condado or isla verde

[beachfanatic]

would love to know which people prefer to stay in.san juan, condado or isla verde? We like to be withing walking distance of restaurants and stores. thx

[cleob]

I have stayed twice at the Marriot in Isle Verde. DH likes using the Marriot and we are on an awards program there. That being said, I wouldn't recommend the area for more then a night or so due to the close proximity to the airport. There is not much you can walk to and you will hear the planes overhead during both the day and overnight. You might want to look at places closer to Old San Juan.

[sail7seas]

We like Isle Verde and El San Juan Resort and Casino. Have stayed there many times through the years.

 

[Kikkycat]

Hotels in Isla Verde can be noisy because of the airport. However the beach is so wonderful. I've stayed 3 times at the Intercontinental, and the airport noise was pretty bad, although not all night long. We also stayed 2 nights at the San Juan Water & Beach Club and the noise was much less noticeable.

 

If you want upscale stores (Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton, etc) - Condado's where you want to be. Isla Verde's shopping is more like a neighborhood for average people.

[Embracedbylife]

We loved Condado - fun to walk around, nice places to see and many restaurants. Also close to old san juan! marriott stellaris was a great place!

[sunseeker09]

We stayed in Condado before and after our cruise and loved it. Everything is on or close the beach. There are lots of shops and restaurants. It's a nice area to spend some time, I think.

 

Old San Juan was great too, but in a very different way. We didn't stay there because it is very limited for hotels there. The Sheraton is pricey and often sold out, and there's another that is tiny and has rooms without windows (no thanks). So we explored the town and fort after embarkation. There's no beach there though.

 

So for us staying in Condado and exploring Old San Juan separately was perfect.

[MDSue]

We recently spent a few days in Condado at the Conrad Condado Plaza. It is oceanfront, but has a rocky coastline. You can walk up a block or two to sandy public beaches or swim at a protected cove they have. There are plenty of restaurants and shops that you can walk to. The place was very nice, with a variety of restaurants and an on-site casino.

 

Overall, I'd say that Isla Verde has the bigger nicer beaches. We took a taxi to spend a day there and we were right across the street from some shops and restaurants, but I'm not sure what hotels were close to the beach we went to.

 

Here's a few pics

 

Conrad Condado Plaza

 

 

Condado Beach on a windy day

 

 

pool bar- one of three pools

 

 

Isla Verde Beach

 

[cruisecamp]

Any suggestions for good restaurants in the Isla Verde area?

[DaveandDiane]

If you have a couple of days before the cruise, rent a car, and go to Fajardo. We did this a couple of years ago, and stayed at the passion fruit b&b. From there it is an easy drive to the bio bay, several beaches (including Luquillo) and the rain forest. There isn't much for night life other than strolling on the beaches, but we had a wonderful time. We really wished that we had a couple more days so that we could have explored vieques and/or culebra.

[Adventures ahead]

We stayed at El Canario (by the Sea) Isle Verde, right on the beach. Affordable, basic, small but clean, included breakfast in a courtyard area. Restaurants around, a Mexican one was our favorite. There's another, El Canario (by the Lagoon), several blocks down the strip but also on the beach side. We were there three days and don't remember hearing any planes. Can catch a bus to Old San Juan and took a taxi to the ship.

[Ernie G]

would love to know which people prefer to stay in.san juan, condado or isla verde? We like to be withing walking distance of restaurants and stores. thx

 

Absolutely LOVE San Juan. Our favorite area is Condado but we also like Isla Verde. Stayed in both and never had a problem. We are sailing out of SJ in April and are staying pre-cruise at the Caribe Hilton (a PRICELINE win). It's a nice hotel but there aren't too many reasonably priced restaurants around. We like to eat at Danny's which is in Condado. It is most Italian cuisine, but really has a lot of everything, including breakfast ALL day long. I prefer to stay away from the downtown area just because the choices of hotels are not so great. If you're a PRICELINE bidder you can bid and stay with a 4* rating to end up with a great place.

[taxgal]

If traveling with children or even without for that mattet, our favorite is the Embassy Suite. It is just a short ride from the airport and two blocks from the Isla Verde beach. It has a large free form pool with waterfall and it is hard to beat the drinks in the evening and breakfast in the morning. It is also convenient to fastfood places, tourist shops and pharmacy. It also has an atrium rest with PR food and an Outback if you want a steak.

[Cruisin KLS]

Stayed at the Marriott Stellaris in Condado in 2009 and the Intercontinental in Isla Verde in 2010. Both had nice beaches, close to walgreens and grocery stores for anything you might need. Lots of restaurants close to both. Don't remember lots of airport noise while staying at the Intercontinental.

DH and I think restaurant choice near Marriott Stellaris in Condado was a little better as far as local PR food. There was a great bakery near the Intercontinental that sold yummy mallorcas and GREAT coffee!!

We enjoyed both and would stay at both again. Got both on Priceline.

-Kristi