El Conquistador
Apr 4th, 2008, 08:58 AM
#2
Join Date: Nov 2007
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Probably about 10 years since I've been but, in a nutshell: beautiful hotel, pain in the arse to get to the beach (Palomino Island) but beautiful and secluded when you do, in the middle of nowhere, expensive food/drinks.
Apr 4th, 2008, 09:52 AM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
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Judy, there is no beach at the El Con other than the one on Palomino to which you take a ferry. And when we went (2 years ago, in February), the hotel (900 rooms) was quite full, and the beach was quite crowded. As were the ferries, so some people didn't even get a ride on the first one that arrived. (If you can handle a Hobie, it's worth renting one at Palomino and zipping over to neighboring Palominito island, which has an almost empty beach.)
Food and drinks are pricey, given that you are a nearly captive audience. We actually found the fine dining restaurants to be priced comparably to big-city restaurants on the U.S. East Coast, but also found the quality to be quite good. It's the casual dining where we found the price/quality equation unbalanced -- too much money for mediocre food.
The hotel is spectacularly sited, but it can be a challenge to get around. It's your basic mega-resort, so if you want all the bells and whistles, you'll get them here. Can't say much about the rooms, since I understand a major overhaul was in the works.
Here's a link to my trip report: http://islandtime.homestead.com/PuertoRico.html
Food and drinks are pricey, given that you are a nearly captive audience. We actually found the fine dining restaurants to be priced comparably to big-city restaurants on the U.S. East Coast, but also found the quality to be quite good. It's the casual dining where we found the price/quality equation unbalanced -- too much money for mediocre food.
The hotel is spectacularly sited, but it can be a challenge to get around. It's your basic mega-resort, so if you want all the bells and whistles, you'll get them here. Can't say much about the rooms, since I understand a major overhaul was in the works.
Here's a link to my trip report: http://islandtime.homestead.com/PuertoRico.html
Apr 15th, 2008, 12:16 PM
#6
Join Date: May 2006
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It's been several years since we have been there but are heading back in 2010. Was told they have upgraded the boats so the trip between the island and the "beach island" is a lot quicker. Thank heavens -- 1 time we stood in line for almost an hour waiting to go across. Another time we were stuck outside the harbor because manatees were playing in the harbor.
I can't remember what the rooms, prices, etc were like.
Main thing I did not like was that we did not feel comfortable renting a car and exploring Puerto Rico.
I can't remember what the rooms, prices, etc were like.
Main thing I did not like was that we did not feel comfortable renting a car and exploring Puerto Rico.
