Hotel... if not Old San Juan, where?

Cruising on Summit out of San Juan in January 2018. Hotels in Old San Juan are crazy expensive the night we'll be there - we loved staying in San Juan in 2016, but it may not be affordable this time around and it looks like we won't be arriving until 8 p.m. the night before our cruise anyway (which departs at 8 p.m. the next night).

We aren't beach people - so being close to a beach isn't a priority for us.

If we're not going to splurge and stay in Old San Juan, what areas do you suggest? We would like easy transit into Old San Juan, and a pool/restaurant/bar onsite would be nice, a nice walkable location (shops, etc.) nearby. Preferably not much more than $200 US/night.

Check Embassy Suites convention center. Is in that price range. December and January are hi season for PR because everyone wants to escape the snow.

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I have been researching hotels in the OSJ area for December and then again in January on our return. I too have been surprised. Turns out the return date (1/6) for a couple days is over their Three Kings Holiday and even more expensive than the mid December dates. So far Sheraton seems to be one of the better options, but again, I agree, surprising to me as well.

I wonder if booking this far in advance gets best pricing there, or waiting until mod year? I generally wait until closer to book hotels......

You can always try an express deal with priceline. Since you are only looking for a clean place to stay, you can book a 4 star condado area within you price range.

Best Western Condado - very reasonably priced + free b'fast :D

HI JustaGirl, We are also sailing Summit out of PR in January. Since it sails so late, I am considering booking a room closer to El Yunque and hiking there in the morning before sail away. But I will be following your thread to see what you find. :)

Have you explored Airbnb?

Our friends stayed in one (Old San Juan) post cruise last year.

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Nothing decided yet but will focus on options in Condado.

I am noticing that the hotels in the Condado area are just as, if not more pricy than Sheraton OSJ. I did find one or two with prices $20-$30 lesser night.......but for me the amenities and convenience of Sheraton to the cruise terminal we will be in makes more sense I think. I also saw a post where there is a car rental right there in the Sheraton lobby to reserve for a day to visit El Yunque.

That said, my niece just visited and used AirBnB.

So lots of options.

We decided to book at the Coral Princess... still lots of time to watch for prices in Old San Juan to come down a bit, but I've read good reviews for Coral Princess. Has anyone stayed there?

We stayed at the Coral Princess for a week a number of years ago. We really liked staying in Condado beach area and visiting Old San Juan via a quick taxi ride away. Condado has more of a Miami/South beach feel to it. This has been a few years but Coral Princess was a nice boutique hotel that felt more like a large house than a hotel but it was clean and service was great but like I said, it's been years. There are a lot of great restaurant options in walking distance.

We decided to book at the Coral Princess... still lots of time to watch for prices in Old San Juan to come down a bit, but I've read good reviews for Coral Princess. Has anyone stayed there?

I was just going to suggest this. We stayed here for 3 nights last March. I would stay there again in a heart beat! Wonderful staff, clean and safe. The pool was small, but did the job. The free breakfast wa nothing special, but saved some money and we weren't left hungry😊 The best part of this hotel....is the location. We could walk anywhere: beach, restaurant, shops and more. It is very close to a bus stop, but we waited forever. We actually walked away and grabbed a taxi. All taxis were reasonable. I think you will like this boutique hotel.

One more thing...rooms are tiny, and o mean very tiny. Again, clean and safe!