Pre-Cruise San Juan Hotels

[lv2bcruzin]

I have stayed in San Juan pre-cruise before and made the mistake of trying to save a few dollars since it was for only one night. It was $100 for the night, so I thought it would be fairly decent. Not so much. From that point on I have always made sure to go with a nice hotel even if costs a bit more. The purpose of going the day before or sooner is so that you can be relaxed and get to the ship early on the day of departure. Worrying about the location and the not so great accommodations is not exactly relaxing.

 

I have done some research and know that many people like Hotel El Convento, but I really don't want to spend that much. The one I keep coming back to is Marriot San Juan Resort. I do see the Coral Princess and Acacia is ranked just below on TripAdvisor, but they are only 2 1/2 & 3 stars, so I'm not sure if that is a good option.

 

Besides the major hotels in San Juan, what are some other good options?

[CRUISEFAN0001]

We've now stayed at the Caribe Hilton twice - liked it so much.

 

Great location, great service, great features (and private lagoon), great view.

[Cruising Lions]

We stayed at the Marriott and loved it. Got it on Priceline and hope to stay June 2014. We also stayed at Holiday inn express and liked it. We stayed at Coral Princess and it was just ok. The breakfast was lousy and the hot tub was broke. They have a very small pool. People were friendly

 

 

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[kccrzr]

We stayed at the La Concha and had a great time. Huge room and wonderful ocean view.

[crookedhalo]

We stayed at the Sheraton right by the port this year...very convenient location and the pool/hot tub area is beautiful and overlooks the terminal;). Great concierge service as well - they helped us arrange taxis to the terminal and for dinner on the night the cruise returned (we stayed coming and going). Price was around $215/night, but you are right..you get what you pay for;)

[rednancy1]

We stayed at the Embassy Suites and it was very comfortable. Not too far out. It even had an Outback Steakhouse inside it. :)

 

Free breakfast and free happy hour. You can't beat it.

[snownyet]

Our go to hotel for a pre cruise stay is the Caribe Hilton, its become a favorite of ours and not far from downtown OSJ. If we're staying post cruise we like the Intercontinental, its on a great beach, has an awesome pool with waterfalls and a huge hot tub and is close to the airport.

[lv2bcruzin]

Our go to hotel for a pre cruise stay is the Caribe Hilton, its become a favorite of ours and not far from downtown OSJ. If we're staying post cruise we like the Intercontinental, its on a great beach, has an awesome pool with waterfalls and a huge hot tub and is close to the airport.

I've looked at the Caribe Hilton and it does look like a very nice place to stay. What is the cost of a taxi to the port from there?

 

I was also looking at Hotel Casablanca in Old San Juan. Looks pretty nice, but it doesn't have elevators which could be quite the pain with all our luggage.

[PeteLettin]

Caribe Hilton for us.

 

It's a fantastic place, we looked at booking a week or too but it was too much.

 

Pete and Michelle :)

[bigeagle12]

Can't go wrong with the Marriott Stellaris or the Embassy Suites. Marriott if you want to be on the beach :-)

[bigeagle12]

Can usually get good deals bidding on Priceline.

[kc320]

Stayed at Embassy Suites & loved it!! Short walk to the beach & shopping..easy cab ride from the airport & then the port later... Can't beat the breakfast & Happy Hour!:D

[cruisintwinsmom]

Got Caribe Hilton twice on Priceline for $100 - $110 pre-cruise. I think it was about $20-25 for the cab from hotel to ship.

[mein18]

We are looking for a hotel 1 night pre-cruise in the heart of OSJ if possible so we can walk around the town and easy return to hotel. Normally we would stay at the Marriott Stellaris but will get in too late to enjoy the beach.

The El Convento has no availability that night. Casablanca is an option but do not like the thought of no elevators.

Any suggestions?

 

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[cruiselvr04]

Have stayed at both the El Convento and Caribe Hilton. Personally I would choose the Hilton. The views are great and grounds are beautiful.

[pcur]

The San Juan Park Hotel is next door to the Hilton, and it's a little boutiquey type of hotel. Super, super clean, refurbished, small bedrooms, and under $100 a night. We liked it very much.

 

We got a great deal from either Orbitz or Expedia: 3 nights with 1 night free.

 

Taxi to the pier was about $20.

[lv2bcruzin]

We are looking for a hotel 1 night pre-cruise in the heart of OSJ if possible so we can walk around the town and easy return to hotel. Normally we would stay at the Marriott Stellaris but will get in too late to enjoy the beach.

The El Convento has no availability that night. Casablanca is an option but do not like the thought of no elevators.

Any suggestions?

 

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I agree about Hotel Casablanca. It actually looks really nice and it's not badly priced, but no elevators just may be the deal killer. Not sure yet as I really like the idea of being in OSJ.

[jcc1025]

I used to travel to San Juan a few times a year on business and stayed in a few place but love the Caribe Hilton. Always my first choice. Kind of old school Puerto Rico, great history but hotel and staff are great. We are thinking of taking a cruise out of PR next year and would not consider staying any place but the Caribe. They closed the casino a number of years ago but you can always go out to Coronado if that is your thing, and its a nice cab ride to down town San Juan and easy to get to the port.

[Gordo]

Duplicate, sorry.

Edited September 8, 2013 by Gordo

[Gordo]

Can't go wrong with the Marriott Stellaris or the Embassy Suites. Marriott if you want to be on the beach :-)

 

We have stayed at both hotels and would recommend both, but our preference is the Marriott because it is on the beach with a nicer pool.

 

But the Embassy does include breakfast and the free happy hour.

[TexCruise371]

We have stayed at both the Doubletree and LaConcha (and staying there again this October). The Doubletree is a nice place but, takes a little walk to the beach. The LaConcha is right on the beach. Very nice rooms, nice grounds, good food (a little pricey) and a nice little casino.

[cds2423]

We stayed at the Embassy Suites the last time we cruised from SJ, we thoguht it was a great location, not far from the airport, nor too far from the prot.

As other's have said there's an Outback right in the hotel for dinner and the free buffet breakfast in the morning before you leave to board the ship, and don't forget the free bar in the evening. We will def. stay there again the next time we cruise from SJ.

[CFD130]

Stayed at the Marriott and it was very nice-awesome getting up and sitting on the beach-next time the Sheraton Old San Juan -great location-bad room. The last time was at the Caribe Hilton-very nice ocean balcony room. Caribe Hilton has my vote

jmho

Edited September 8, 2013 by CFD130

[lv2bcruzin]

I really do like the Caribe Hilton and I see a lot of you here do as well. That and the Embassy Suites. Have any of you who stayed at these hotels also stayed in boutique style in OSJ? Kinda apples and oranges, but I really like the idea of being in OSJ, but I also like the amenities and beaches of the larger hotels.

 

The way flight prices look we may look at staying post-cruise as well since the cost of hotels for a couple more days may be a wash in comparison of the cost of the flight to leave the day we disembark.

[LookingForward2]

We have stayed at El Convento and Villa Herencia, both in OSJ.

EC was too pricey to go back, but was very nice, watch for deals.

We LOVED Villa Herencia! It was not that bad priced and it was so authentic, the staff was super friendly and this will be our go-to place to stay when we are in OSJ again. The pictures on their website are exactly how it looks.

 

Try reading through the SJ port of call threads and you may get additional ideas.

Edited September 8, 2013 by LookingForward2