What do you know about SJ. I have never been there but I like Ritz Carlton's. The one in SJ does not get great reviews. Can you offer some suggestions for the best hotel there. Thanks.

I've stayed at the RC in SJ, and it was perfectly fine. There were a few snafus in service (at checkout, we found that checking out by TV and phone didn't function, and then stood in line very early in the morning behind a pair of ladies who were splitting their tab right down to who had the soda and who had the wine for room service...). But the rooms, the common areas, the pool area and the beach were all up to RC standards.

I've also stayed at the Water Club on a past visit, and while it was hip and happening, the rooms were small and the bathrooms badly needed updating. I'd take the RC any day over that.

The Intercontinental gets good reviews, and is in the same general area as the RC. If you don't need to stay on the beach, El Convento in Old San Juan is very highly regarded.

What type of information are you looking for? San Juan is a great vacation for some and not so good for others - depends on what you are looking for.

As far as the best hotel, I would say that the Ritz Carlton is the best hotel in San Juan.

I'd also choose El COnvento in Old San Juan, over anything else I've seen.

Defintely El Convento (unless you need to be on the beach) Just had breakfast and spent the morning there a few weeks ago. Spending 4 nights there at the end of Nov. It is such a wonderful place! Much better than the Ritz. I stayed at the Ritz and I am not impressed, the food was terrible and everything was so expensive, fine if the food was good, but it was not.
El Convento is charming and beautiful. The patio where they serve breakfast and lunch is so enchanting I could sit there all day.

The Ritz-Carlton is a very nice hotel, but I think the main problem with it is that it's big and rather impersonal. However, it's on a nice beach, and the main (only) drawback to El Convento is that it's in the Old Town with no beach (though for the people who seek it out, that's also the main attraction). Most people who visit Puerto Rico do want to be on the beach, and the one at the Ritz-Carlton is nice. It is extremely expensive relative to what you get, though I tend to find most hotels in San Juan extremely overpriced.

I stayed at the Ritz Carlton two years go and it was an awful experience. In the evening the place was empty except for a handful of people in the lobby listening to a singer. We went out to other hotels at night to find something to do. The room and the service were below par and the whole experience was forgettable. I've stayed at many Ritz Carltons in the past and this hotel was definitely not a Ritz Carlton.