We will be attending a wedding in San Juan next May/June and are trying to choose between staying at El Convento and the Ritz. We are not really beach or casino people, but do enjoy nice facilities and good service. Can anyone share their experiences or make a recommendation?

I have been to both. Both properties have different things going for them.

The Ritz is a nice hotel on the beach, nice pool, spa, casino. (but you mentioned you were not a beach or casino person) Nice shops. Kind of a typical Ritz. HOWEVER, the food is terrible. Most of the guests eat breakfast at Denny's next door due to the high prices and low quality food. The service was fine. The location is not that great if you are not into beaches or casinos. There are a lot of other hotels within walking distance, but that is about it. It is next to the airport. Not the best location on the island.

El Convento is a fabulous place. It is historic, charming in a fantastic location in Old San Juan. Near tons of shops and restaurants. There are tons of things to do within walking distance. The accommodations are very nice and not as cookie-cutter as a chain hotel. There are lots of shops and restaurants in the hotel.

If you don't need beach or a casino, I would opt for El Convento. It is one of my favorite places!

I frequently stay at the Ritz Carlton and find it to be a very good hotel. However, if you don't plan on using the beach, pool or casino, then El Convento may be a better choice. I have never stayed at El Convento so cannot comment on the rooms, but it is an interesting hotel. And, as MIM04 stated, there are a lot of shops and restaurants within walking distance.

If you are not into beaches and casino then El Convento is a better choice. We stayed there in May and loved it, a lot of charm and character. Nice tapas bar to spent night in, small rooftop swimming pool to dip in afterwards. Good location for sightseing and a lot of restaurants with in walking distance. I would definitely stay there again.
Luda.

Well I stayed at El Convento but not at the Ritz; however, I've stayed at 1/2 dozen Ritzs around the world.

If you want to sleep in comfort or be at the beach and don't mind a 15 min? cab ride to the shops and town, stay at the Ritz.

If you want a 18th century Convent turned hotel with no frills like the Ritz and want to walk to everything as all of the restaurants and shops and the fort is at your doorstep, stay at El Convento.

Sorry I had such a bad time at El Convento. I would never stay there again. The place had such a feeling of being old, musty, tiny bathrooms, no view, loud at night, unfriendly staff. Opened the window and it was rickedly and a nest of cobwebs. Ugh and to boot a dirty whirlpool though a nice rooftop. Good thing they had a cocktail hour at night. Free alcohol certainly made up for it. The breakfast in the morning was so-so. Service was very slow and you were always waiting for them to clear tables.

thanks to SNUBES, MIM04 and Newyorkergal for their helpful comments! I,too, have stayed at a number of Ritz properties, notably their Cancun resort, and enjoyed them, but i have been concermed by the number of comments saying the SJ Ritz is not up to par and that there are few balconies, as i really enjoyed that feature in Cancun, as well as the great food, drinks and service. it also appears that this Ritz has no palapas, which our group loved having reserved as a central meeting place during our stay in Cancun. My favorite hotel experiences have been at Relais et Chateaux properties, but there are none in SJ - i am hoping that El Convento is similar to that, but i have been concerned about comments of noise. I think we will give El Convento a try despite that. I welcome additional comments, however, as we still have plenty of time to change our plans.

drm,
You do realize that you are going to SJ? The Ritz in SJ may not meet your expectations but it is a Ritz and you are guaranteed a minimum level of comfort and luxury. Do not expect anything like that at El Convento. I have stayed at a few Relais and Chateaux places and they were far better than El Convento. I was there in 2001 - I heard that they had a renovation so hopefully that will help you. The place looks charming I will tell you that. I guess it depends on what you are looking for. Good luck in your decision. It's a hard one for one that has not experienced it yet.

Not having stayed at The Ritz, I can only comment on El Convento. This past Labor Day weekend a friend and I stayed at El Convento; we truly enjoyed most every aspect our visit. Our room was a standard double, very spacious, very high ceiling with air conditioning & a ceiling fan; the bathroom while not tiny, was not exactly huge either. We found the staff to be courteous, friendly and quick to accommodate our requests. The first room we were given (#204) had a small hole in the bathroom ceiling; within 10mins we were assigned another room.

If proximity to the beach is not a concern, and you like the feel of an old town, with much to offer in the way of history, dining, shopping and museums, I would say you can’t go wrong with El Convento.

Keep in mind that the hotel was once a convent, therefore you may see religious paintings, as you pass the lobby towards the elevator. They also have complimentary bottled water in the refrigerator of the room. The pool and Jacuzzi have a nice view of the San Juan bay. We enjoyed breakfast at the hotel’s Patio Del Nispero (in the courtyard).

The concierge was gracious enough to extend my check-out time by 2 hours. This was much appreciated, as I had a late flight.

We would definitely stay there again. (www.elconvento.com)

Newyorkergal - you have it exactly - I realize all too well that we are going to SJ! We are flabbergasted that this wedding is going to be there when it could, more logically, be held in London, Paris, anywhere on the Cote d'Azur, or in the continental US. Now we are trying to determine if there is anything worthwhile to see/do while we are there.