Needing Hotel Suggestions For San Juan

[notredamegirl]

Hello, I will be traveling out of San Juan in November 2019, and I am looking for a nice hotel to stay at for two days that would also be near the port.

[llarsen]

Hi,

 

We have always stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan, and have just walked across to our ship in past when it has docked there.

This time we are going over Thanksgiving weekend and Sheraton was fully booked. We booked El Canario By The Lagoon. Haven't stayed there yet, but it seems to fit and had good reviews. 

 

We have also stayed in the Condado area, but we like Old San Juan better. So much to do, including the Fort El Morro.

 

If your ship is docking at Pan Am Pier you would need to take a taxi if you stay in Old San Juan. But in our opinion...it's well worth it. We love Old San Juan. 

 

 

[Ashland]

Agree...We've sailed out of the Pan American pier (RCI) a couple of times and have enjoyed the location of the Sheraton Old San Juan and will book again for our pre-cruise in 2021.

[notredamegirl]

Thanks for the information. I truly appreciate it.

[Vineyard View]

Also take a look at El Convento located in Old Town. We will be staying there in October after much research. We narrowed it to Sheraton and El Convento. Probably can’t go wrong with either but they are very different properties. 

[pdc2013]

If you have never stayed in Old San Juan try it, next time stay at the beach.  Both great ways to spend your time in SJ
Sheraton, Casa Blanca and el convento are great or try renting an apt.

[Maisyboo]

El Convento is lovely. We stayed at this beautiful historic hotel pre cruise . Nice pool on the rooftop. Easy walking distance to fort & shops in Old San Juan .

[junglecat]

Following!  We are looking at booking a cruise out of San Juan as well for fall break.  We literally would only need a hotel for a few hours as the flight we are looking at arrives in San Juan at 8:25 the night before.  Can anyone also shed some light on distance between the cruise port and the airport?  I'm assuming shuttle service is available with most hotels?  Uber/Lyft/Taxi if not?    Also, how do you know by the cruise line web site which port you port out of?  I've seen a couple of posts that indicate there is more than one port?  In past cruises, we've always ported in Old San Juan.  I didn't realize there were more than one ports.  Thanks all.  

[PhoenixCruiser]

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity sails out of the Pan American pier.

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[sft429]

 

 

 

16 hours ago, junglecat said:

..... I'm assuming shuttle service is available with most hotels?  Uber/Lyft/Taxi if not?.............    

 

I've never seen a shuttle service to or from the airport offered by any hotel.  The taxi system is pretty efficient from the airport and I believe Uber may be able to pick you up there now too but I'm not sure.

[Ashland]

Correct...no hotels offer a shuttle..taxi's are easily available.

[DISFANS3]

Casa Blanca Old San juan, Just back. Spent two days before cruise. Nice place...

[Smiley7863]

On 3/29/2019 at 4:12 PM, llarsen said:

Hi,

 

We have always stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan, and have just walked across to our ship in past when it has docked there.

This time we are going over Thanksgiving weekend and Sheraton was fully booked. We booked El Canario By The Lagoon. Haven't stayed there yet, but it seems to fit and had good reviews. 

 

We have also stayed in the Condado area, but we like Old San Juan better. So much to do, including the Fort El Morro.

 

If your ship is docking at Pan Am Pier you would need to take a taxi if you stay in Old San Juan. But in our opinion...it's well worth it. We love Old San Juan. 

 

 

How can you find out where your ship is docking?

[PhoenixCruiser]

How can you find out where your ship is docking?

It depends on who you are sailing with. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity sails out of Pan American, Carnival, etc. sails out of Old San Juan

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[SpaceCowboy9]

We stayed at the Miramar Hotel San Juan (March 2018), it's older, but clean.  They have a rooftop lounge which has great views.  They are a away from the port, but right on the bus line -- costs about 50 cents to get to Old Town.

 

We're doing an AirBNB in June for two nights, right in Old Town, a couple blocks from the cruise port

[nicoleinwi]

Another vote for Sheraton Old San Juan.  We did a tour that picked us up at the hotel one day (kayak and rainforest) and another day it was so convenient as we could walk to the forts in Old San Juan.  Plus nice location for restaurants.  

[LittleYiaYia]

On ‎4‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 7:06 AM, DISFANS3 said:

Casa Blanca Old San juan, Just back. Spent two days before cruise. Nice place...

 

          ^^This^^         Hotel Casablanca is our favorite.  Small boutique hotel with personal service.  Great location in the heart of OSJ.  Reasonably priced.  Second choice would be El Convento.  Another small, historic hotel with a great location.

[cltnccruisers]

On 4/27/2019 at 8:27 AM, LittleYiaYia said:

 

          ^^This^^         Hotel Casablanca is our favorite.  Small boutique hotel with personal service.  Great location in the heart of OSJ.  Reasonably priced.  Second choice would be El Convento.  Another small, historic hotel with a great location.

We'll be staying at Hotel Casablanca pre-cruise with our granddaughters in April, 2020.  They sure are proud of their new elevator.  😀

[Vineyard View]

On 4/27/2019 at 5:27 AM, LittleYiaYia said:

 

          ^^This^^         Hotel Casablanca is our favorite.  Small boutique hotel with personal service.  Great location in the heart of OSJ.  Reasonably priced.  Second choice would be El Convento.  Another small, historic hotel with a great location.

I am curious what places CasaBlanca over El Convento in your choice?  We have not stayed at either, have a reservation at El Convento, but this peaks my curiosity. Thank you

[LittleYiaYia]

13 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

I am curious what places CasaBlanca over El Convento in your choice?  We have not stayed at either, have a reservation at El Convento, but this peaks my curiosity. Thank you

 

You can not go wrong with El Convento.  Both hotels are charming, (El Convento is larger, number of rooms and size of the hotel all together) with great service and the locations of each are perfect for touring OSJ.  IMHO Casa Blanca feels more intimate with more personalized service.  I think I read that El Convento  now charges a resort Fee?  I think this is becoming more and more prevalent, but I just don't think paying for a pool and Wi-Fi is justified.

 

Have a great time and come back and write a review about your stay. 

[Vineyard View]

I just double checked our reservations.  We are not being charged a resort fee (booking made in March) so that may be something very new. 

 I agree with you on resort fees if they bring no value other than to the hotel 

I will be glad to update on our stay. Thank you for responding to my question Little Yia Yia. 

[LittleYiaYia]

My bad, Vineyard View.  They list a resort fee on their website, but further down say it is included in the price shown.  Just a small detail that I overlooked.  Ha, it's always the small details that we tend to skip over. 

 

Have a great trip and be sure to check out Punto de Vista for fish and steak tacos and BOGO mojitos. 

[Vineyard View]

I guess a resort fee included in the rate is a marketing twist, but maybe i like it better than seeing it in my face!  😂. I sure didn’t see it and likely it may have been there when we booked. 

Thank you for the restaurant tip!  Sounds delicious- we haven’t been to San Juan for years and are looking forward to some time there. 

Edited April 30, 2019 by Vineyard View

[cltnccruisers]

Just booked a Superior Suite in Hotel Casablanca for April 10, 2020.  Taking our granddaughters on their first cruise.  Price was better than 2 queens.  After all the reviews and having seen the hotel when we last were in OSJ we felt we couldn't wait and risk losing what we wanted.  In our humble opinion the location is perfect for seeing OSJ.  And our front desk contact, Miguel, is a star.  I know it's a year away but we'll report back regardless.

[cltnccruisers]

11 hours ago, LittleYiaYia said:

 

You can not go wrong with El Convento.  Both hotels are charming, (El Convento is larger, number of rooms and size of the hotel all together) with great service and the locations of each are perfect for touring OSJ.  IMHO Casa Blanca feels more intimate with more personalized service.  I think I read that El Convento  now charges a resort Fee?  I think this is becoming more and more prevalent, but I just don't think paying for a pool and Wi-Fi is justified.

 

Have a great time and come back and write a review about your stay. 

Our HCB confirmation doesn't list a Resort Fee but there is an Additional Surcharge of $33 - that could be it.  We're still happy booking a Superior Suite for about $400 less than 2 Queens.