Hotel for Pre Cruise in San Juan

[donaldsc]

We are looking for a hotel for an overnight stay in San Juan.  We arrive around 2:00 PM and board the next day so we will not be doing any sightseeing.  All we need is a place to sleep that is either near the airport or near the cruise port with a place to eat near by.  Hotel prices in San Juan seem absurd for an overnight stay.

 

Any suggestions?

 

DON

[Ashland]

We usually like the Sheraton Old Town...great location.

[rumnsun]

We like the Isle Verde area. Double Tree, Embassy Suites are nice. Verdanza in pre-2017 was a fine place to stay, but haven't seen too many positive reviews for recent times:(. The Convention Center area may be less.  Remember resort fees are an additional cost in PR.

[PORT ROYAL]

On 11/7/2022 at 2:07 AM, donaldsc said:

We are looking for a hotel for an overnight stay in San Juan.  We arrive around 2:00 PM and board the next day so we will not be doing any sightseeing.  All we need is a place to sleep that is either near the airport or near the cruise port with a place to eat near by.  Hotel prices in San Juan seem absurd for an overnight stay.

 

Any suggestions?

 

DON

If Hotels are above the required price point, then consider Guest Houses.  Simple, clean, okay for one night without any frills etc., such as Navona and the like.  Search the usual websites.

Then there is always Airbnb

 

[njkruzer]

La Concha. A Marriott on the beach.

[cruisegal40]

I am looking as well.  Is it better to stay close to departure pier (I believe either PAN or PAM it's been a longggggg time).

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, cruisegal40 said:

I am looking as well.  Is it better to stay close to departure pier (I believe either PAN or PAM it's been a longggggg time).

What cruise line are you on? Carnival normally departs from Old San Juan, but NCL, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity normally depart from  the Pan American cruise terminal.

 

It really isn't necessary to stay near Pan American if you're sailing from there. Old San Juan and all its charm are just a short taxi ride away and the Condado and Isla Verde areas really aren't far away either.

 

The decision on where you stay is a matter of your budget and the amenities of the hotel and the surrounding area. Old San Juan has old world charm and good variety of restaurants. The Isla Verde and Condado areas have beaches. The area near Pan American is less attractive to leisure travelers and the hotels are designed primarily to serve the nearby convention center.

Edited December 26, 2022 by njhorseman

[cruisegal40]

Thank you so much for this.  We are on Celebrity.  We stopped in SJ a few years ago, but it's been ages since we flew  out of SJ.  Trying to remember all the ends and outs. Thanks for the quick response.

[Ashland]

On 12/26/2022 at 12:07 PM, cruisegal40 said:

Thank you so much for this.  We are on Celebrity.  We stopped in SJ a few years ago, but it's been ages since we flew  out of SJ.  Trying to remember all the ends and outs. Thanks for the quick response.

Flying out of SJU remember you must go through the agriculture check before checking your luggage at the carrier you're using.

[cruzinisgood]

On 11/7/2022 at 9:31 AM, rumnsun said:

We like the Isle Verde area. Double Tree, Embassy Suites are nice. Verdanza in pre-2017 was a fine place to stay, but haven't seen too many positive reviews for recent times:(. The Convention Center area may be less.  Remember resort fees are an additional cost in PR.

We are sailing out next Feb 2024 on RCCL. Just started looking for hotels to get a idea what the pricing is. The Embassy Suites was one i was looking at. What are your thoughts? They do have a resort fee but what you get woth the resort fee is better then a lot of the other hotels.

[Daycare Provider]

On 1/2/2023 at 1:17 PM, cruzinisgood said:

We are sailing out next Feb 2024 on RCCL. Just started looking for hotels to get a idea what the pricing is. The Embassy Suites was one i was looking at. What are your thoughts? They do have a resort fee but what you get woth the resort fee is better then a lot of the other hotels.

Many of the hotels offer resorts fees.  WE are staying at the Courtyard by Mariott in Isle Verde on the beach for our upcoming cruise in April. This will be our 4th time staying at this resort.

[newbycruzer]

We stayed at the Gallery Inn twice!  Not your typical hotel. In old San Juan overlooking the ocean with the old Fort to the right and newer one to the left. An artist owns it and it was a piece of work in its entirety. It was worth the higher price but you’ll need to book two nights.  The windows had shutters like in the old pirate days and each room is unique. It is four old buildings joined together by a common courtyard. Even appeared in the movie Runner Runner. Look it up!!  You won’t regret it !

[mitsugirly]

We've stayed a many places in San Juan, but in the downtown area we liked the SHERATON Old San Juan and DECANTER and also HOTEL MILANO. You could probably check on those hotels. They are right in Old San Juan and accessible to plenty of places to eat. 

[MeganGC1983]

We also really like the Decanter. 

[Ashland]

On 3/11/2023 at 11:58 AM, mitsugirly said:

We've stayed a many places in San Juan, but in the downtown area we liked the SHERATON Old San Juan and DECANTER and also HOTEL MILANO. You could probably check on those hotels. They are right in Old San Juan and accessible to plenty of places to eat. 

Yes...agree with the Sheraton Old San Juan but I'll disagree with Hotel Milano, but loved the roof top restaurant Punto de Vista and sad that closed a few years ago.

[obobber]

any hotels with complimentary airport and cruiseport shuttles?

[PORT ROYAL]

12 minutes ago, obobber said:

any hotels with complimentary airport and cruiseport shuttles?

Never heard of one, but it’s only a short couple of rides and official cab prices are regulated.

 

[njhorseman]

26 minutes ago, obobber said:

any hotels with complimentary airport and cruiseport shuttles?

 

11 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Never heard of one, but it’s only a short couple of rides and official cab prices are regulated.

 

And in addition to fairly modest regulated taxi fares, Uber also operates in San Juan and can be even less expensive than a taxi.

Edited March 19, 2023 by njhorseman

[njkruzer]

3 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

 

And in addition to fairly modest regulated taxi fares, Uber also operates in San Juan and can be even less expensive than a taxi.

Airport to La Concha in Condado via Uber in early January was about $16.  But to Pier on onna Friday was tons of traffic was $32!

[njhorseman]

25 minutes ago, njkruzer said:

Airport to La Concha in Condado via Uber in early January was about $16.  But to Pier on onna Friday was tons of traffic was $32!

Yes, when there’s high demand Uber's surge pricing can make the fare much higher .

[njkruzer]

Just now, njhorseman said:

Yes, when there’s high demand Uber's surge pricing can make the fare much higher .

The line to get to the pier was backed up to the main road!  Unreal. There was a ferry in port also.  Leaving for the airport 9 days later was a little better.  

[njhorseman]

Just now, njkruzer said:

The line to get to the pier was backed up to the main road!  Unreal. There was a ferry in port also.  Leaving for the airport 9 days later was a little better.  

Was that at Pan American pier? The road into that cruise terminal on embarkation day is always a mess.

[njkruzer]

6 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Was that at Pan American pier? The road into that cruise terminal on embarkation day is always a mess.

Yes.  Have done it in the past and never found it so bad.  Baggage handlers were totally disorganized. 

[olemissreb]

On 3/19/2023 at 3:30 PM, njkruzer said:

Yes.  Have done it in the past and never found it so bad.  Baggage handlers were totally disorganized. 

Did you get to Pan Am pier early for embarkation?  We are going in March 2025 and thinking that we may get some sightseeing in in the morning and get to the pier maybe 1 or 2pm - just to avoid the crowds.  Last time I sailed out of there, my former FIL wanted to get to the pier by 10 or 11am and it was crowded and traffic was horrid.  Thought by delaying our arrival we might avoid all of that.

[njkruzer]

1 hour ago, olemissreb said:

Did you get to Pan Am pier early for embarkation?  We are going in March 2025 and thinking that we may get some sightseeing in in the morning and get to the pier maybe 1 or 2pm - just to avoid the crowds.  Last time I sailed out of there, my former FIL wanted to get to the pier by 10 or 11am and it was crowded and traffic was horrid.  Thought by delaying our arrival we might avoid all of that.

We got there before noon if I remember correctly and the traffic was terrible. Also long waits to drop off luggage.  But no line to enter the terminal and no wait to check in.  The uber driver said that there was also terrible traffic trying to get there to pick up disembarking passengers.  Had never seen it that bad before.