El Conquistador? Please help...
 

Has anyone got any feedback positive or negative abouth this resort? I''ve heard good things, also heard it depends on which part of the resort you stay in. Also, that the service is pretty sad, and the food downright awful and overpriced. Can I walk to Fajardo and eat? Anybody?

The Conquistador offers only one thing:<BR>An oversize structure that feels cold from the moment you drive up to the entrance gate and follow the drive way up to the main building. It will literally take you about one and ahalf hour minimum to check in and good luck checking out because billing is definetly not on their standard operating manual apparently. It is a real shame because it is probably one of the most beautiful structures in the island. The service is not lacking but non existant, good luck getting a beverage and burger by the pool and the restaurants on property will charge you an arm and a leg for appetizers and then a kidney and a lung for main courses. Unfortunately there is nothing walking distance outside of the hotel for a decent meal. It is No. 1 in my list of bad spots to go on vacation.. The only way to bare a stay in this hotel will probably be with your company picking up the tab and sticking to room service for dinner which was the only proper dining experience I enjoied after trying several restaurants. For their prices beter off staying at the Ritz and booking a tour to the rain Forest which is the only sight to see in Fajardo, PR.

wow Jake is pretty bitter. I've stayed at El Conquistador and had quite the opposite experience. I had no problems checking in or out, found the service to be good (a little slow as it always seems to be in the Caribbean but nothing outrageous), and the restaurants to be no more expensive than are found at comparable resorts. The only food that I thought was a rip-off was the snack bar/restaurant on Palomino Island (that's where the beach is).<BR><BR>I stayed in the main hotel - room was large and very nicely furnished. This was a good choice for me because I liked the convenience to the casino, lounge and restaurants. It does mean that during the day, you'll have a little bit of a hike to get to the boat to take you to the island (not bad though).<BR><BR>There really is nothing off the grounds to which you'll be able to walk.

I agree with Tom. I stayed in the Las Olas section of the hotel which was built into the side of the cliff and one half way down to the beach area via tram. Thought Isabella's restaurant was superb - a bit pricey - bu the usual for a resort restaurant.

Jake is real bitter----My fiance and I had a killer time---i have been all over the world and this place is quite special----the view,beach, and the food were all okay--no problems-please experience this place!!!!!!!!

No, you can't walk to Fajardo to eat, you'll have to taxi. But when in Fajardo, eat at Sandy's and get the mofongo(mmmgood).

It's overpriced and way too far out of the way to enjoy anything! 1.50 hours from San Juan!<BR>If you want mediocre overrated service and food, and plan on staying there and not going anywhere else, then that's OK. I stayed in the villages, and it was very spacious and pretty, but the service stunk! I won't go back.<BR>Save your money and stay at The El San Juan or Ritz Carlton in San Juan.

We have toured the El Conquistador and it's unbelievably huge. It's not near San Juan but you can drive to the rain forest. I understand there are some really good bargains in P.R. right now, our favorite hotels are the Caribe Hilton and the Hyatt Dorado--P.R. is expensive so bargains are a plus. We usually rent a car.

hi the El conq. is a nice place to visit for a 5 nite getaway. It is secluded and you cannot walk off the property- which is fine if that's what you want. It is a true resort. I am planning on Puerto rico with the kids in december. do you have any suggestions on where to stay. I do not want to stay there witht the kids. Do you know about the Hyatt cerromar or westin or marriott?

I have just returned from 4 days at the El Conquistador and I would NEVER recommend this hotel to anyone. The service was absolutely horrendous - the people were not only unhelpful, but downright rude. The hotel was at 100% occupancy, but a 5 star resort should not have a problem with that. We stayed at Las Casitas and did not feel like our room was worth the $685 per night....AT ALL! We have also been all over the world and stayed at many different resorts and this one has absolutely no right to call itself luxury. The only redeeming thing was the Golden Door spa - the people were wonderful and the services were great!

I just returned from a 5-day &quot;experience&quot; at the El Conquistador and felt I should add some updated info to this thread. We took the hotel's bus from the airport which broke down half way there, so it took us 2 hours to get there. We stayed in the Las Casitas section of the resort. The room was $500 a night and that was with a discount. The rack rate for our 1-bedroom &quot;garden&quot; view room was $795. The Las Casitas section is one of only two AAA Five Diamond resorts in the Caribbean. After staying there, I will never trust the AAA ratings again. Upon entering our room, the closet doors were off the tracks and leaning against the wall. It took 3 days and 8 phone calls, one to the GM, to finally get them fixed. The sheets on the bed were not long enough so our feet were on bare mattress at the bottom of the bed. The kitchen was in great need of updating including broken tiles and dirty grout. There was no dish soap and requests for some were ignored. In fact, after calling to request some, they called back and argued with me and said that it was under the sink. The water pressure in the shower was so hard that I couldn't use it and had to go over to the Golden Door Spa to shower. In the restaurant, two sandwhiches and two smoothies were $60.00. A waffle was $14.00. They automatically add a 20% service charge to everything so even if you didn't like the service you are forced to tip. Twice I had service people enter the room when I was showering. It takes at least 1/2 hour to get to the beach by the time you walk to the &quot;funicular&quot; and take the boat. Sometimes the boat was full coming back from the beach and you would have to wait for the next one. They came every 1/2 hour. The main lobby section is vintage early 70's and really shows its age. Sorry, but our dinner at Stingray was horrible. Actually, inedible. Dry lobster, no butter. NO sides even though the menu said it would come with potatoes and vegetables. $45.00 for one dry lobster tail. The spa was HORRIBLE. Mold growing in the showers, NO amenities such as q-tips, cotton balls or razors. It really needs updating and a good cleaning! I would warn anyone to stay away from this place. It was dreadful. Too bad because the water and the scenery were spectacular.

I really have to question the credibility of the last post. I can certainly understand someone not thinking the El COnquistador was worth the money but the last post makes it sound as if it's a dump, which it is not. The poster's statement that the lobby is &quot;vintage early 70s and really shows its age&quot; certainly adds to my skepticism about the post because El Conquistador certainly wasn't around in the early 70s (at least not this version of it). It opened in the 90s, so I'm not sure what the poster is talking about.

You can question my credibility if you want, but I was there. This resort is &quot;rough around the edges&quot; at the very best.