Hotels in Puerto Rico?

[Amolin]

We have sailed on Celebrity many times, but this is the first leaving from Puerto Rico. Since we are going in February during winter break and planning on arriving the day before I want to get my hotel lined up.

 

Cany anyone recommend a hotel that is near the cruise dock? Is there anything in this area, or are other areas better?

 

It will be my husband and I and our 13 year oid daughter. We have never been to Puerto Rico before and I feel lost trying to plan.

[bellagirl]

Hi-We had a wonderful stay at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan. They have their own beach plus some nice pools on the property and the most heavenly breakfast. I can't recall how close it was to the airport but it didn't seem to be that far.

Enjoy San JUan! Shelly:)

[Can'tstopcruising]

Go to tripadvisor.com. Read reviews of hotels and choose what suits your family best.

 

The resort hotels may have a resort fee. If you do not have enough hours to enjoy it, it may not be worth the extra.

 

We booked the Holiday Inn Express. Very reasonable, decent location and walkable to the beach (if we have time).

[derf5585]

We stayed in the "El Convento"

http://www.elconvento.com/

 

Very local flavor.

[izzy2001]

The Hotel El Convento also gets my vote for a place to stay.

[macaroni]

Use Priceline....we always get a good rate and get either the Caribe Hilton or Intercontinental. As long as you stay in the San Juan area you are fine as far as location.

[choochoocruiser]

We have sailed out of San Juan twice and both times we stayed at the Howard Johnson in Old San Juan. While not as plush as some of the other hotels it is quite nice. Supposedly, it is the oldest continually used used hotel in the Caribbean although it has not always been a HoJo. Even though it is not near the pier it is just a short cab ride away. Old San Juan is wonderful and there are plenty of restaurants and tourist attractions within walking distance of the hote. Definitely worth a look. We wouldn't stay anywhere else.

[seacruise9]

Prior to a cruise in late April, we stayed at the Caribe Hilton. This is a very nice hotel with beautiful grounds. I would recommend this hotel.

 

Chuck

[Fblack]

Here's a warning about the Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza.

 

Nice hotel, but if you stay there demand a room on the back side. The front of the hotel is right on a main street with heavy traffic all night long. You will hear horns, buses, motorcycles, and large trucks all night long. We had to change rooms after our first night there.

[arizona girl]

Hi,

my girl friend and i went on a cruise march2008, and we had reservations at the caribe hilton,we had a voucher saying that the reservations were confirmed, when we got to puerto rico and taken to the hotel (which is not that close to the port) we were told that they over booked and they would try to get us into the hotel next door, which was horrible, 2 girls alone we were not happy, they told us the next day that we could have breakfast at the hilton and we were so disaponted we did not get to stay there, i would not recommend this hotel to any one, we complained to our travel agent but nothing happened.

I think there is a place near the port i think it is the sheraton we waited there to board the ship and it was real nice.

Anyway just my thoughts.

Vicki

[Kevin's girl]

We love El Convento. We have stayed therew a couple of times pre cruise, and will be staying there for a long weekend this October. Such a nice place and great location. Walking distance to anything you may want to do before you board your ship.

[bikinibottom]

I have stayed at both the Sheraton in Old San Juan and the Caribe Hilton (and a few others but those are the 2 that are closer to the ports) I liked both of them. I used points to stay at both of them so I did not pay out of pocket (which was nice because they were both way overpriced).

The Caribe Hilton was better than I expected - we really liked it. It has a nice resort feeling to it. Big pool area - nice facilities - older but well kept. It is not in the heart of Old San Juan - but off to the end and it does have a cute little beach and interesting stuff right near it. Not any shopping nearby - just a liquor store (except for a few hotel shops). We had a full day there (came in on a red-eye) the night before and they gave us access to the club lounge (they upgraded us to club/exec level) and since we arrived around 7:00 a.m. and our room was not ready until after 12:00. Our friends arrived that night and they told the front desk about our upgrade and they got upgraded too. They claim to be the birthplace of the pina colada - we had a few good ones at the pool bar!

The Sheraton is located right in the heart of Old San Juan across the street from a cruise port (not the Pan American port that X leaves from) and is a great place to walk from to see OSJ. They did not let us check in until 4:00 and they are quite strict on that policy from what I have read over the years. I did not find the staff to be nearly as nice and accommodating as that of the Hilton, and the hotel does not have a resort feel to it - but it is in a great spot to see Old San Juan. And is super close to lots of restuarants and shopping! I think if I went back I would choose the Caribe to relax in for a couple of days.

I would check out the ports of call page as they have tons of posts about this subject there.

[1st Timmers]

In April we cruised to San Juan and loved the El Convento. We saw the hotel when we were walking around and asked to take a tour and see the rooms, so pretty - Last year we took a cruise out of San Juan and stayed at the Embassy Suites near the airport (had hotel points) - It was so nice- even has a casino on the grounds. It is a taxi ride the following morning to the pier, but not bad. We got in late and walked around near the ocean, but not much to do in that area, so if you are staying for a few days, I would recommend staying where the other comments have mentioned. Looking at the hotel (which is older and was I heard, a nun convent years ago, I would recommend) Great walking distance. Enjoy

[Xport]

The Sheraton is located right in the heart of Old San Juan across the street from a cruise port (not the Pan American port that X leaves from) and is a great place to walk from to see OSJ.

 

Did not originate or end in San Juan [and that might be the difference] but we did dock at the cruise facility immediately across the street from the Sheraton in Old San Juan during a port call... If proximity of hotel to port is highly important to you, you might want to ask Celebrity to confirm which docks they expect to be using for your sailing...

[Texed]

Did not originate or end in San Juan [and that might be the difference] but we did dock at the cruise facility immediately across the street from the Sheraton in Old San Juan during a port call... If proximity of hotel to port is highly important to you, you might want to ask Celebrity to confirm which docks they expect to be using for your sailing...

 

If the cruise originates in San Juan, you will embark at the Pan American Pier. The PA pier is not walkable to anywhere, but the cabs in San Juan are very inexpensive, so choose a hotel almost anywhere, and you can cab to anywhere easily. :)

[Hflors]

Hi,

my girl friend and i went on a cruise march2008, and we had reservations at the caribe hilton,we had a voucher saying that the reservations were confirmed, when we got to puerto rico and taken to the hotel (which is not that close to the port) we were told that they over booked and they would try to get us into the hotel next door, which was horrible, 2 girls alone we were not happy, they told us the next day that we could have breakfast at the hilton and we were so disaponted we did not get to stay there, i would not recommend this hotel to any one, we complained to our travel agent but nothing happened.

I think there is a place near the port i think it is the sheraton we waited there to board the ship and it was real nice.

Anyway just my thoughts.

Vicki

 

Arazona girl - what do you mean by a "voucher saying that the reservations were confirmed"? Did you make your reservation with Hilton? I never received a "voucher" I have stayed there twice and both times we got a confirmation e-mail from Hilton.

Sorry you didn't have a great stay.

[Lsimon]

Here is a link to a great site with an aerial map of the San Juan area and links for cruisers:

 

http://www.langland.org/cruises/sanjuan.asp

 

It points out where some of the hotels popular with cruisers are. There are two main areas: One is the beach area where you'll find beach resort hotels like the Hilton Caribe, El San Juan, the Marriott and others. There are also some hotels in this area, which is more modern than Old San Juan, that are not on the beach. I think if you click a link in the first paragraph of the link above for the "San Juan Guide" it will provide a lot of info on the different areas.

 

The other main area is "Old San Juan". Old San Juan is the main tourist area and is filled with buildings that are hundreds of years old. In this respect it is more like a city in Spain or Europe than one in North America and different that what you'll generally find in the rest of the Caribbean. I think Old San Juan is a great place to stay as it gives you the opportunity to tour around at least a little to enjoy this wonderful old city which is full of tourist attractions. At a minimum you can wonder out of your hotel after arrival for a stroll through the narrow streets and find a nice restaurant full of local character - even though most are targeted at tourists. Then the next morning you can get up early, check your bags at the front desk, and tour the forts or wonderful areas around town before grabbing an early (or late) afternoon cab to your ship. Taxi fare to the Pan Am pier is only about $10 + a few dollars for luggage and tip. Clearly the most wonderful, but perhaps the most expensive, hotel there is El Convento - a great hotel full of local charm in a building originally over 300 years ago as a convent. If you want to go a less expensive route choose the Hotel Milano on a narrow street - their web site indicates a two night minimum but in most cases a phone call to them allows a one night stay. And if you're looking for a more modern hotel of the type you'd find in most North American cities there is the Sheritan Old San Juan.

 

We've stayed at the El Convento and the Hotel Milano and enjoyed them both. The first time we stayed in San Juan our traveling companions pointed out that Old San Juan area is unique, wonderful and different than other places you'll visit in the Caribbean. It is a destination unto itself so why stay any place different. It is much more convenient to stay there then to take a cab from one of the hotels a few miles away. Also, while the beaches at the resort hotels are very nice they don't measure up to the incredible beaches you'll visit at the other Caribbean islands on your cruise.

 

Hope all this isn't too wordy and that it helps.

[Lois R]

Hi, another suggestion is to pop over to the San Juan forum:)

There are lots of nice folks who post there with great suggestions,

helpful tips and the like.

 

I have stayed at the Sheraton in Old San Juan and would recommend

it too. Great location for sure!:)

Last year I stayed at the Whyndam Rio Mar which is a lovely resort

but I would only recommend this one if you have more than an extra

full day pre-cruise. Its about a 30 minute ride from the airport.

The other areas are much closer so its alot quicker to get where you need to go!

 

I always use Priceline and get great results:D. I am going again

in January and this time I got the Intercontinental in Isle Verde

for $107.00 and am very pleased!:)

 

Have fun on your cruise:)

[kek123]

Can't go wrong with either El Milano or El Convento. Both are right in the heart of Old San Juan and walkable to great restaurants and El Morro. Only downside is the noise from the street, which is a product of the robust nightlife and not the hotel itself. Enjoy!

[Lsimon]

...Only downside is the noise from the street, which is a product of the robust nightlife and not the hotel itself. Enjoy!

 

 

We didn't experience any noise around El Convento. Hotel Milano was on a narrow busy street with lots of restaurants around which apparently have discos late at night. We paid a little extra for a room with a window on the street. Next time we'll take a room in back even if it has no window. This hotel is nothing fancy but is clean and fine for a very short stay. If we were staying for a few days we'd stay at El Convento if we could swing the rates.

[npacute]

We have sailed on Celebrity many times, but this is the first leaving from Puerto Rico. Since we are going in February during winter break and planning on arriving the day before I want to get my hotel lined up.

 

Cany anyone recommend a hotel that is near the cruise dock? Is there anything in this area, or are other areas better?

 

It will be my husband and I and our 13 year oid daughter. We have never been to Puerto Rico before and I feel lost trying to plan.

 

The sheraton in old san juan it has a shuttle to the port. Another option the departure time is 10pm most times I fly in on the day the ship leaves.

[usha]

I've had incredible luck using Priceline to bid for hotels in San Juan.:)

Two years in a row, I bid under $100 for a resort level hotel in San Juan, and got the Marriott Resort San Juan.

Rooms there are normally over $300.

[normalcruiser]

My husband and I stayed at the Condado Plaza in May 2008 for the evening before our cruise. We loved it and my husband would be happy to go back to Puerto Rico just to stay at the hotel. Check-in was very quick and when I mentioned that it was our honeymoon, we were upgraded to an ocean view room. The hotel has several restaurants, casino, pool with a swim up bar and waterslide, and access to the public beach. As stated by other posters, walking to the port isn't possible but the hotel staff was able to quicky get us a taxi to the port. We did walk from the hotel to see some of Old San Juan, but it could be a bit of a hike for those not used to walking longer distances. We really enjoyed the modern, boutique hotel style as a change of pace.

[Lois R]

The sheraton in old san juan it has a shuttle to the port. Another option the departure time is 10pm most times I fly in on the day the ship leaves.

 

They have a shuttle? To the Pan American Pier? Must be new

because the last time I stayed there they had plenty of cabs:D

but I never saw any kind of shuttle.

[bswakema]

We stayed at the Caribe Hilton before our cruise in April 2008. We really enjoyed the hotel. It's not far from the cruise terminal -- in fact, you can even see the ships from there. It cost $21.50 for the taxi from the airport. We liked it so much that we have reservations for a post-cruise stay in October.