Barrachina Luggage

[LuckyAshley]

Do you have to eat at Barrachina to use their luggage service? Any other particular requirements in order to use the service?

[t_car]

As far as what I have read here, you need to be a cruise ship passenger, no other obligation. However, they probably would appreciate some business.

Good food and drinks there.

[LuckyAshley]

We were hoping to do the food tour from 10-1 before we board the ship but don't know what to do with our luggage.

[LittleYiaYia]

We left our luggage at the Barrachina after we disembarked last cruise. I believe it was about 10AM when we arrived. The restaurant was closed but we were able to find a worker who took our luggage and put it in a backroom. We tipped him as we would a bell man or porter. We returned about 2 PM and ate a late lunch and picked up our luggage. This time someone just unlocked the room and we went in and carried our own luggage to the curb so no tip to anyone. They do not require you to eat there. You may want to eat or at least have a drink. Food is very good and the best Pina Colada ever.

[LuckyAshley]

We left our luggage at the Barrachina after we disembarked last cruise. I believe it was about 10AM when we arrived. The restaurant was closed but we were able to find a worker who took our luggage and put it in a backroom. We tipped him as we would a bell man or porter. We returned about 2 PM and ate a late lunch and picked up our luggage. This time someone just unlocked the room and we went in and carried our own luggage to the curb so no tip to anyone. They do not require you to eat there. You may want to eat or at least have a drink. Food is very good and the best Pina Colada ever.

 

If we didn't have any food or drink there and just tipped the luggage person though would it be rude or awkward? I don't think we'll be hungry after a food tour.

[LittleYiaYia]

I don't think they even knew we had just had lunch. If I remember correctly, we went to the bar after lunch and the bartender got someone to open the door? Just a little tip..............we were there on a Monday afternoon and the restaurant was really busy, we asked the bartender to call us a cab. After waiting about 30 minutes my husband walked up to the next intersection and got a cab to come to the restaurant and pick us up. Traffic can be really bad in this area, sometimes a total gridlock. Make sure you leave yourself enough time if you need to get to the airport.

[sail7seas]

I don't think they even knew we had just had lunch. If I remember correctly, we went to the bar after lunch and the bartender got someone to open the door? Just a little tip..............we were there on a Monday afternoon and the restaurant was really busy, we asked the bartender to call us a cab. After waiting about 30 minutes my husband walked up to the next intersection and got a cab to come to the restaurant and pick us up. Traffic can be really bad in this area, sometimes a total gridlock. Make sure you leave yourself enough time if you need to get to the airport.

 

Good advice to suggest cruisers be sure to leave plenty of time. If a car double parks (which they do) everyone behind them waits until they move. :eek:

 

[ColoradoGurl]

We left our luggage at the Barrachina after we disembarked last cruise. I believe it was about 10AM when we arrived. The restaurant was closed but we were able to find a worker who took our luggage and put it in a backroom. We tipped him as we would a bell man or porter. We returned about 2 PM and ate a late lunch and picked up our luggage. This time someone just unlocked the room and we went in and carried our own luggage to the curb so no tip to anyone. They do not require you to eat there. You may want to eat or at least have a drink. Food is very good and the best Pina Colada ever.

 

How do they make sure people take the correct luggage? That doesn't seem to be a very secure option after hearing your story :/

 

Also, for the person who said it is for cruise passengers only; how do they know if you're a cruise passenger or not? Do they ask for proof?

[LittleYiaYia]

If I remember correctly he put a tag on the luggage and gave you a tag with the same number. Do you check luggage when you fly, do you put your luggage outside your cabin the last night of a cruise? Anyone can pick up your luggage off of the turnstile at the airport, in the hallway of the ship, or at customs at the port. anytime your luggage is out of your sight you are taking a risk. We took a shuttle bus and when the first passengers got off they grabbed our bag by mistake, we had our information in the bag and they called our hotel and brought the bag to us.

They did not ask us at Barrachina if we were cruise passengers. I think they provide this service hoping when you come back to pick up the luggage you will eat or drink in the restaurant.

[ColoradoGurl]

If I remember correctly he put a tag on the luggage and gave you a tag with the same number. Do you check luggage when you fly, do you put your luggage outside your cabin the last night of a cruise? Anyone can pick up your luggage off of the turnstile at the airport, in the hallway of the ship, or at customs at the port. anytime your luggage is out of your sight you are taking a risk. We took a shuttle bus and when the first passengers got off they grabbed our bag by mistake, we had our information in the bag and they called our hotel and brought the bag to us.

They did not ask us at Barrachina if we were cruise passengers. I think they provide this service hoping when you come back to pick up the luggage you will eat or drink in the restaurant.

 

That's true. I suppose there are oftentimes when luggage is unattended. However it still seems a little more risky leaving it at a restaurant that is well known for people dropping luggage off; if a local wanted to come snag a bag or two they could easily do that without the hassle of transporting their own bags as well as someone else's in hopes of getting some good loot out of it. At the airport, a fellow traveler might accidentally take your bag in lieu of their own (or even on purpose), but would either end up being without their own stuff (in the case of the accident), or have to lug extra baggage (in the case of purposeful theft). I was thinking more about the fact that it's in a place where there could be purposeful thieves who know nobody is checking tags or names and they could come in and snag a bag or two on purpose, knowing the bags could be there for a whole day before someone comes back for them and realizes they're gone. However if this was a problem at the restaurant I suppose we'd have heard about it by now :)

[LuckyAshley]

Our only other option is to leave our luggage in the foyer of where we are staying. The only people with access to the foyer are the other tenants staying in the 2nd apartment, the cleaning crew, and the apartment manager. This option seems more risky to me than dropping them off at Barrachina's where they will at least be in a safe place with a numbered tag?

[ColoradoGurl]

Our only other option is to leave our luggage in the foyer of where we are staying. The only people with access to the foyer are the other tenants staying in the 2nd apartment, the cleaning crew, and the apartment manager. This option seems more risky to me than dropping them off at Barrachina's where they will at least be in a safe place with a numbered tag?

 

Yeah I would rather leave them at Barrachina's.

[ColoradoGurl]

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g147320-d779529-Reviews-Barrachina-San_Juan_Puerto_Rico.html

[CruisinBarb63]

Can someone tell me how far Barracina's is from the pier? San Juan is our first stop and our plan is to walk to Barracina's if it isn't too far. We will be in San Juan in the evening (4-11PM) and hope to do some shopping in Old San Juan then have a Pina Colada at Barracina's. Any tips?

[ColoradoGurl]

Can someone tell me how far Barracina's is from the pier? San Juan is our first stop and our plan is to walk to Barracina's if it isn't too far. We will be in San Juan in the evening (4-11PM) and hope to do some shopping in Old San Juan then have a Pina Colada at Barracina's. Any tips?

 

Barrachina is on Fortuleza Street which is the popular shopping street for cruisers. If you're coming in on a cruise stop (rather than starting your cruise in San Juan), then the pier you come Into is in walking distance to this. If you're leaving from San Juan then You'll be at the pan american pier which is not in walking distance (just FYI for others).

[CruisinBarb63]

Thank you! We will be coming in to San Juan so I guess we are set.

[NCTribeFan]

This was my experience way back in May 2009.

 

DD & I stayed over in the Condado area pre-cruise. Took a taxi the next morning and were dropped off at the end of the street and had to drag our bags down the street to Barrachina's.

 

My intention had been to leave our bags, go tour a fort, do some walking around, then come back and have lunch there (yes, to specifically give them my business), then drag our bags to the ship.

 

Our bags were tagged and when the man started to hand me the tags he said, "the customary tip is $5." I replied that I planned to eat there when we returned and would tip when we picked them up. His response was "I may not be here then."

 

So I caved to the pressure and tipped him and left. When we returned, I collected the bags from the same man, reminded him that I'd already tipped him, and left. I was NOT going to give them my business after the strong-arm tactics.

 

I haven't been there to eat, drink, or leave my bags since then. :mad:

[ozarkmama]

When we were there last year, there was a tip jar on the counter. We left our bags and left a tip when we picked them up. No fuss, no questions.

[Crazymom4]

We are planning on dropping our luggage off at Barrachina restaurant after getting back from our cruise. We planned the flavors of San Juan tour which starts at 10am. Will the restaurant be open around 9:30 in time to drop off our luggage and walk the few blocks to our tour meeting point?

[ozarkmama]

If you look on their website under free services it says 9-5

 

http://barrachina.com/

[ColoradoGurl]

We are planning on dropping our luggage off at Barrachina restaurant after getting back from our cruise. We planned the flavors of San Juan tour which starts at 10am. Will the restaurant be open around 9:30 in time to drop off our luggage and walk the few blocks to our tour meeting point?

 

Hmmmm good question. We went around 10 on a Saturday and it seemed closed. The only people there were servers and other passengers with their luggage. The trip advisor site says its open from 10-10 so you may have to wait, but if there's people there they'd probably let you in even if it's not open for serving food. They're accustomed to having cruise passengers and they probably show up early.

Edited August 14, 2015 by ColoradoGurl