Hotel Recommendations

Hello - We will be flying into San Juan 1 day prior to our cruise departure to do some sightseeing in San Juan. Wondering if anyone had any recommendations on hotels. Would like to stay near port area and something reasonably priced.

Also, is it worth paying a little more to stay on the beach?

Thank you.

Jessie

We always stay at the Hotel El Convento. The rooms are really nice, the place is very clean and the staff has always been very friendly. It is right in the middle of everything in Old San Juan so walking is easy. They also serve some of the best Mojito's and paella. It is a little pricey, but worth it in my opinion.

Here is a link to my album, there are a few photos of the hotel

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We always stay at the Marriott Stellaris resort & Casino. I would highly recommend it.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g147320-d149920-Reviews-Marriott_San_Juan_Resort_Stellaris_Casino-San_Juan_Puerto_Rico.html

We like to stay at the OSJ Sheraton. It's right in OSJ and within walking distance to the forts and Old San Juan shopping and restaurants. If by chance you are using OSJ Pier 4, it's across the street.

We like to stay at the OSJ Sheraton. It's right in OSJ and within walking distance to the forts and Old San Juan shopping and restaurants. If by chance you are using OSJ Pier 4, it's across the street.

Thanks for the suggestion clubber - I checked into the OSJ Sheraton and unfortunately they did not have anything available for 11/8.

Does anyone know anything about the Caribe Hilton or any other reasonably priced sugggestion in Old San Juan?

I'm staying at the Marriot resort Nov 8th. I had no problem booking it in June. We will be spending 3 nights post cruise at el convento.

We're going to stay a Da House Hotel in OSJ. I can't vouch for it personally but it gets pretty good reviews on tripadviser.

Does anyone know anything about the Caribe Hilton or any other reasonably priced sugggestion in Old San Juan?

The Caribe Hilton is not in OSJ. We stayed there last November (won it on priceline for $75). We both really liked the hotel - the staff was friendly and the hotel and grounds are beautiful.

A few people in our roll call stayed at Hotel Milano in OSJ. I know they have reasonable prices and I haven't heard any complaints.

Thank you all for the great suggestions! We ended up booking the Caribe Hilton and felt that the grounds make up for the fact its not right in OSJ. Some of the smaller hotels look a bit questionable. I booked the room with the option of cancellation in case something opens at the Sheraton or someone else came up with any other suggestions.

Thanks again! :)

Jessie

The Caribe Hilton is not in OSJ. We stayed there last November (won it on priceline for $75). We both really liked the hotel - the staff was friendly and the hotel and grounds are beautiful.

Autumn3...I would LOVE to know how you won the Caribe Hilton for $75!! DH and I love that hotel and will be cruising from San Juan next December (2009). Please share. :D

Autumn3...I would LOVE to know how you won the Caribe Hilton for $75!! DH and I love that hotel and will be cruising from San Juan next December (2009). Please share. :D

I think it was a combination of luck and timing. It was the first time I had ever bid on priceline and the bid of $75 was accepted! We stayed there on Nov 9th so it wasn't considered high season which may have been why I won with such a low bid. I won it in either February or March - and decided to start with a $75 bid because others on this forum were winning that hotel for similar amounts.

We'd like to stay in OSJ one night post-cruise in December and we're thinking about Da House. Does anyone know how close this is to the pier (we'll be on Carnival). Is it walking distance or do we need a taxi? Anyone know if they'll store our luggage for the day? I'm sure we'll be arriving before check-in time.

Nanfromatlanta,

I just got the Marrriott Stellaris Resort on priceline for $175 per night Feb 27th, one night pre-cruise. It lists for $300 per night so I think I got a good deal.

How happy are you with the hotel?? Is the restaurant good or do you recommend we head to OSJ for dinner?

When I read there was a starbucks across the street it just put a big smile on my face.....( I am latte-addicted)

We will be arriving late the evening before our Adventure of the Seas cruise. Can someone suggest what areas I should check for the best 3 or 4 Star hotel that would be reasonably close to the airport or port?

Nanfromatlanta,

 

I just got the Marrriott Stellaris Resort on priceline for $175 per night Feb 27th, one night pre-cruise. It lists for $300 per night so I think I got a good deal.

 

How happy are you with the hotel?? Is the restaurant good or do you recommend we head to OSJ for dinner?

When I read there was a starbucks across the street it just put a big smile on my face.....( I am latte-addicted)

We love the Marriott. I've stayed there over the years for both business and pleasure. The on-site restaurants can be a bit pricey, however, the food is good. If this is your first time in San Juan, I suggest that you find a good local restaurant off-site to sample the local food.

By the way, if you are gambling in the casino, they come around with free drinks and munchies, including sandwiches.... ;)

I think it was a combination of luck and timing. It was the first time I had ever bid on priceline and the bid of $75 was accepted! We stayed there on Nov 9th so it wasn't considered high season which may have been why I won with such a low bid. I won it in either February or March - and decided to start with a $75 bid because others on this forum were winning that hotel for similar amounts.

Well, I am going to have to give it try when we are about 10 months out. Refresh my memory, is Caribe considered a four-star hotel on priceline? Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions!

We will be arriving late the evening before our Adventure of the Seas cruise. Can someone suggest what areas I should check for the best 3 or 4 Star hotel that would be reasonably close to the airport or port?

Best bet is to use Priceline and choose resort only. (There are some clunker hotels at the 3 star level.) Choose San Juan as your area and then if the bid is not accepted, you can up it a bit and choose any other area in Puerto Rico besides Rio-Grande-Humacao, since that is the only other area Priceline has resorts in. All the Priceline resorts are good and 3 are great with the Marriott being the pick of the litter. If you go with 4 star you will probably get La Concha, which is nice, but it is still under construction. Good luck and keep us updated.

Well, I am going to have to give it try when we are about 10 months out. Refresh my memory, is Caribe considered a four-star hotel on priceline? Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions!

Caribe is a Resort on Priceline. La Concha is the only 4 star lately. Don't necessarily wait until 10 months out, we got a great deal a year in advance, you just never know so bid and if you have no luck, just keep trying.

Thank you! I started at $70/resort, $75/resort, then added $80/resort or 4 star, up to $95/resort or 4 star...I got two rooms at $95 at the La Concha! I sure hope it is close enough to either the port or airport, but I feel like I got a good deal. thanks for all your help!

(By the way...our cruise is only one week away, so this was a very last minute reservation. We are flying standby, I wanted to wait and make sure we are going to get there before booking.)

Birdie16: Cruising in a week? Take us with you!! We will be in Puerto Rico on December 3rd (cruising out of Bayonne on Explorer of the Seas). We made reservations at the El Convento Hotel (albeit expensive but mostly for the rooftop pool with views of OSJ and the cruise pier...not to mention that it is in the HEART of Old San Juan, contains several restaurants and bar and is within walking distance to El Morro and the shops along Calle Cristo.) There are three or four other hotels in OSJ (like Da House, Milano, Howard Johnson, Sheraton) each with a different claim to fame. Oddly, I believe we would have chosen the "historic" Howard Johnson's as our second choice in OSJ!

Before we booked El Convento we also spent a lot of time looking into hotels all along Isla Verde and Condado too (both sort of midway between the airport and the cruise piers). I tried to jot down some hotel descriptions and added some photos starting on page 51 on our bestbuds mini-website (see signature line below) and added several maps locating most of those hotels on the last two pages of the "Puerto Rico" section. Maybe this could help other readers...

Happy cruising!

Caribe is a Resort on Priceline. La Concha is the only 4 star lately. Don't necessarily wait until 10 months out, we got a great deal a year in advance, you just never know so bid and if you have no luck, just keep trying.

Thanks toonjie!! :D

Best Buds,

Your mini website is very informative - I just spent 1 hour exploring.

Thanks for sharing.

Best bet is to use Priceline and choose resort only. (There are some clunker hotels at the 3 star level.) Choose San Juan as your area and then if the bid is not accepted, you can up it a bit and choose any other area in Puerto Rico besides Rio-Grande-Humacao, since that is the only other area Priceline has resorts in. All the Priceline resorts are good and 3 are great with the Marriott being the pick of the litter. If you go with 4 star you will probably get La Concha, which is nice, but it is still under construction. Good luck and keep us updated.

toonjie,

Do the resort level hotels on Priceline charge a resort fee? And if so, is that fee above and beyond the winning bid amount on Priceline. I am trying to get an idea of what my total hotel expense might be if I bid on a resort level hotel -- so that I can better manage my bid amount and my total expense. Thanks very much.

David

Hi David,

I can tell you that I bid on resort in San Juan and got the El San Juan (loved it!) They charged a resort fee of 14% of the room rate at check out. Marriott Stellaris also charges a resort fee but I've heard of alot of people opting out of it when they check in. I didn't try to get out of mine at the ESJ so I don't know if you can do that there. The resort fees are in addition to what you pay on Priceline. Hope this helps. See you on board the EOS!

toonjie,

 

Do the resort level hotels on Priceline charge a resort fee? And if so, is that fee above and beyond the winning bid amount on Priceline. I am trying to get an idea of what my total hotel expense might be if I bid on a resort level hotel -- so that I can better manage my bid amount and my total expense. Thanks very much.

 

David

Some do and some don't. The Marriott has a $14.95 fee, which includes wifi internet. Many people report asking not to pay the fee and it is removed from their bill. We got wifi the last time we went because we had to get online for a while so I didn't try to opt out. I look at it this way, you save so much on Priceline that a small fee is no bigee! Priceline will let you know what the taxes are in advance. When you get a resort, you'll just have to post here to see what people's experiences have been with any resort fees.