván Zavala Steidel, founder of In Réalta Grupo Inmobiliario, led a four-year renovation designed and executed entirely by local talent, filling the property with original artwork by Puerto Rican artists. It opened in January 2023 and was named Puerto Rico's Leading Boutique Hotel at the World Travel Awards that same year, seven months after its soft opening.

Dining & wellness

Canvas, the hotel's rooftop restaurant, anchors dining with panoramic San Juan views, alongside a Sun Deck pool and cabana bar; the property also runs a cocktail-and-tapas lounge, a gym and a wellness studio. Specific spa treatments are not confirmed.