lukehead

We are first time cruisers planning to enjoy a 7 night sail out of San Juan in mid March. We are going to be in San Juan for two nights prior to departure and would like some hotel recommendations. Ideally it would be moderately priced, in or near Old Town, and smaller rather than a mega center. From various sites I have found several that look appealing - Coral Princess, Milano, Acacia. Has anyone had an experience with any of these or like to offer another suggestion?

Also any recommendations on the must-sees/dos of San Juan during our short stay?

qwovadis

Coral Princess nicest for price best vibe my fav...

El Yunque rain forest Camuy cave system fun if time

in addition to the usual city suspects like El Morro.

doug_stallings

There's also a Howard Johnson's on Plaza de Armas, which is within walking distance of the pier (uphill, however) or on the free bus route, but it gets decidedly mixed reviews. The Sheraton is the best located, directly across the street from the cruise pier. The Milano gets pretty good word of mouth from guests, but I don't think it has the most central location (though it's not bad at all). El Convento has the best location in my opinion, but it's expensive. Be sure to book a hotel soon, though. Hotels in San Juan do fill up during Spring Break season.

You might want to consider a hotel not in Old San Juan. There are some nice on-the-beach hotels in Condado that are within walking distance of restaurants.

triathlete

Not exactly what you asked for, but I'm a big fan of the Caribe Hilton. Self-contained resort, great servive, close to Old San Juan and the cruise docks. You used to (and may still) be able to get great deals through Priceline ($75/night). Check out betterbidding.com or biddingfortravel.com. The Caribe was the only 5-star property they offered, so you were assured of getting it if you bid.

Good luck!

cd

We stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan and enjoyed the location as we walked everywhere! Close enough to El Morro Fort and restaurants. The staff at the Sheraton was great! The rooms were clean and lived up to 3 star quality. The roof top pool is small but not used a lot (when we were there) and we liked taking a glass of wine up and sitting at a table enjoying the view or you could relax in the hot tub. There is a CVS around the block that sells wine so we always had some in our room. There is also a grocery store a few blocks away that sells liquor and fruit for your room. The concierge set us up for our El Yunque tour and I do recommend that!
There are two cruise ports in San Juan. One directly across from the Sheraton and we watched many cruise ships come and go. However, our ship was in the Pan American port which was an $18.00 cab ride away.
We passed the Hilton going to the ship and it is very large and looked like a very nice place to stay but not a pleasant walk to Old San Juan. One of our best things we liked to do in Old San Juan was to walk and enjoy exploring it. There is a boardwalk that starts at the marina, which is close to the Sheraton, and goes to the base of Fort Morro following the water all the way. You cannot access the Fort from there however, you would have to go back to what they call the City Gate on that same boardwalk. If you take the trolley (for free) to the Forts, there are two, take the white ones as they take you directly to the entrance of both.

jacketwatch

We too stayed at the Sheraton one day pre cruise. The location is nice though it was not moderate in price as I recall. Maybe you can get a nice deal thru priceline but be aware that March is spring break time and thus high season. Deals may be hard to get then. It is w/i easy walking distance to OSJ restaurants however. Things to see in SJ include
El Morro fort
El Yunque rain forest
The Bacardi rum factory tour
Meandering the shops old OSJ.
Be aware there is no beach at this hotel however. The Condado area is, I think the closest to OSJ with good beaches if that is what you would like.