A little strip of Paradise...

Romantic and beautiful, the Hosteria del Mar is nothing short of paradise. It is simple and eloquent, and perfectly situated right on the beach. The staff is absolutely wonderful. They make you feel welcomed and at home from the second you walk in. The decor is stunning, and the bar/restaurant deck is the perfect place to sit as you look out onto the spectacular view of the ocean. If you want a relaxed, laid back atmosphere where you can unwind and take in all the beauty Puerto Rico has to offer, I would definitely recommend Hosteria del Mar.

Beach Lover Paradise

Hosteria is perfect if you are looking for a romantic, quiet, and simple place right on the beach. The view to the beach is quite overwhelming and not many places in San Juan match this view. The restaurant is fine, and the deck to hang out is perfect. If all you want to do is go to the beach, sunbath, and the like, this place is perfect. If you want luxury, casinos etc go to a different place. Do not stay on the rooms of the first floor because for some reason it has odor problems. The rest of the builidng is clean perfect and quiet. The place is so romantic that I picked it to propose to my fiance.

Relaxing, Beautiful, Pleasant

My wife, 18-month old, and myself needed a place to stay for our last night in PR, and we needed to be close to the airport for an early flight the next day. We are so glad that we found the Hosteria del Mar, situated practially on their own private beach.

You walk in between two ponds filled with carp and into a beautiful lobby that is all natural wood, with beautiful wicker furniture, and an amazing view of the ocean through the restaruant windows (more on this later).

The staff was extremely courteous. The room was clean, and comfortable.

The only one available to us was one on the back side of the hotel for $80/night. This I thought was a bit pricey, considering that it had no view of the ocean. Hence part my 4 of 5 star rating.

Nonetheless, the restaruant food was exceptionally tasty (though a bit pricey as well), and the ocean view is incredible. For some reason, after a 20-year existance, this hotel is experiencing an alarming encroachment of the ocean with the disappearance of about 20-30 yards of beach such that now the ocean comes right up to the foundation of the hotel. Apparently this trend of beach-disappearing/erosion has only been occuring over the last two months. I would be nervous if I owned the Hosteria del Mar. But, as a customer the view it makes for an awesome dining experience.

Because of our short stay, I can't comment on the safety of Ocean Park.

But upon arrival to the neighborhood our cab did have to pass through a gated entrance. The hotel itself sits in a very quite neighborhood community. Perhaps the unsafe areas of Ocean Park that other reviewers mention exist in the busier commercial streets beyond the gaurded gate.

If in a pinch, I would stay at this hotel again. I would first look for a cheaper spot if possible. Though, it might be hard to beat a clean, quiet hotel with excellent staff, their own private beach, and such great proximity to the airport ($12 taxi price + $1/each piece of luggage; 10 minute ride).

Wonderful Hotel

I visit Puerto Rico every two years or so. I have stayed at the Hosteria del Mar about 5 (five ) times. The food is EXCELLENT. The hotel staff and service are wonderful. It is right on the beach and is one block from city transportation. It is no more dangerous than any other areas of Puerto Rico. The hotel staff is fluent in both Spanish and English. If they had special rates or would match other lower cost hotel, I would'nt hesitate to stay there on my next stay.

Nice little hotel

I stayed at this hotel in February of 2000. It's a small and quaint hotel. We stayed in a room with two double beds, and a kitchenette which came in very handy. We spent three nights there and I'm glad we stayed there. It has a little restaurant in a gazebo attached to the hotel, it's good vegetarian food, but expensive and a little slow. Its location is not the best, it can be dangerous at night but we had no problems. I would recommend this and give it five stars, if all you're looking for is a nice quiet hotel right on the beach. Any questions, feel free to email me.

Step out of the hotel and onto the beach

When the air conditioning broke down in the apartment we were staying in we called Hosteria del Mar which had been reccommended by friends.

Luckily they had a room and we checked righ in. This is a charming, friendly place to stay in a wonderful location. Our room on the second floor overlooked the beach/ocean with a small balcony. It was wonderful to get up at 6 am and take a beautiful walk down the beach before starting the day.The restaurant could not have been nicer, both food and decor - it gave me a south seas feel. I look forward to a future visit when i can spend a few nights there just relaxing and enjoying.

Average Room, but Super Value

My wife and just returned from spending two nights at Hosteria Del Mar. We spent one night each way on our trip to Virgin Gorda, BVI. The hotel was perfect for an overnight stay. It was a 10 minute ride ($14 cab fare) from the airport and was in a quiet neighborhood and right on the beach. The hotel has a very nice, small restaurant and bar on site with good food, but slow service. There are a number of other local restaurants within walking distance that serve either local fare or fast food (Macs, KFC, etc). The rooms were very small, but you can get a larger one for a bit more money. We heard that Ocean Park was not a very good area especially after dark. We did not encounter any problems, but did not venture out too late in the evening. The hotel rates were very reasonable. Although I would not care to spend more than a day or so at the hotel, the value for money was terrific.

Small Inn on the beach

For my 50th birthday (12/99) my husband and I spent a long weekend at Hosteria Del Mar. It was perfect for us. It is a quite inn right on the beach. The area is residential and calm. We could walk to 2 other restaurants. Driving into San Juan, out to the national park and the airport was easy. Rates were very reasonable. We highly recommed this inn.

OK but be caredful!

We spent a night here on 6/22/02 prior to embarking on a cruise based on the previous review and after talking to the hotel desk.

Basically a fairly clean small hotel right on a desent beach.

Based on input from the front desk we booked apartment #3 that included a king bed and a queen fold out couch to handle our family of 4 (spouse, self and two 6'+ sons). The room was basic and clean but the "queen" fold out was a total misrepresentation. It was so shot it would not have even been acceptable for small children nor was it queen sized. We suffered through after putting lounge chair pads under the sheets but would unlikely visit again.

Dining room staff was very friendly and breakfast was fine but was overpriced since there is really no other place close to go as this is a mostly residential type area.

Also be aware that Ocean Park apparently is not a very good area especially after dark. Many places employ razor wire or similiar protection on top of there walls and the area has limited access controls on vehicles after dark for the few blocks near the beach. We had no problems but were a little taken back by the wall toppings, gates and the "6" locks and slides on the inside of our room door.

An Ocean Park Gem

I vacationed in San Juan 2/16-2/19/02. I was quite surprised at the accomadations of Hosteria Del Mar. Many places advertise that they're located on the beach only to find out they're by the beach(i.e. a block away, across the street, within view by satellite) Hosteria Del Mar IS ON THE BEACH!!!!!!!!!!!

My only complaint is that my girlfriend reserved the room via a travel network at the last minute(2/14/02). When we arrived at the front desk of Hosteria Del Mar, they didn't have our reservations and no rooms available. At first we thought we were stranded. Almost every worthwhile hotel was booked that weekend. But, the manager was called in and she gave us a studio that the hotel owned for 125/night(tax included). The studio was roomy w/ a queen bed, balcony, and kichenette.

Also located in the guesthouse is probaly San Juan's best vegetarian resturants.

Overall this will be my place to stay whenever I'm in San Juan. If anyone needs anymore info feelfree to email me at ibs008@hotmail.com.