Hi--we're going to Puerto Rico in March for business/pleasure. Here's a list of approved of hotels. Can you tell me if any are better or worse than others? Please keep in mind we'd like to be on the beach.
Thanks for the help!

Hotel Embassy Suites - San Juan

Hotel Inter-Continental - San Juan

Hotel Marriott - San Juan

Hotel Caribe Hilton - San Juan

Hotel San Juan - San Juan

Hotel Condado Plaza - San Juan

all those are great hotel but if you are looking for something not to fanct try www.canariohotels.com also check out www.puertoricoploanner.com/aa for more options

Embassy suites is not on the beach.

The Marriott gets good reviews. Make sure they are not under major renovations. I thought I read this somewhere recently. But they are on the beach and I think are rated 4 stars.

The Caribe Hilton is where we are going in April. I haven't been in about 20 years so I hope it is still nice. It has it's own private beach on a lagoon. The beach is not the big waves you will get at the Marriott on the Condado. The hotel is on it's own with it's own resort grounds. So, it is more private. I have heard both good and bad reviews. Ask for a room that has been recently renovated and I am sure it will be nice. What I remember is that it was a very nice hotel 20 years ago.

Is the hotel san juan, the El San Juan? I believe that is a very nice hotel.

You can check trip advisor for recent reviews on all of the hotels you mentioned here. The only one not on the beach is Embassy Suites. The condado hotels are on the beach and it is a public beach.

I hope one of the locals will spot this post and chime in.

The Marriot was just renovated (and the work is now complete in the main tower); but they haven't been able to do anything about the lobby, which I do hate. The InterContinental is ok, but dowdy. If you choose the Caribe Hilton, stick to the executive rooms. The Condado Plaza isn't as nice or splashy as some of the others, but it has an unbeatable location, right at the beginning of the Condado strip, and you can easily walk to good restaurants.

I love the marriott. Hands down my favorite in the condado area from the hotels listed. Beach is nice, pools are great, location is nice. Stay there.

BTW, El canario is pretty nice for a budget traveler, but compared to the hotels you listed, it is a bit of a hole.

Thanks, everyone.
So, no one knows if the El San Juan's renovations have been completed?
Also, I can't tell from Doug's post if the Marriott is still being renovated, at least part of it? Finally, Doug...is Condado where we want to be? I don't know much about the Island...
Thanks!
Oh, and by the way...we do want something a little fancy (why not?) and also were hoping for two rooms, perhaps one with a pull out sofa for our three year old.

The main renovation of the Marriott is complete, but they do have some other rooms that are still being worked on. I doubt you'd notice the work because it's all indoors and not as large-scale as the work on the tower.

Condado is good if you want to be within walking distance of restaurants. Happily, there's also a Starbucks across the street and a Citibank a few doors down from the Marriott, if that means anything to you. The beaches in Condado are ok, but in my opinion not the best in San Juan. I found the surf kind of rough when I was there last time.

The beaches in Isla Verde are better, but you'd be limited to the InterContinental or the El San Juan (if that's the hotel you can get ... formerly the Wyndham). I think you'd find the El San Juan ok but not spectacular.

Doug,
what hotels are on Isla Verde? Any suggestions on how to get a two-room situation for under $500/night. We want to have one main room for us and a separate sleeping area for our two babies (ages 1 and 3). I don't think we'd like Embassy Suites even though that might fit the bill.
Thanks.