Very Confused About San Juan Hotels

I read the San Juan thread in Ports of Call section as well as the pre-cruise thread, but I am still very confused abou San Juan hotels.

We are sailing on Adventure. I understand she sails out of the Pan Am pier. I cannot figure out:

1) if there are hotels near the pier

2) which hotels are close by

3) which section of San Juan is which

We do not need a resort, nor a casino. We want a clean place to sleep that has a pool and is not going to cost us an arm and a leg in cab fare to the pier.

Thanks for any help.

Oh, another question...Once we board Adventure, can we get on and off to continue our tour of San Juan?

ak

Hi Stargate,

We stayed at the Wyndham Condado Plaza on our last cruise. I would say it was about $20 cab fare from the airport to the hotel, and about $5 to the actual cruise terminal on the day of our sailing. I think the cost back to Old San Juan was around $12? The cab fare is pre-determined for most destinations - it's in a zone system I believe so it should be relatively simple to look it up online to determine the cost. Also, some hotels might have shuttles from to/from the airport.

The Wyndham wasn't great - the food on site was really expensive, but the pool area and little beach were very nice. Some folks on my sailing used Priceline to get pretty inexpensive rooms at the Wyndham and the Radisson and were happy with each.

Hope that helps a little bit!

I read the San Juan thread in Ports of Call section as well as the pre-cruise thread, but I am still very confused abou San Juan hotels.

 

We are sailing on Adventure. I understand she sails out of the Pan Am pier. I cannot figure out:

1) if there are hotels near the pier

2) which hotels are close by

3) which section of San Juan is which

 

We do not need a resort, nor a casino. We want a clean place to sleep that has a pool and is not going to cost us an arm and a leg in cab fare to the pier.

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Oh, another question...Once we board Adventure, can we get on and off to continue our tour of San Juan?

 

ak

If this works right, attached is an aerial photo of San Juan showing where the Pam Am pier is and the location of some hotels. If the photo doesn't work right, here is the link to that photo.

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

Also....yes....you can board the Adventure then get off to continue to visit San Juan, but you must be back onboard by 8:15

Hi. Go to Fodors on line:

http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/maps/sanjuan_city.gif

If the link doesn't work just go to Fodors site and click your through to san juan and then map.

The Airport (Munoz) is in the Isla Verdes section. Along the Atlantic coast there area lot of hotels along the beach, some very expensive and others reasonable. (Along Ave. Isla Verde)

Old Sn Juan is at the far left - the peninsula on the top and and left corner of the map. It is the grid of streets between El Moro and Tapia Theatre.

In between Old SJ and Isla Verdes is Condado. Hotels there as well.

The Pan AMerican terminal is on Isla Grande...I think is on the north side. It is in an industrial/working cargo port.

Taxis are $16 from Isla Verdes to Pier, 10 from Condado and about the same form OSJ (per cab).

I can't help you with a particular Hotel. We have stayed at the El San Juan Hotel and Casino, but it doesn't meet yuor criteria. The "regular" rates for hotels in San Juan tend tobe quite high, though.

We have sailed from the Pan Am pier and left after checkin in and went back to OSJ for the day - it's a short cab ride - we sailed at 10 pm, which I think is about the same for you.

Hopes this helps.

I read the San Juan thread in Ports of Call section as well as the pre-cruise thread, but I am still very confused abou San Juan hotels.

 

We are sailing on Adventure. I understand she sails out of the Pan Am pier. I cannot figure out:

1) if there are hotels near the pier

2) which hotels are close by

3) which section of San Juan is which

 

We do not need a resort, nor a casino. We want a clean place to sleep that has a pool and is not going to cost us an arm and a leg in cab fare to the pier.

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Oh, another question...Once we board Adventure, can we get on and off to continue our tour of San Juan?

 

ak

If this works right, attached is an aerial photo of San Juan showing where the Pam Am pier is and the location of some hotels. If the photo doesn't work right, here is the link to that photo.

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

Also....yes....you can board the Adventure then get off to continue to visit San Juan, but you must be back onboard by 8:15.

We just returned from 3 pre cruise nights at the embassy suites in isle verde. It is not on the beach but has a great pool area and is about a 5 minute walk to the beach. The room price includes a great breakfast buffet every morning and a managers cocktail party for 2 hours each night (around 6-8pm) with free top shelf liquor and light snacks. Ther is good cheap food within walking distance and the hotel is clean and very well maintained. It can be pricey(all rooms are suites) we did and internet direct rate for about 250$ (no resort tax like some of the beach hotels) but we were 5 in the room (2 adults 3 kids) comfortably, one large bedroom with 2 doubles (can come with a king) and a living room area with a large pullout sofa, it also has a microwave and fridge. I think the price , when you figure in all the extras is well worth it. Cab fare from the airport and to the pier is a set price, about $12 from the airport (very close by) and about $16 to the pier ( I may be off a $ or two), most taxis are vans, so can hold plenty of people and luggage. Have a great trip , AOS is great!

Do you mean 250 total for three nights or 250/night?? How far away is this hotel from old san juan? Trying to find a reasonable hotel that is close to airport and the Pan American Pier is very confusing!:(

Do you mean 250 total for three nights or 250/night?? How far away is this hotel from old san juan? Trying to find a reasonable hotel that is close to airport and the Pan American Pier is very confusing!:(

If you're looking for a basic no frills place to stay, try the Comfort Inn. It is about $115 per night. It is cancellable, so if you find something better you can always cancel.

There are basically no hotels in San Juan that are cheap. (At least not that I would stay in) We have stayed many times and don't use Priceline. The rate is about $200 per night and there can be additional taxes. (usually are) You could go to the ship, and then pay cab fare from the Pam Am Pier back to Old San Juan. Usually, we just stay on the ship. There are other ships that dock at the Old San Juan Pier and from there you can walk to stores etc. It is NOT within walking distance from the Pan Am Pier. The map that's on this site shows you the differences. If you are looking to save money, you might try to get an early flight into San Juan. I don't know where you are flying from, so I don't know if that's a possibility. I personally would rather pay more and have the peace of mind, but I know not all others are like me. Enjoy your cruise!

Katie

Thank you so much for your help, I was thinking that I would rather have the peace of mind and just book a hotel, I did find the San Juan Marriott Resort and Casino for approx 144/night, I am guessing in San Juan this is a decent price. Thanks for your help, could you tell me though how far away is the Pan American Port?? I believe that hotel is in the Condado area.:o

I recommend the Sheraton Old San Juan. CLose to the pier, nice pool, very nice hotel, good internet rates.

Yes, you may come and go.

Don't miss Portofino's on AOS!

I've stayed at the Marriott several times. Nice hotel, clean, great pool amenitites. The area surronding the hotel is so much nicer now than it was several years ago. I was just there over Spring Break this year. Nice shops, lots of resturants to choose from. We felt very safe walking around day and night. You can access the beach from the Marriott, however swimming in the ocean is tough as the surf is rough. However, the beach itself is well kept and nice. We walked from the Hotel to Old San Juan one morning (about 3-4 miles). Toured Old San Juan, el Fort Morro, the Catherdral of St. John the Baptist and had lunch at El Convento. Took a cab back to the Hotel late afternoon....it's a 15 minute cab ride (only cause of so much traffic!). We had our 2 boys (14 and 11) with us and they had a blast!

You've got a great price, I'd go for it.

Oh and you're a quick 5-10 minute cab ride to the pier.

Rose

Thank you so much for all this information I feel alot better about booking there and guess the price is not too bad, thanks for all your help!:o

That's a great price for the Marriott. I have stayed there before and it was nice. We are trying to book rooms in San Juan for next January, but the prices are unfortunately still pretty high.

wvernnr,

This is exactly the type of info I am looking for. Thank you so much.

ak

The Airport (Munoz) is in the Isla Verdes section. Along the Atlantic coast there area lot of hotels along the beach, some very expensive and others reasonable. (Along Ave. Isla Verde)

 

Old Sn Juan is at the far left - the peninsula on the top and and left corner of the map. It is the grid of streets between El Moro and Tapia Theatre.

 

In between Old SJ and Isla Verdes is Condado. Hotels there as well.

 

The Pan AMerican terminal is on Isla Grande...I think is on the north side. It is in an industrial/working cargo port.

 

Taxis are $16 from Isla Verdes to Pier, 10 from Condado and about the same form OSJ (per cab).

 

I can't help you with a particular Hotel. We have stayed at the El San Juan Hotel and Casino, but it doesn't meet yuor criteria. The "regular" rates for hotels in San Juan tend tobe quite high, though.

 

We have sailed from the Pan Am pier and left after checkin in and went back to OSJ for the day - it's a short cab ride - we sailed at 10 pm, which I think is about the same for you.

 

Hopes this helps.

thanks for the info, all. It's really helped out.

We got the Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel and Casino for $83. and $84. per night. With taxes, the total was $98.95 and $99.95 per night. I understand it is a $12 cab ride from the airport and a $6 cab ride to the pier. Our res is for Dec. You can get the hotel for a good rate on hotwire. It is usually the second hotel listed but read the hotel description to be sure (compare the Sheraton Website description to the Hotwire description).

Thank you so much for your help, I was thinking that I would rather have the peace of mind and just book a hotel, I did find the San Juan Marriott Resort and Casino for approx 144/night, I am guessing in San Juan this is a decent price. Thanks for your help, could you tell me though how far away is the Pan American Port?? I believe that hotel is in the Condado area.:o

Showergirl:

May I ask where you found that price?

I have done an extensive search and the lowest rate was still $300.00 USD per night......???

If that is the price you got.....grab it :)

If you can get a cancellable rate in SJ for less than 125 per night i would book it.

Never stayed at the marriott but my friends did and they said it was fine. (I trust her opinion...she is the gal who makes sure we get paid every 2 weeks! LOL! She's picky like me, didn't want to cruise and now she is mad at me cause I am beating her to a second cruise! we both did AOS last fall..she did the barbados and we did aruba.)

The Sheraton OSJ was being redone when we were there....we didn't like it and moved to the condado. NOT perfect but decent. The food was resort-area priced so we didn't think it was that bad.

If you choose the Embassy or Hampton Inn there is a great cuban place that was decently priced. Get the cuban feast. I can't recall the name but if you search for my review (10/17/04 AOS) the name is in there.

There's a link (more or less) to my AOS pics too....you can email me if you have any specific questions about the ship...we had a blast!

Just a piece of advice for anyone going to San Juan for the first time. The cabs do not have meters and some of the cab drivers like to set higher than normal prices. As the price before you get in and go, or negotiate with them. From the airport it's a set price. $8 to Isla Verde area, $16 to Condado (I think) and about $20 to Old San Juan or piers, plus $1 per bag.

As for hotels, have you tried the Howard Johnson in Isla Verde. Isla Verde is beautiful and has a gorgeous beach (right across the street from the Howard Johnson). Also, there's the Embassy (as someone else recommended) - they have the Outback restaurant there. There's also the Hampton Inn in that area too and a new Holiday Inn almost next door to the Embassy.

We just booked the Sheraton Old San Juan on hotwire.com for $106. However, recd $10 off for a first time hotwire booking and another $30 by using the coupon in the Entertainment Coupon book. Brings it to $66!!!!

For the $10 off first time booking discount when you are making your reservations it will ask whether you have any promotions, etc...In this box put the following:

coupon.GIFTCARD06

Your price will automatically be adjusted. The Entertainment Coupon book is a mail in rebate and only good for hotels over $95. If you are looking for a hotel in 2005 yet I believe the 2005 Entertainment Coupon books are now being sold on line for 1/2 price. Worth the $10 purchase price.

I have the Intercontinental booked for January/06. Looks like a great hotel with excellent amenities and it is right on the beach. I don't like the price :( $269 per night! Has anyone stayed at this hotel, and if you did.....is it worth the money?

My standards are pretty high for hotels, but I'm happy as long as the room is spotless :)

The Intercontinental in Isla Verde is a great hotel! Beautiful pool area and on a beatiful beach. Great restaurants and quite a few choices (although pretty pricey). I am pretty sure that the cheapest place to eat in the hotel would be the Mediterranean Café, which is gorgeous at night because it's right on the beach. They have salads, pizzas (thin crust), souvlaki, etc. There's also a ton of other places on the street in front or in neighbouring hotels to suit any price range. I love the Isla Verde area and I don't think you can go wrong there. The hotel isn't much for nightlife but it's spotless (not sure of the rooms because I've never actually stayed there but have spent a lot of time there - we have a condo next door). If you want nightlife, you can just go to the hotel lobby of the hotel next door (the El San Juan). They have all sorts of stuff going on there almost every night (but there's a dress code).

The Intercontinental in Isla Verde is a great hotel! Beautiful pool area and on a beatiful beach. Great restaurants and quite a few choices (although pretty pricey). I am pretty sure that the cheapest place to eat in the hotel would be the Mediterranean Café, which is gorgeous at night because it's right on the beach. They have salads, pizzas (thin crust), souvlaki, etc. There's also a ton of other places on the street in front or in neighbouring hotels to suit any price range. I love the Isla Verde area and I don't think you can go wrong there. The hotel isn't much for nightlife but it's spotless (not sure of the rooms because I've never actually stayed there but have spent a lot of time there - we have a condo next door). If you want nightlife, you can just go to the hotel lobby of the hotel next door (the El San Juan). They have all sorts of stuff going on there almost every night (but there's a dress code).

Thanks mccasey,

I'm the type that makes a decision and then second guesses the life out of it!

I think I'm happy with my hotel choice, the property looks gorgeous and we aren't much on night life ( we will have our 8 year old with us) so partying isn't an issue for us.

The price seems REALLY high to me, although it seems pretty consistent with most of the other "high end" properties in San Juan.

I would do the Priceline thing.....but I wouldn't breathe until I KNEW which hotel I was getting.....so I guess that's not an option for me :(

I've been watching Hotwire for weeks and still cannot get a decent rate for February '06. I'm wondering if maybe we're too early to book? The cheapest I can get on Hotwire is $186 for a 4*.