San Juan Hotels - RCCL Pier

I posted the below in the San Juan Port of calls forum and did not receive a response. Was hoping maybe someone here could direct me?

Can anyone give me tips on what the best hotel would be to stay at the night before departure? We are sailing on the Jewel of the Seas in December.

By best, I mean the cleanest, closest to the pier and restaurants and secure.

Thanks!

Well it's not the closest but we stayed at the Marriott and Stellaris casino our last trip. It's located in the Condado area, very close to lots of great restaurants and right on the beach. It's a short cab ride to the pier. We've also stayed at the Raddison, it was fine but the Marriott is much nice, a higher price tag as well!

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Royal embarks from the Pan Am pier which is not in town where visiting ships dock. The nearest hotel to this pier is the Sheraton Convention Hotel where I have stayed. It's very comfortable. If you ask for a pier facing room you can see the ship from the window in the morning :) There is a nice grill / restaurant next door otherwise there is nothing to see or do nearby unless there is something on at the Convention Centre. You will still need a taxi to get you to the pier which is not in walking distance imo. The hotel will get you the cab.... they line up outside.

We stayed at Hampton Inn. Its clean, safe and reasonably priced (as reasonable as you can get for San Juan). It's not the closest hotel but a very short cab ride away from the ship pier. The included continental breakfast was pretty good and there are several restaurants within walking distance for dinner. Have a GREAT cruise! Here is a link:

http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/puerto-rico/hampton-inn-and-suites-san-juan-SJUHHHX/index.html

No matter where you stay you'll need a taxi to get to the ship, so "closest" isn't really that important. The Sheraton mentioned above gets OK reviews, but it's nowhere near anything close by to walk to the night before. We like the Condado Hilton. On the water, lots of shops and restaurants on the street, very nice hotel. Caribe Hilton is also nice. As I'm sure you've noticed, hotels aren't cheap in San Juan.

Last March post-cruise we stayed at the Embassy Suites and it was good to. We found a great local restaurant (El Alambique) a couple blocks away across from the beach.

We've stayed at the Embassy Suites and Casino a couple of times and have been very happy.

Another vote for Hampton Inn. We stayed there two times and enjoyed it. Short cab ride to the pier. Taxi's have a fixed price for each zone you travel from and to.

You'll have to decide what you want to do while you're there. The Condado area has lots of hotels and beaches as well as some great restaurants. If you stay in Old San Juan, there are lots of great restaurants also but not as many beaches. You can also walk around and see some of the sights including the forts. There are fewer choices out by the airport but there are some nice hotels and restaurants there too. The cab ride to the pier is about ten minutes from Condado and Old San Juan. It's about twenty minutes from the airport.

Royal embarks from the Pan Am pier which is not in town where visiting ships dock. The nearest hotel to this pier is the Sheraton Convention Hotel where I have stayed. It's very comfortable. If you ask for a pier facing room you can see the ship from the window in the morning :) There is a nice grill / restaurant next door otherwise there is nothing to see or do nearby unless there is something on at the Convention Centre. You will still need a taxi to get you to the pier which is not in walking distance imo. The hotel will get you the cab.... they line up outside.

I agree it's an excellent place to just crash, relax and sleep, but if you want to walk around, you'll want to be elsewhere...

The San Juan Marriott and Stellaris Casino is nice, as is the Renaissance La Concha. The Condado Plaza is also nice...

We have stayed at the Caribe Hilton, Hampton Inn, and Doubletree. The Caribe Hilton is closest to the pier. The Hampton Inn is closest to the airport. The Doubletree is in the middle somewhere. As someone said earlier, taxis use a zone charge so don't know that you are better off at one property over another if you are looking at cost.

The Caribe Hilton is on the beach and you can walk to town. Yes, it's a good walk but if you want to get some exercise it can be done fairly easily. We walked all the way to the fort and back and also walked over to the cruise port (where ships come in for the day - not where the Celebrity and RCCL Ships leave from).

The Hampton Inn was probably the cheapest but not by a whole lot. WE would recommend any of the three.

Has anyone stayed at the Radisson's? I know it is close to the beach, stores and etc. Got a good deal on the bidding site.. but did get the insurance just in case. Paid $75.00 plus taxes

Cathy

We have stayed, and are staying, at the Hilton Condado Plaza. As others have posted, it will require a cab ride to the pier. The hotel has a private beach and restaurants and has a casino. We are going in September and the rates were reasonable.

We stayed at the Marriott several times and it was very nice. Also stayed one time at the Courtyard Miramar and would not go there again.

Has anyone stayed at the Radisson's? I know it is close to the beach, stores and etc. Got a good deal on the bidding site.. but did get the insurance just in case. Paid $75.00 plus taxes

 

Cathy

We stayed there on our first trip, it was fine, conveniently located. I still prefer the Marriott but you can't really compare the both.

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