Hotel El Convento San Juan
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100 Cristo St, Old San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00901, 787-723-9020
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Travel Blogs by Travelers Who Stayed at the Hotel El Convento San Juan
Flight to San Juan
Merry Christmas! Cold and clear. We woke, showered, breakfasted, loaded the car, and rushed off to catch the 07.59h train - only to discover that the first train of the day did not come until 08.19h! Oh well, a delay, but we had debated taking the later train anyway. It was cold waiting on the platform, though. Very messy checking our bags at SFO - but not bad through security. Flight to Chicago was on time. At Chicago, we ate at a sit down restaurant - which had only one bus-boy, so virtuall...
San Juan, Puerto Rico ahartry
Embark
Woke around 09.45h, fairly refreshed. Met kids downstairs for breakfast in the courtyard. Tasty but "island time" service -- and a wrong bill. Returned to our rooms, finished packing, checked out by noon -- but had another wrong bill waiting for us at the front desk. We began our tour by walking from our hotel to the northern waterfront, then along the old city wall to the fort of San Felipe del Morro. By now, the three cruise ships in port had disgorged their passengers, the shops were open,...
San Juan, Puerto Rico ahartry
San Juan
8:00am flight to San Juan with AA uneventful. At the airport there were a couple of helpful youngsters from the tourism office explaining the taxi rates. Ride to our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express in Condado: The location is excellent if you want to enjoy the beach one block away, Wallgreens 2 blocks and bus stop to Old S.Juan ½ block. The room was ok with comfortable bed, cable TV and strong AC. Free breakfast was included (the best were several ladies having it in their PJs) as well as Inte...
San Juan, Puerto Rico smachim
Historical Traveler Reviews of Hotel El Convento San Juan
Beautiful, thoughtful, but noisy
from aglazen
This was our 4th visit. They were really kind and upgraded us to the honeymoon suite #301. This is a maginificent two room set-up, very old-world and romantic. However, there can be no romance in this suite because it sits right above the noisiest street in Old San Juan. and there is absolutely no soundproofing on the window. We felt like we were on the street listening to all the drinking, carrousing, car alarms, etc. Make sure you get a room with none of this type of problem! The hotel itself is beautiful and situated precisely in the heart of things. This is good and bad. Good because you are RIGHT THERE, bad because SO ARE THE CRUISE PASSENGERS with their little guidebooks and checklists blocking every intersection, wearing ridiculous outfits. Ok we're snobby but at $400 a night, you can be.
The hotel has no room service, but they offer a very nice honor bar, and a free wine and cheese cocktail hour. There are a few restaurants on the ground floor and many surrounding the hotel. But still, you'd expect something on premises and room service would be very nice.
There is a very small pool and a terrific place to take in the rays on the roof, and a small excercise room, plus lots of public veranda spaces that are very pleasant.
I recommend El convento with a few caveats, because it is very unique and situated perfectly for a few days in t his lovely old city.
The hotel has no room service, but they offer a very nice honor bar, and a free wine and cheese cocktail hour. There are a few restaurants on the ground floor and many surrounding the hotel. But still, you'd expect something on premises and room service would be very nice.
There is a very small pool and a terrific place to take in the rays on the roof, and a small excercise room, plus lots of public veranda spaces that are very pleasant.
I recommend El convento with a few caveats, because it is very unique and situated perfectly for a few days in t his lovely old city.
Charming Old world feel in great location, some service slips
from mmz
Wonderfully redone old world hotel in great location. Small rooms and very small bathrooms. However the rooms are comfortable with quality touches. Nice outdoor terraces for breakfast, drinks and sunning in the small pool. The interior courtyard is lively and attractive with several restaurants. Great location with stores, great walks, sights and all of cleaned up Old San Juan right outside your door. The rooms are well sound-proffed and the air conditioning works very well-a plus when the temperature outside soares. Some service glitches but they are friendly and do try.
Excellent!
from A TripAdvisor Member
Great Location. Great Service. Loved the architecture and layout of the hotel. We walked to all the Old San Juan spots. Enjoyed their roof top jacuzzi. Avoid the restaurants on the first and second floors. They actually do not belong to the hotel. They are pricey and not very good.
Wonderful experience!
from A TripAdvisor Member
Got to stay here the last night in Puerto Rico and it was great. The place is right in Old San Juan and close to everything. The room was really nice and we had a view of the ocean where we saw two of the ships take off that night. The people were really nice and gave us lots of good info. The place is pricey but we managed to get it for $150/night off Expedia (then add on their charges for $183) but it was worth it for our honeymoon. We had stayed at the Embassy Suites near the airport the first night and that was a mistake since it's far from everything. We then went on the cruise and one night on the back end and staying in Old San Juan was much better! The bed was comfy, the room really clean and decorated nicely, the bathroom was very clean and the continental breakfast was abundant! Highly recommended!
Architectural Digest was Right On!
from paradiso2
We read about this fascinating hotel in Architectural Digest last yearand finally got the opportunity to visit. It was beyond our dreams and surpassed the beauty conveyed in the AD article. The staff was the friendliest and most helpful group we have found in a long time and made the stay that much more pleasant. This place is a gem and we loved it!
Absolutely Beautiful
from A TripAdvisor Member
We travel frequently, having stayed at some of the world's best hotels on business trips, and the El Convento ranks up there as truly one of the best places my wife and I have stayed...wished we went here instead of cheesy Sandals for our honeymoon. It's located in a great part of Old San Juan, with plenty of upscale stores and a few blocks from a square with free local entertainment. We sat outside, drank some wine, and listened to some live Puerto Rican music. Our room had a very high exposed beam ceiling, with a small balcony overlooking the church, which serenates guests with mass on the weekends. The singing sounds beautiful from the balcony. The room had a marble bath, bed was very comfortable and clean, high quality linens. From 6-7:00, wine, cheese, and fruit is served, all excellent quality. A very nice continental breakfast is also served in the morning, try the local pineapple! It's the best! In all, it was a wonderfull short stay before our cruise left the next day...wish we stayed at the El Convento instead of the cruise!
Great location!
from D_Liner_2004
We loved staying at El Convento. The staff was friendly and professional. The location was great. Be sure to eat at the Baru Restaurant!
Good Stay
from A TripAdvisor Member
The location is absolutely the best in Old San Juan. The hotel is very quaint and the restaurants are charming and do in fact have great dishes. My wife and I were unhappy with the 1st room they gave us. It had no windows and was I believe on the 2nd floor. The 2nd floor doesn't appear to have all but a couple of rooms, so should you remember ask for anything above. We were moved to a much nicer room on the 3rd floor, with a view. It appear that all rooms on the 3rd floor or above do have views. Cheers
Loved the El Convento
from A TripAdvisor Member
We loved the El Convento. It was charming and very friendly. It was walking distance to almost anything we wanted to do in Old San Juan. It had wonderful food and entertainment, a lovey setting. We enjoyed wine and cheese at happy hour and had a very nice breakfast on the veranda (all included) and the best part was the wonderful old catherdral across the street where we enjoyed evening mass and all the history. It was definetly worth the money and the trip. Also the staff was very friendly!
Charming Centrally Located Hotel
from A TripAdvisor Member
We immensely enjoyed the El Convento. Its primary attraction is it's perfect central location in Old San Juan. It is within walking distance of everything: shopping, restaurants, sights, and is situated in a very architecturally charming district of the city. That is not to say that the hotel itself is lacking, to the contrary it was quite beautiful. The rooms are on the small side, but very comfortable, the common areas are full of really quaint sitting areas and places to eat, drink, read, talk, etc. Our room included breakfast and wine and cheese every day, which eased the pain of the 21% tax that gets tacked on the bill - not El Convento's fault. If you're spending time in Old SJ, El Convento is a great place to stay.
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