Good and bad

Posted by regalada from Washington DC on 11/14/06

We booked 5 apartments here for our wedding guests in October. We were stressed because of the wedding, and the management of these apartments added to the stress. We had guests arriving at 11 PM from Germany and wanted to make sure they could check in upon arrival. We got the keys early but when we came into the building, one of the apartments was open, with trash on the floor and tables, bathroom wet, dirty laundry all over the place, a mess. We called the manager to get someone to come over and clean it or open another of the apartments. Since the apartment could not be cleaned at that hour, he drove 45 minutes to deliver a key for another of the apartments I had rented, El Coqui. El Coquí had a leak on the bedroom ceiling, so we had to paper towel the floor. The next day we had two people checking in supposedly at three and had to wait until 6 pm for the rooms to be ready, after being assured that they would be ready on time. The prices were very low ($40 - $75). The aparments are spacious and charming. Our guests enjoyed the view from their balconies, the location, the fact that they were all together in one building. The apartments were clean, linens were provided, AC is only in the bedrooms with a window unit. The street where the apartments are could not be more beautiful well-located, or safer. In all, I would only rent these apartments again if I was not under time pressure and only for me and my husband, not for someone else. It was too nerve-racking to wonder what else was going to go wrong when we had guests to look after. I am Puerto Rican and used to the more laid back ways of the island but this was a bit too laid back for me.

Like your college apartment

Posted by Katherine from Philadelphia, PA on 4/24/06

We (mom and two teenagers) stayed in the Mango suite at Caleta over spring break '06. It was perfect for the kids and I liked the atmosphere. Fancy it's not, but the location, overlooking the bay and near la Casa Blanca was perfect and very safe. It's great just watching the street life over the balcony. The unit is a one bedroom apartment with a kitchen stocked with basics like a coffee maker, dishes, refrigerator and microwave. It's clean, but all of the furniture looks like yard sale rejects. The staff mostly seem to be students from la escula de artes plasticas, which is a stone's throw away. I love old San Juan and this is the perfect place to enjoy it.