Best Location and Decent Hotel in San Juan Area

My family is taking a cruise in June out of San Juan. We have decided to spend three nights in San Juan before the cruise. We have never been to Puerto Rico before and cannot decide where to stay. We are looking at hotels in Old San Juan and also outside of Old San Juan on the beach. We plan to visit the rain forest and go zip lining. We are looking at La Concha and Sheraton Old San Juan. Hopefully someone can share some wisdom on the best location and hotel for us to stay before our cruise. Thanks!

Two years ago we stayed at La Concha for 5 nights after a cruise and we LOVED it. We were hesitant at first because we have young kids and it's a very trendy hotel. In fact they turn the lobby into a nightclub at some point during the night, but we were never up late enough to see that going on. We didn't have a car but there are a lot of places to eat nearby (the hotel restaurants are expensive) and we took a cab to Old San Juan. Once you're there you can take the free trolley around that area.

Another great thing was that one of the days while we were there, there was a farmers market going on in the grassy area adjacent to the hotel. I'm not sure if they do it once a month or once a week but if you can find out, don't miss it, they had some great stuff there. Everything from authentic Puerto Rican coffee to ice cream, produce, they were even BBQing a whole pig.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We just recently stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan pre-cruise...great hotel and amazing location.

Two years ago we stayed at La Concha for 5 nights after a cruise and we LOVED it. We were hesitant at first because we have young kids and it's a very trendy hotel. In fact they turn the lobby into a nightclub at some point during the night, but we were never up late enough to see that going on. We didn't have a car but there are a lot of places to eat nearby (the hotel restaurants are expensive) and we took a cab to Old San Juan. Once you're there you can take the free trolley around that area.

 

Another great thing was that one of the days while we were there, there was a farmers market going on in the grassy area adjacent to the hotel. I'm not sure if they do it once a month or once a week but if you can find out, don't miss it, they had some great stuff there. Everything from authentic Puerto Rican coffee to ice cream, produce, they were even BBQing a whole pig.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Old Town? Then it must be El Convento

For a beach? Then La C (as above) or The Condado Vanderbilt.

Thank you so much for your advice. We are still trying to decide. La Concha looks beautiful, but we are only going to be there for three nights. We would like to visit the rain forest, zip line, and tour some of the historical sights in Old Town. I am not even sure if we will be able to enjoy the beach.

We've stayed at the Courtyard - Isla Verde one night pre-cruise two different times now. We chose the Courtyard the first time (May 2013) because it was right on the beach and we wanted to be right on the beach. The prices were a little better (lower) than some of the other hotels closer to Old San Juan (Condado area) that were also on the beach. We chose it our most recent time (September 2015) because we were very happy staying there. We love it and will not hesitate to stay there again.

It's right across the highway from San Juan International airport, so very convenient if you plan to fly in and rent a car. The hotel has a parking garage. We've never rented a car, but next time we cruise out of San Juan, we'd prefer to fly down several days early and rent a car to see some of the site you mentioned.

Maybe stay outside of San Juan and then come in and visit Old San Juan on your embarkation day. There are some great beaches out on the island. Depending on the price point you want, look at the Melia and the St. Regis Bahia Beach in Rio Grande, the Wyndham in Rio Mar, the El Conquistador in Farjado. A plus is that these put you right on the edge of El Yunque National Forest and also near the zipline park.

A couple of doors down from El Convento is Villa Herencia - we love that hotel!

pghsteelerfan, Please tell me about the Courtyard, Isle Verde. You are the first I have heard someone say they stayed there. We are staying there in April, and I was hoping it was good. But I have been worried that no one mentioned it. Beach, pool, close to inexpensive food? We are not renting a car, but plan to take a taxi to Old San Juan for sightseeing. We wanted a good beach close to our hotel. Hope this is it.

pghsteelerfan, Please tell me about the Courtyard, Isle Verde. You are the first I have heard someone say they stayed there. We are staying there in April, and I was hoping it was good. But I have been worried that no one mentioned it. Beach, pool, close to inexpensive food? We are not renting a car, but plan to take a taxi to Old San Juan for sightseeing. We wanted a good beach close to our hotel. Hope this is it.

We were very happy staying there both times and will not hesitate to stay there again. We just love it! I know many prefer to stay closer to Old San Juan, so that may be why you don't see many others mentioning staying there. I did reviews of both of our cruises out of San Juan and included our one night, pre-cruise stays at the Courtyard. Those were Valor (May 2013) and Liberty (Sept. 2015). When we went on Valor, I didn't think to take pictures and more than made up for it while there on our Liberty cruise. I'll attach the link to my Liberty review and hoping the link opens up on Page 2, and it's Post #22 where our stay at the Courtyard starts. I included lots of pictures, inside and out. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2275573&page=2

It's right on the beach and both times we enjoyed the whole afternoon on the beach. It's a beautiful, wide beach and loungers/umbrellas are included. There is also a nice pool. There are a couple of pools in that area, all very nice. The main pool has a swim-up bar too. I know there are places to eat close by, but we just ate at the hotel both times. It was very easy to get a cab after we checked out to get to our ship. Check out was noon & the cab ride from the Courtyard to the cruise ship (Carnival, docked at the pier in Old San Juan), was only 15 - 20 minutes, not far at all. Once we checked in for our cruise, boarded our ship, & dropped off our carry-on luggage, we had the whole day to explore Old San Juan and the forts. Our ship didn't leave until 10PM and we had to be back on at 8:30PM, so there was plenty of time.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask. Hope this helps. :)

We were very happy staying there both times and will not hesitate to stay there again. We just love it! I know many prefer to stay closer to Old San Juan, so that may be why you don't see many others mentioning staying there. I did reviews of both of our cruises out of San Juan and included our one night, pre-cruise stays at the Courtyard. Those were Valor (May 2013) and Liberty (Sept. 2015). When we went on Valor, I didn't think to take pictures and more than made up for it while there on our Liberty cruise. I'll attach the link to my Liberty review and hoping the link opens up on Page 2, and it's Post #22 where our stay at the Courtyard starts. I included lots of pictures, inside and out. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2275573&page=2

 

It's right on the beach and both times we enjoyed the whole afternoon on the beach. It's a beautiful, wide beach and loungers/umbrellas are included. There is also a nice pool. There are a couple of pools in that area, all very nice. The main pool has a swim-up bar too. I know there are places to eat close by, but we just ate at the hotel both times. It was very easy to get a cab after we checked out to get to our ship. Check out was noon & the cab ride from the Courtyard to the cruise ship (Carnival, docked at the pier in Old San Juan), was only 15 - 20 minutes, not far at all. Once we checked in for our cruise, boarded our ship, & dropped off our carry-on luggage, we had the whole day to explore Old San Juan and the forts. Our ship didn't leave until 10PM and we had to be back on at 8:30PM, so there was plenty of time.

 

If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask. Hope this helps. :)

I have a question! :-) I can't seem to find on their web page what time check-in is -- and if it's later in the day - do you still have access to their amenities on the beach? I ask because if my flight arrives at 1pm and check in isn't until 4pm, there won't be much to do for a few hours while we wait.

I have a question! :-) I can't seem to find on their web page what time check-in is -- and if it's later in the day - do you still have access to their amenities on the beach? I ask because if my flight arrives at 1pm and check in isn't until 4pm, there won't be much to do for a few hours while we wait.

I just found the Courtyard's site under the Marriott website and you're right, their check-in is 4:00PM. I'm thinking it was 3PM when we stayed there, but may have been 4PM. Both times we stayed there, our flights got in before noon and we were at the hotel between between 12:30 and 1PM. We let them know we were early but we were still able to check-in, right then and there, and both times the rooms were ready. But if for some reason rooms wouldn't be ready, I'm 99% sure they'd still let you check in and allow you access to the amenities on the beach and pool. I also noticed that check-out is now at 11AM instead of noon, we checked out before then when we left.

I just found the Courtyard's site under the Marriott website and you're right, their check-in is 4:00PM. I'm thinking it was 3PM when we stayed there, but may have been 4PM. Both times we stayed there, our flights got in before noon and we were at the hotel between between 12:30 and 1PM. We let them know we were early but we were still able to check-in, right then and there, and both times the rooms were ready. But if for some reason rooms wouldn't be ready, I'm 99% sure they'd still let you check in and allow you access to the amenities on the beach and pool. I also noticed that check-out is now at 11AM instead of noon, we checked out before then when we left.

Thank you for the information -- I will have to call them before considering a reservation about access to the amenities -- only because of the example of the room number confusion -- I'm not sure they'd have our names until we checked in. But, it's easy enough to call and ask. Thank you. Leaning towards this option or La Concha. Thank you!

Thank you for the information -- I will have to call them before considering a reservation about access to the amenities -- only because of the example of the room number confusion -- I'm not sure they'd have our names until we checked in. But, it's easy enough to call and ask. Thank you. Leaning towards this option or La Concha. Thank you!

You're very welcome.

The Ritz Hotel in Isla Verde area is very, very nice, lovely pool area and beautiful beach.

Thanks pgysteelerfan, the pictures look great. I am sure we will have a wonderful time at Courtyard by Marriott Isle Verde. Now just to wait for the next two months to pass. Thank you for helping me.

Thanks pgysteelerfan, the pictures look great. I am sure we will have a wonderful time at Courtyard by Marriott Isle Verde. Now just to wait for the next two months to pass. Thank you for helping me.

You are very welcome and glad I was able to help. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time there. :)

I can't speak to the Sheraton, but I've stayed at La Concha and loved it. We didn't have our kids with us on that trip, but they would have enjoyed it (beach or not). The hotel was unique and the staff friendly. There was always water with citrus slices available in the lobby, which we partook of frequently because we walked or took the city bus even when it was hot. At the time (not sure if it is still there) we loved a restaurant down the road called Miro (spelling?) for grilled seafood and the best sangria we've ever had.

At the time (not sure if it is still there) we loved a restaurant down the road called Miro (spelling?) for grilled seafood and the best sangria we've ever had.

Since I'll be at BW SJ, which is near la Concha, prior to our cruise, I'm also gathering info about restaurants (especially grilled sea food) in this area. I went to check about Miro -- YELP says that reviewers report that it's closed ...

My family is taking a cruise in June out of San Juan. We have decided to spend three nights in San Juan before the cruise. We have never been to Puerto Rico before and cannot decide where to stay. We are looking at hotels in Old San Juan and also outside of Old San Juan on the beach. We plan to visit the rain forest and go zip lining. We are looking at La Concha and Sheraton Old San Juan. Hopefully someone can share some wisdom on the best location and hotel for us to stay before our cruise. Thanks!

HIGHLY recommend La Concha, its amazing, we stayed there last year for 2 nights pre cruise and loved it so much we are staying 3 nights pre cruise this year!!

Old San Juan is a must-see but I loved staying in the Condado Beach area. A lot of good restaurants and a nice beach to walk to, and often more affordable than OJS. Take a look at some of the boutique hotels in Condado - we stayed at the Coral Princess Inn and it was fantastic.

Everyone stays in San Juan pre-cruise. Does anyone stay post-cruise? Airfare is very high the afternoon of the cruise for us and drops in price the next morning. We are considering staying the night and flying out the morning after the cruise. The price difference pays for the hotel, and we get a night in San Juan before we head home. We wouldn't worry about what to do between the time we get off the ship and fly out. Would the same recommendations apply as where to stay if we want to wonder around Old San Juan when we get back?

If you decide to stay in the Isla Verde section, please visit the restaurant Platos. You can walk there from any of the hotels on the strip. It has a great menu, lovely decor and great staff! We go a couple of times every time we're in Puerto Rico.

I know I'm a bit late, but I can second the recommendation for the Courtyard. We've stayed there a few times pre-cruise. We went to Puerto Rico last summer for a land vacay and stayed next door in the Intercontinental, which is wonderful.