Pre-Cruise San Juan Hotels

[Kik35]

Another vote for Embassy Suites. Reasonable, good location, nice pool, great breakfast and happy hour!!:D. Would def book again in the future.~Claudia

[Twin A]

We have stayed at El Convento and Villa Herencia, both in OSJ.

EC was too pricey to go back, but was very nice, watch for deals.

We LOVED Villa Herencia! It was not that bad priced and it was so authentic, the staff was super friendly and this will be our go-to place to stay when we are in OSJ again. The pictures on their website are exactly how it looks.

 

Try reading through the SJ port of call threads and you may get additional ideas.

 

Another vote for Villa Herencia (Hi LookingForward2)! We stayed there ahead of our honeymoon cruise this past April and loved it! It's very close to El Convento (but cheaper) and is an easy walk from all that OSJ has to offer.

 

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[OleMissMom]

Glad to hear the good reviews about Villa Herencia! We have it booked for January precruise! We were always going to Old San Juan when we stayed at the Marriott so this time we decided to just stay in OSJ.

[cjdixon4]

We stayed at the Embassy Suites and it was very comfortable. Not too far out. It even had an Outback Steakhouse inside it. :)

 

Free breakfast and free happy hour. You can't beat it.

 

Hey, where in relation to the port is the Embassy Suites? I LOVE Embassy's made-to-order breakfasts!

[crisndeefromde]

We have stayed at the Comfort Inn and also the Embassy Suites. This time we are at the Radison.

[mein18]

I used to travel to San Juan a few times a year on business and stayed in a few place but love the Caribe Hilton. Always my first choice. Kind of old school Puerto Rico, great history but hotel and staff are great. We are thinking of taking a cruise out of PR next year and would not consider staying any place but the Caribe. They closed the casino a number of years ago but you can always go out to Coronado if that is your thing, and its a nice cab ride to down town San Juan and easy to get to the port.

 

After considerable consideration and research (probably spent more time researching than we will spend in the room :D), we ended up booking the Caribe Hilton. Will miss the Marriott Stellaris but just not enough time to enjoy that area. The Caribe looks great although a little too large for our liking. For this real short stay we were looking in the heart of OSJ and wanted the El Convento but already sold out. Looked at the Casablanca, El Armas and a couple others and from what we researched the pictures they show are a little aged and reviews were all too inconsistent.

 

Thank you all for the recommendations

[tserface]

We loved the Sheraton. There are lots of places within walking distance or you can ride around on the streetcar shuttle right across the street! It's also great to see all of the ships in port there!!!

 

Tom

 

We stayed at the Sheraton right by the port this year...very convenient location and the pool/hot tub area is beautiful and overlooks the terminal;). Great concierge service as well - they helped us arrange taxis to the terminal and for dinner on the night the cruise returned (we stayed coming and going). Price was around $215/night, but you are right..you get what you pay for;)

[Colorado Babe]

We booked the caribe Hilton one year on Priceline for $69 per night it was awesome. We've also stayed at the holiday inn express and it was good but small but only one block from beach! Either way, we would do both again!

[crusin nut]

Marriott Stellaris would be our first and only hotel!! Love it!!!

[lv2bcruzin]

What we spend on our pre/post-cruise hotel really depends on the cost of our flights. There are some great deals if we were to leave at 8:00 am on the day we return, but the cost for flights at the times we would need are over $150/person more. Go figure. They must know the times most people are looking for. :rolleyes:

[crookedhalo]

We booked the caribe Hilton one year on Priceline for $69 per night it was awesome. We've also stayed at the holiday inn express and it was good but small but only one block from beach! Either way, we would do both again!

 

The Holiday Inn Express has now become the San Juan Plaza hotel (the change is why we ended up at the Sheraton), with many reports of mold/mildew in rooms. Tripadvisor reviews have not been kind :( and had enough of a consistency to send those of us who are prone to bronchitis running:eek:.

[crookedhalo]

What we spend on our pre/post-cruise hotel really depends on the cost of our flights. There are some great deals if we were to leave at 8:00 am on the day we return, but the cost for flights at the times we would need are over $150/person more. Go figure. They must know the times most people are looking for. :rolleyes:

 

We got a great deal by waiting until the following morning to hop a 6am flight. DH and I paid $308/pp RT this past February from Washington (flew in day before and out day after):D

[WatchHill]

Over the years we have stayed at the Conrad, the Sheraton and the EC. For the past 5 years we have been staying at the Caribe and booking one of the villa rooms overlooking the lagoon facing the Conrad. We like the villa side for its quiet, and easy access through the side entry to walk to the bus stop for a $.75 trip into OSJ. For anyone renting a car, the parking garage is on this side street. The villa rooms are a good size and the bath rooms are huge. The corridors are open air. The villa has its own smaller pool adjacent to the bird sanctuary. The property is very nicely appointed, in the early evening we love lounging on one of the hammocks or beds facing the ocean. Plenty of dining options at the hotel, though a bit on the high side. There is a Starbucks in the main lobby.

 

Darcy

[Mac303]

We have stayed at The Sheraton Old San Juan, and the Sheraton Convention Center,

both hotels were clean, friendly staff, and close to the port.

[voyager89]

Is there any good hotel that is not that pricey? I know you get what you pay for, but we are on a tight budget since we will stay 3 nights pre and 3 nights post cruise. The most we can spend is 120 dlls per night, which is the cost of the Doubletree in their website, which is the cheapest rate Ive found for it. Expedia doesnt really have any good deals so far, havent checked Priceline. I would like to stay in OSJ but we really dont care as that 75 cents bus seems to take us there too.

[fergusonvt]

We stayed at the La Concha and had a great time. Huge room and wonderful ocean view.

 

Same here post cruise in Feb. Got it on priceline for only a little more than $100 per night when it was going for almost $400 on their website. Nice hotel within walking distance of many bars and restaurants and right on the beach.

[printingchick]

I've booked Villa Herencia, a bed and breakfast which is located right next to El Convento. I've read excellent reviews and LOVE the location. Check it out on Trip Advisor. It's reasonably priced, but fairly no-frills. It's more of a boutique-style B&B. (Lots of charm and antiques, no swimming pool exercise facilities.)

[CRUISEFAN0001]

A few other things we neglected to mention about the Caribe Hilton (besides how fantastic a place it is...):

 

1) You can get to Old San Juan with a $20 cab ride

2) There are numerous restaurants of all sorts of food types within walking distance

3) There are multiple pools and a private cove for swimming and beach activity

4) The ride to and from the airport is pretty quick and at a reasonable cost

 

In our case, we've stayed there twice and would have no hesitation to use them for any visit to San Juan - for a cruise or otherwise.

[jbond]

A few other things we neglected to mention about the Caribe Hilton (besides how fantastic a place it is...):

 

1) You can get to Old San Juan with a $20 cab ride

2) There are numerous restaurants of all sorts of food types within walking distance

3) There are multiple pools and a private cove for swimming and beach activity

4) The ride to and from the airport is pretty quick and at a reasonable cost

 

In our case, we've stayed there twice and would have no hesitation to use them for any visit to San Juan - for a cruise or otherwise.

We've stayed at the Caribe twice. It's a beautiful hotel, great gardens, but we thought that it was isolated. We found no food outlets, other than a Subway within walking distance. The restaurants within the Caribe were excellent, though a little on the high side.

Stayed at El Convento, very classy, loved sitting on the patio overlooking the cathedral in the evening. Our favorite is the Marriott Stellaris. Stayed there three times. Beautiful beach and lots of local restaurants within a couple of minutes walk. Love Danny's for breakfast, great fried egg sandwich and Bloody Mary's. We actually took a taxi from the Caribe to Danny's for breakfast both days we were there last year.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

We've stayed at the Caribe twice. It's a beautiful hotel, great gardens, but we thought that it was isolated. We found no food outlets, other than a Subway within walking distance. The restaurants within the Caribe were excellent, though a little on the high side.

A bit puzzled about how it would be classified as "isolated".

 

We actually walked to 4 different offsite restaurants in about 15 minutes....as well as the onsite great ones. Being about 10-12 minutes walking time away from "hotel alley" didn't seem to us as isolated in any form.

[jbond]

You may be a lot younger than me, but at my age, your 15 minutes would probably be 30 for me.:D. I used isolated because it didn't appear to be surrounded by a residential neighborhood. The Marriott is in a residential area, with stores and lots of small restaurants with good Puerto Rican food.

We have also stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan for a post cruise stay. It is in a great location, but it looked like an old hotel with a cheap face lift, but it served it's purpose.

[mein18]

A bit puzzled about how it would be classified as "isolated".

 

We actually walked to 4 different offsite restaurants in about 15 minutes....as well as the onsite great ones. Being about 10-12 minutes walking time away from "hotel alley" didn't seem to us as isolated in any form.

 

It is difficult to tell by online maps but can you walk from the Caribe to OSJ or is a taxi necessary? I am guessing the taxi but thought I would ask. As many times as we have neen in OSJ, I just do not recall seeing the Caribe. Probably pased it many times coming from the Stellaris where we always stay when we have time to use the beach and facilities.

 

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[cloggingfool]

we stayed at Hampton Inn...It was resonable and the staff there was AWESOME!! The beach was only about 5 mt walk and the hotel gave us beach chairs to take with us. They have a tiki bar and seim up bar and the hamburgers they cook are the BEST!!! We were walking distance to a few things and the drug store right across the street. We had a free breakfast buffet that included eggs, bacon, make your own waffles, and many other items. At nightime they bring out fresh cookies and coffee. The staff always made sure you had a taxi when you needed it and was always helpful.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

It is difficult to tell by online maps but can you walk from the Caribe to OSJ or is a taxi necessary? I am guessing the taxi but thought I would ask.

Agree the maps are deceptive in terms of distance for many of the hotels and general area.

 

Old San Juan is about a 10-12 minute cab ride from the Caribe Hilton as well as a number of other hotels in the general vicinity.

[jbond]

It is difficult to tell by online maps but can you walk from the Caribe to OSJ or is a taxi necessary? I am guessing the taxi but thought I would ask. As many times as we have neen in OSJ, I just do not recall seeing the Caribe. Probably pased it many times coming from the Stellaris where we always stay when we have time to use the beach and facilities.

 

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The Caribe is further out from OSJ than the Marriott. It's in Isla Verde. You would not pass it going from the Marriott to OSJ.

Guess you could walk it, but I'd advise against it.