ErinKB

Looking for help booking a hotel for October 2013 for 4 nights. We were told to look at these 2 hotels but hoping for opinions on these, as well as some other suggestions:

El Conquistador (to me it looks very nice but i kind of wanted to be on a beach, not a cliff)
Hilton Caribe (I like the location but it looks a little dated in the pictures - however I have told it was updated)

It will be a small group of 40 year old couples. Looking to relax for 4 days. Don't care about casino or golf. Would like to venture into Old San Juan for a few meals. Don't want a hotel too far from airport as we only have a few days. would like nice pool and beach.

thanks in advance for feedback!

MmePerdu

If you mean the El Conquistador Resort, and you want to spend time in Old San Juan then the Caribe Hilton is the one you want of those 2. El Conquistador is way out of town, the Caribe Hilton is in the Condado area of San Juan between old San Juan and the airport, not far to either.

KVR

We are planning our first trip to Puerto Rico in November. However, I was there in 1980,l but I don't really count that anymore. After research, we decided on the Marriot Stellaris in Condado. The beach there doesn't appear as great as the Isla Verde area, but does have more dining/bar options off property and closer to the San Juan area, which was more important to us. We are more pool people that beach people and think the pool at the Marriott would be what we are looking for.

The other hotels that we look at include:

La Concha, which is down the way from the Marriot Stellaris.

Hotel El Convento in San Juan. But the pool area is what deterred us.

San Juan Water Beach Club Hotel

InterContinental San Juan Resort & Casino

doug_stallings

El Conquistador is just not al AT&T what you want. I'd recommend looking at the El San Juan, Ritz Carlton, and the Conrad, but the latter has a fairly small beach. But then so does the Caribe Hilton.

ErinKB

Thanks everyone so far. I have not heard great things about the Intercontinental. On google maps i happened to click on it and instantly 5 TERRIBLE reviews popped up. Has anyone on here stayed at the Hilton Caribe recently? And if you stay in the Isla Verde section do you need a car or can you taxi?

Last thing - has anyone done the rain forest excursion to waterfall? Worth it?

MmePerdu

Isla Verde has a nice beach but it also has the airport noise. Yes, you can taxi between there and Condado/Old San Juan.

doug_stallings

The beaches at both the Conrad and the Caribe Hilton are man-made. The rest of Condado beach is natural but has a fairly steep drop off and often rough surf (depends on the time of the year you go). Isla Verde has much nicer beaches than Condado, in my opinion.

If you check TripAdvisor, you'll also see that the first four reviews are good for the InterContinental. I think anyone who just looks at these lists of reviews is not doing themselves much service. The aggregated review rating for the hotel on Tripadvisor is almost evenly split between 4 and 5, which means the vast majority of guests are rating the hotel quite highly.

In general (and this is particularly true during the busiest parts of the high season, which includes right now), all hotels in San Juan are overpriced for what you get. It's like NYC, where you pay a fortune for something you'd get for half the price anywhere else.

If you don't want to go the luxury route with the Ritz-Carlton, then one of the better choices is actually the Courtyard Isla Verde Beach Resort. It's busy with families, though, so if you can't abide children, it's not a good place to stay. Otherwise, I think there's just this vast middle ground in San Juan, where nothing ever really rises to the level of true luxury to support the high prices.

MmePerdu

Where I lived, on Calle Taft, the beach was very nice, better I think than at the hotels in Condado. The area is between Condado and Ocean Park and there are guest houses in the area, likely less expensive than the big hotels that tend not to be worth the price this time of year, I agree.

If you look at the google map of San Juan, to the west of Condado and the hospital (put Calle Taft, San Juan in the address field) is the area I'm referring to and you can see the guest houses marked on the map. The area is residential, the beach is nice and it's walking distance to the shops & restaurants in Condado.

KVR

I have done the excursion to the waterfall back in 1980 and yes it was worth it. I plan on doing it again as my DH has not been there. There are several tour companies that can take you or if you have a rental car you can do it yourself.

One thing about Trip Advisor is you have to take the time to actually read several of the reviews and be able to read between the lines on most of them. When I see constant negative remarks about certain issues over and over again then those bring up red flags. I have found most people are just too picky, have a personal agenda or thier expectations are beyond realistic. It's also very helpful to read the posts on the message boards instead as it will give you a better presceptive. In the end you just have to make a choice and hope for the best.

tom42

I stayed at the Caribe Hilton once. It's pretty nice, although it felt very convention-like to me. The other factor to consider is that it is in between Condado and Old San Juan but not walkable to either (well, maybe you can walk to Condado but it is a pretty good hike). I would prefer to stay either in Condado or in Isla Verde. I just got back from 6 days at El San Juan Hotel and Casino. Great pool area, nice stretch of beach, really good restaurants and nightlife and decent rooms. It is literally 5 minutes from the airport but airport noise is really not a major issue. I've also stayed at the Ritz Carlton, which is very nice (airpirt noise is a little more noticeable at the Ritz). In the Condado area, I've stayed at the Conrad, Marriott Stellaris and La Concha (Renaissance) and out of those three, I would choose La Concha (although it does have a younger vibe to it). I don't care for the pool area at the Marriott Stellaris but the beach in front of it is better than the beach at the Conrad Hilton, down the road.

KVR

Tom42, can I ask why you didn't care for the pool area at the Marriott Stellaris? We are basically going with that resort because of the pool. From photos the pool at the La Concha looks really small and we are not interested in a "younger vibe". Our plans aren't set in stone yet, so any additional information would be great.

tom42

KVR - a couple of reasons - the first is that one of the pools is virtually useless for adults as it is about 2ft deep. The other pool got very crowded (and I mean the actual pool, not just the lounge area). That is the one that has the waterslide so lots of kids in that area. The whole pool area felt cramped to me and not very relaxing. Don't get me wrong, it's not a horrible pool area, but it doesn't compare to some of the other pool areas I've been to in San Juan. Regarding La Concha, there are two pools. I thought the pool area was pretty nice - not as congested as the Marriott. I definitely prefer it over the Marriott pool area. And when I say "younger vibe" that mostly applies to the evenings at the bar in the lobby. The pool area in the day was a mix of couples and families. Not a spring break type scene. I generally prefer La Concha over the Marriott. One caveat is that it is next to a park which has concerts on the weekend so if you are an early to bed person, don't get a room facing the park. Regarding the Marriott, when I was there (last summer) they were just starting renovations in the public areas with plans to add restaurants and shopping. From the plans, it seemed like it was going to be pretty nice but I am not sure if it is completed.

The whole Condado area is enjoying a bit of a renaissance. There was a period of time when it seemed to be going downhill but with the upgrades to the public areas and the additions of some new hotels replacing boarded up buildings, it looks like it's on its way back.

KVR

Thanks so much for the response. I appreciate it. Definitely something to think about.

tom42

You're very welcome. I'd be happy to answer any other questions that might come up as you research.

genio67

We did a similar trip this past January. Three couples in our early 40's and we stayed at La Concha hotel in Condado. We really enjoyed the hotel, beach and the location. I have heard the beach is better in Isla Verde, however, we wanted to be in an area with more dining and bar options in walking distance. Condado was perfect for us. Old San Juan is a 10 minute cab ride away. We all agreed we would definitely return.

salcho

It depends on what you want to do. If you want to see Old San Juan and enjoy the nighlife and in Condado then Conquistador is definitely not an option.

If you want a relaxing vacation and a great resort then Conquistador is an awesome option. Even though it is located on a cliff and does not have a beach in the hotel, the hotel has a ferry for all its guests to Palomino Island (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...erto_Rico.html) that runs throughout the day. Believe me when I tell you that you'll fall in love with this island. You can snorkel all the way to Palominito (Little Palomino) which is amazing as well. Palomino is 10 times better than any beach in San Juan. Believe me, I lived in the island 30 years. Conquistador also has a nice pool (very relaxing), spa, golf, casino, good restaurants and you're REALLY close to El Yunque (the Rainforest). Literally 5 to 10 minutes away.

So everything depends what type of Puerto Rico you want to experience, the rich history and vibrant nightlife side of it, or the relaxing, awesome beach part of it.

Hope this helps.

KVR

tom42 or anyone else, what do you think of the Embassy Suites in Isla Verde? tom42's response regarding the Marriott Stellaris' pool got me to do some more searching.

I understand the beach is a couple of blocks away, which is not an issue to us. The pool looks really nice and the price includes a free full breakfast and a 2 hour free cocktail hour. The rooms appears to all be suites. I looked at the food/bar menu on their website and the prices seem to be almost 1/2 what the Marriott is charging.

What is close vincinty to the hotel?

We plan on going the first week of November. I hoping there won't be as many families/kids during that time. I read a few reviews that the pool was cold in March and April. Will November be any different? Can't handle a cold pool.

ErinKB

Thank you everyone for the great feedback. I'm conflicted now on which area to stay: Condado or Isla Verde. I like the idea of being able to walk to other hotels/restaurants but also like the idea of a really nice beach. We are taking El Conquistador out of the equation as we know we want to go into Old San Juan and it seems too far from everything. The 3 I have been looking at now are:

Hilton Caribe (a friend stayed there and said it was great)

Intercontinental (a bit leery, many posts on bad/too expensive food)

Ritz Carlton (i tend to be pretty casual, afraid it may be too fancy and i don't want to spend 50$ on breakfast each day)

We have 2 small kids and dont go away alone ever so i want to have a really nice visit! Any other advice?

KVR

I've read reviews that the Ritz in Puerto Rico does not measure up to the Ritz hype or any of their other hotels and not worth the money.

We have the same issues regarding location. I think we are going back to our orginal plan of the Marriott Stellaris in Condado. Isla Verde just seems too far away from San Juan and not enough restuarants and nightlife. I don't want to get stuck paying the excessive prices at a hotel because there are not enough dining/bar options within walking distance or the high taxi prices and long distance to San Juan. So location and convenience won out.

ErinKB

@KVR: I think I am also leaning towards Condado beach as a friend just told me there is way more to do there. Any reason you chose the Marriott opposed to the Hilton Caribe?