OMG I am so confused with these hotels!

My head is spinning!

I think I have successfully booked like 6 hotels in PR and I have no clue what to do.

First we are leaving out of Pan Am Pier on the Adventure next June

I haven't booked my flights yet because flights aren't out yet for that time so I have no clue what time we'd get into PR the day before.

I didn't plan to do any tours or anything in PR even though we probably should but in considering cost factors of the cruise and the flights I was trying to keep costs as low as possible so wasn't really considering it. Was thinking just a hotel for the night to get us to the port the next day so we weren't flying in the same day.... just in case :eek:

So I've looked at about every hotel near (and not near) the port to see what is reasonably priced and decent for an overnight stay. I've booked the ones within reasonable price range and am now looking for help -- pros/cons -- advice -- people who have maybe stayed at these places to help me out. I know everyone raves about the Embassy Suites (and not sure which one is near Pan Am Pier) but it required a 2 night stay at the time I'm going. I may keep checking back if someone knows which Embassy Suites everyone is talking about.

That all being said -- thanks for staying with me to this point -- has anyone stayed at the following:

Comfort Inn Condado San Juan

Best Western Plus Condado Palm Inn & Suites

Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel & Casino

Hampton Inn & Suites (Isla Verde Ave)

I believe the 2 in red are near the Pan Am port and the 2 in green may be farther away? I'm really so confused. Any help would be great.

Kind regards,

Stacy

While the ones that show the Condado as the locations are closer, the difference in distance is not that important- you'll need a taxi either way.

The real question is what area do you want to stay in- Isla Verde, the Condado, or Old San Juan. For us, we'd stay in Old San Juan- which we have numerous times.

FWIW, there are two hotels near the convention center area (which I can't recall what it's called right now) which is the closest area to the Panamerican Port- but there's not much nearby (yet).

Back to the area where you are staying- my first question is when do you arrive- do you have enough time to enjoy Old San Juan? Or the beach areas in the Condado or Isla Verde? If you arrive late, and just go to the ship- then the cheapest net package would be the best bet. If you have time, then what you want to do that day or days is the key. Old city exploring, beaches, or drive to other parts of the island.

Hope that helps a little.

We stayed in the Miramar section of PR for our one night. It was fairly close to the Pan Am pier, although we sailed on Carnival out of OSJ. There were several hotels to choose from. We booked the Hotel Miramar, as we did not want a pool. It was a very nice, clean hotel with very friendly staff. Within two blocks there were many restaurants, offering from fairly high end regional type cuisine to pizza, tacos and even Subway. Also a fairly nice grocery store was in the same block. There was also a 24/7 diner right across the street. Cabs were plentiful to get you to the pier the next morning.

While the ones that show the Condado as the locations are closer, the difference in distance is not that important- you'll need a taxi either way.

 

The real question is what area do you want to stay in- Isla Verde, the Condado, or Old San Juan. For us, we'd stay in Old San Juan- which we have numerous times.

 

FWIW, there are two hotels near the convention center area (which I can't recall what it's called right now) which is the closest area to the Panamerican Port- but there's not much nearby (yet).

 

Back to the area where you are staying- my first question is when do you arrive- do you have enough time to enjoy Old San Juan? Or the beach areas in the Condado or Isla Verde? If you arrive late, and just go to the ship- then the cheapest net package would be the best bet. If you have time, then what you want to do that day or days is the key. Old city exploring, beaches, or drive to other parts of the island.

 

Hope that helps a little.

Thanks that does help. I guess I need to do even more research on what I want to do while I'm in PR which will depend on what time my flight gets in which I have no idea.

The cancellation policies are a couple days before for each hotel so I guess I have one in each section (Condado, Isla Verde and OSJ) so I can decide when I do more research which one to keep depending on the flight time I eventually get.

My head is spinning!

 

I think I have successfully booked like 6 hotels in PR and I have no clue what to do.

 

First we are leaving out of Pan Am Pier on the Adventure next June

 

I haven't booked my flights yet because flights aren't out yet for that time so I have no clue what time we'd get into PR the day before.

 

I didn't plan to do any tours or anything in PR even though we probably should but in considering cost factors of the cruise and the flights I was trying to keep costs as low as possible so wasn't really considering it. Was thinking just a hotel for the night to get us to the port the next day so we weren't flying in the same day.... just in case :eek:

 

So I've looked at about every hotel near (and not near) the port to see what is reasonably priced and decent for an overnight stay. I've booked the ones within reasonable price range and am now looking for help -- pros/cons -- advice -- people who have maybe stayed at these places to help me out. I know everyone raves about the Embassy Suites (and not sure which one is near Pan Am Pier) but it required a 2 night stay at the time I'm going. I may keep checking back if someone knows which Embassy Suites everyone is talking about.

 

That all being said -- thanks for staying with me to this point -- has anyone stayed at the following:

 

Comfort Inn Condado San Juan

Best Western Plus Condado Palm Inn & Suites

 

Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel & Casino

Hampton Inn & Suites (Isla Verde Ave)

 

I believe the 2 in red are near the Pan Am port and the 2 in green may be farther away? I'm really so confused. Any help would be great.

 

Kind regards,

Stacy

Yes a lot depends on when you arrive. If you stay at the Sheraton Old San Juan you will be able to walk around OSJ on the day your ship sails. Just have the hotel hold your luggage until you decide to go to the pier (which is not in OSJ, but across the bay so you will need a cab).

If you would like to spend time at the beach the hotels in Isla Verde are good. I have stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites and the Embassy Suites on Tartak Street. This is the Embassy Suites people are talking about. It also has a very nice pool.

I also like the Condado area but have not stayed at either of those hotels. We stayed at the Radisson but it closed in April. There are plenty of restaurants in that area. The water seems to be a little rougher in Condado.

My head is spinning!

 

I think I have successfully booked like 6 hotels in PR and I have no clue what to do.

 

First we are leaving out of Pan Am Pier on the Adventure next June

 

I haven't booked my flights yet because flights aren't out yet for that time so I have no clue what time we'd get into PR the day before.

 

I didn't plan to do any tours or anything in PR even though we probably should but in considering cost factors of the cruise and the flights I was trying to keep costs as low as possible so wasn't really considering it. Was thinking just a hotel for the night to get us to the port the next day so we weren't flying in the same day.... just in case :eek:

 

So I've looked at about every hotel near (and not near) the port to see what is reasonably priced and decent for an overnight stay. I've booked the ones within reasonable price range and am now looking for help -- pros/cons -- advice -- people who have maybe stayed at these places to help me out. I know everyone raves about the Embassy Suites (and not sure which one is near Pan Am Pier) but it required a 2 night stay at the time I'm going. I may keep checking back if someone knows which Embassy Suites everyone is talking about.

 

That all being said -- thanks for staying with me to this point -- has anyone stayed at the following:

 

Comfort Inn Condado San Juan

Best Western Plus Condado Palm Inn & Suites

 

Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel & Casino

Hampton Inn & Suites (Isla Verde Ave)

 

I believe the 2 in red are near the Pan Am port and the 2 in green may be farther away? I'm really so confused. Any help would be great.

 

Kind regards,

Stacy

You are really just making it to difficult . Just separate San Juan Into 3 parts . Isla Verde Closet to the Airport . Condado which is in the middle then OSJ which is at the furthest point and still only 20 minutes from the airport and 15 minutes at most to the port . If you are doing one night I prefer Condado Nice enough area access to the beach if you want plenty of places to eat short trip to the pier any 3 star hotel is decent , I normally just use Hotwire and pick a 3 or 4 star hotel take a bargain and live with what I get . Got the La Concha this year for like $135 with fees its a $200 a night Hotel on the beach in Condado . We sail on the AOS in Oct .

We are staying at the Embassy Suites in 2 weeks for our cruise on Royal's Adventure. The Embassy Suites is the one on Tartak Street. It's a 5 minute cab ride ($15-$20 cab ride) from the airport. It is close to the beach (Carolina beach) and they have a section there for Embassy guests where you can get a chair and umbrella. You can walk there in 5-10 minutes. If you call the Embassy Suites you may be able to get them to let you reserve 1 night. I have 1 night before the cruise and 1 night after, each for $222 and some change after taxes and resort fees ($150-ish pre-tax). We are traveling in August which is not a heavy tourist time; I've read prices are around $350-$400/night for more popular months.

The Embassy Suites is a $20-$25 can ride to old San Juan and the forts (each way) and about the same cost to the cruise terminal.

You can rent a small car at the airport from Enterprise for about $45. The Embassy charges $18/night for parking, so for about $60 you can get to the hotel, drive to old San Juan and back, the rainforest etc and it will cost less than taking cabs and give you freedom to come and go more than once (especially since you'll have all day to hang around before you have to get on the ship). The only difficulty here is that it appears the car must be taken back to the airport and then a cab will have to be taken back to the ship. The larger your group or the more people pitching in for the car, the better deal this becomes. One person in our group is dropping the rest of us and our luggage at the port and returning the car and coming back by cab. We're all splitting the cost.

There may be cheaper car rentals and cheaper hotels, this is just what we chose so that's the info I have.

I am re-reading the original post....did they say they booked 6 hotels?:eek:

So I am guessing 5 will be cancelled and 1 will be chosen...unless the

post is really confusing and I am not getting it?

I agree with the folks who say you are making more confusing that

it needs to be.

I looked around and decided to book the Hampton Inn Isla Verde....

going on my cruise in November:)....the area is nice and got a good

price booking directly through the Hampton website. It also gets

good reviews on Trip Advisor.

You are really just making it to difficult . Just separate San Juan Into 3 parts . Isla Verde Closet to the Airport . Condado which is in the middle then OSJ which is at the furthest point and still only 20 minutes from the airport and 15 minutes at most to the port . If you are doing one night I prefer Condado Nice enough area access to the beach if you want plenty of places to eat short trip to the pier any 3 star hotel is decent , I normally just use Hotwire and pick a 3 or 4 star hotel take a bargain and live with what I get . Got the La Concha this year for like $135 with fees its a $200 a night Hotel on the beach in Condado . We sail on the AOS in Oct .

Steve, you got La Concha on Hotwire? Can I ask what the ammenities

were and area it is listed?....I am booked at the Hampton Isla Verda

but would love to stay at La Concha:D......it usually way more $ than

I want to spend when I look at their website. I am going in November.

I remember passing by there last time I sailed from San Juan (that

was a few years ago)....the hotel looks awesome!

Thanks:)

I have cruised from San Juan multiple times. I have always stayed at least one night prior to the cruise. If you have limited time, your best bet is to get a hotel in Old San Juan. Even at night, you can find shopping, nightlife, and dining. You can get up on embarkation day and explore the old city for a couple of hours. Head to the ship in the early afternoon for a late lunch and to beat the crowds. Unless you really want a beach location, OSJ will give you the best option to see the sights, IMHO.

I have cruised from San Juan multiple times. I have always stayed at least one night prior to the cruise. If you have limited time, your best bet is to get a hotel in Old San Juan. Even at night, you can find shopping, nightlife, and dining. You can get up on embarkation day and explore the old city for a couple of hours. Head to the ship in the early afternoon for a late lunch and to beat the crowds. Unless you really want a beach location, OSJ will give you the best option to see the sights, IMHO.

Thank you so much for that. I appreciate it. It helps me out as to why one over another. So Sheraton OSJ may be good then. Thanks again!

Six of us will be staying at the Tres Palmas Inn (beach across street) for $298.66 per room for 2 nights. Not bad!:cool:

We have NOT stayed at your choices, but in March 2015 we stayed at a brand NEW hotel very very close to the pier, actually across street from entrance into the Pan Amer pier area -- HYATT HOUSE.....really reasonable cost, has a bar & small restaurant in the lobby, has a very beautiful pool & patio, has very comfortable spacious rooms. Just a few restaurants in walking distance. Also, quite a nice helpful staff. We arrived to SJ around 1 pm -- about 30 minute taxi ride to hotel -- spent relaxing afternoon & boarded next day. One could take a taxi a short distance to Old San Juan, but we didn't want to. There is another hotel was under construction directly across the street.

Stay wherever you want. San Juan is relatively easy to navigate. We stayed in Old San Juan our first trip and will stay at the Best Western this trip. You'll have to cab to the pier either way.

If you stay in OSJ you can walk all around the Old Town and spend little to no money and enjoy the city. I would recommend that if you've never been before

I've reserved three nights at the Embassy Suites Dorado del Mar Beach Resort. It looks very nice and is much cheaper than the ones in OSJ. It is far and looks like it will be a $100 USD taxi ride each way from airport and pier. Even so, it still works out cheaper than the other hotels I found.

I've reserved three nights at the Embassy Suites Dorado del Mar Beach Resort. It looks very nice and is much cheaper than the ones in OSJ. It is far and looks like it will be a $100 USD taxi ride each way from airport and pier. Even so, it still works out cheaper than the other hotels I found.

Renting a car from the airport, returning to the airport and taking a taxi to the pier from there would be much, much cheaper than taking a taxi both ways.

Renting a car from the airport, returning to the airport and taking a taxi to the pier from there would be much, much cheaper than taking a taxi both ways.

Thanks, I will look into it.