Best Hotels near El Arsenal, San Juan

We loved our 1 night stay here. Our room was quite large and perfect for our family of 4. The location was central allowing us to easily walk around the area. The decor through out was fun, colorful and had some intresting details. There is lots of roof top seating and great views of the surrounding area. The staff here is great and our check in was a breeze. When we were a little lost trying to find our room a gentleman came to our rescue and escorted us to our room even helping us with our luggage! Unfortunately for me I woke up the next morning with an issue with my eye. I needed to get medical help immediately. The woman at the front desk was a huge help locating the right doctor for me to go to and spoke directly with the office to explain my situation. Sadly I did not get her name but she saved the day!

We stayed at the Fortaleza for two nights during our family holiday. There were 3 bedrooms with plenty of space for all six of us to have some privacy. The kitchen was huge and we prepared 2 delicious family dinners there. There are balconies overlooking the old San Juan streets. There are many sites, shops, restaurants within walking distance so the location in Old San Juan is perfect for those that want to stay close to the accommodation. We arrived early in the morning and we were able to store our luggage for the day while we walked around town. The downside is the parking is not onsite, but it is in a garage within walking distance.

There were some positive things about this place but they're way outweighed by the negatives. First, the positives: - The guy at the front desk when we checked in, younger, slim, tall, black hair - that guy was SUPER friendly, enthusiastic, welcoming. - The location is VERY central. - The room we got was of a decent size - There was no mildew in the shower - The bathroom appeared to have been redone sometime in the past decade or so and looked pretty nice The negatives: - Our room was on the 4th floor. The elevator has apparently not worked in a very long time and they have no forecast for repair. - On the first night, we had no hot water. - From then forward, we had no water at all. Could not flush the toilet and had to buy bottled water to brush our teeth - There was almost never anyone at the front desk in the evenings, there was no one to complain to about these things - The room had no windows - There was a nightly party in the room directly across from ours, and the room doors and walls amplified the sound like the soundhole in a guitar - The room besides the bathroom didn't look like it had been updated since the 70s or 80s. The drop ceiling had water stains on the acoustic tiles which didn't all fit their squares any more and the overall effect was not as quaint as you'd hope. After our second night, we checked out. We gave 24 hours' notice we were going to do this, and the guy said that was ok, that the rest of our stay would be refunded. Which was PARTLY true. When we checked out, the guy at the desk asked why I was checking out early, I told him our stay was less than ideal, and listed all the reasons above. His response to each thing was ”Management is aware of the problem” or ”That's not our fault” and ”We didn't know you had a problem with that.” And that last comment would have been a sensible response if there'd been anyone to let know we had a problem. The guy at the desk changed the room rate - our rate on the agreement being ~100/night, the rate he started to charge us was $160. When I pointed this out and offered to dispute the whole charge with Visa he ”reduced” it to $140/night and said the difference was because our rate was for the ten night stay. He then calculated the rate for three nights and I had to explain to him that arriving on Saturday and leaving on Monday was only two nights, and again I'd just dispute the whole thing with Visa's fraud department, and he backed it off to two nights. The end result, instead of $940 for 9 nights on our original contract, I was charged just south of 300 for two nights. Lesson learned. To be clear: I was as polite as I could be and said over and over that I didn't think any of this was his fault, and I think his price and day count miscalculation was because he was flustered. He was polite and understanding throughout, but just not processing everything clearly. I wish this had been the guy who was there when we checked in, he was really together and I think it would have g

This was our first stay in this newly renovated “sister”hotel to the Condado Plaza Hotel across the street. I can easily say that this was the best Hilton Garden Inn I have stayed in. The location is just as you cross into the Condado section of San Juan heading east from the cruise ship terminals or at the end if heading from the airport (a $24 taxi ride). It’s a bit quieter than the heart of the Condado. The entire hotel is gleaming— a beautiful airy lobby that opens into the pool area, a breakfast restaurant, and a bar area. We lucked out on an upgrade to a high corner room with panoramic views of the ocean (picture attached) with a wrap around balcony. The room was nicely appointed and definitely upgraded from the previous property. This will be our new favorite when passing through San Juan on the way to adventures beyond. The only negative is the street noise on the side of the hotel but it was balanced by the view in my humble opinion— the view from the other side is of the lagoon also very nice.

Reminder: For guests who have paid for the room in advance, the deposit must be used to deposit cash at check-in! !! !! With a credit card, and repeatedly confirmed that it will return to the account in full, the tax will be deducted quietly after two or three days. This is a different result after I had two Sheraton San Juan (one bet on cash and one on credit card): the former deducted $ 37.63, and the latter returned the cash in full on the spot. I believe other guests will have similar experiences. Ctrip paid for this fee after negotiations, but Sheraton did not do so in the Old City. If there is a need for tax deduction, it should be clearly stated in advance, or at least it should be notified at check-out (we asked when checking out, they also assured that they will Full refund). Given this almost equivalent to theft, a bad review was given in terms of service.

Everything my wife and I wanted to see and do in Old San Juan was within easy walking distance so this hotel is really in an ideal location. We liked the look and feel of the property especially the grand staircase and covered veranda area in front of the rooms. The open air nature of the property really highlights the warm temperatures and encourages you to sit outside and enjoy the environment. We found our room to be comfortable and clean. The bathroom was modern and the shower was large with good water pressure. The room could use more light and the bathroom lighting is equally dim. All the employees were encountered were very helpful and friendly. Make sure to ask for restaurant/bar recommendations. The front desk also arranged for a taxi to take us back to the airport. During our two night stay, our bathroom towels consisted only of large bath sized towels and while we asked about smaller hand towels, none ever appeared. Also the shower door leaked a large amount of water on the bathroom floor - - more annoying than a problem. The message light on our phone blinked from the moment we arrived and despite our efforts to retrieve/delete voicemails, the light continued to flash. I asked the very friendly gentleman at the front desk but he was not sure what to do and when we checked out, the message light was still flashing. These items were too minor to impact our stay and my wife and I would completely recommend this hotel. One word of advice - we enjoyed a couple of beers at the hotel restaurant/bar and were a bit shocked that each bottle of beer was $10 but at least it was cold !! We did not return to the bar/restaurant as there are a great number of nearby places to drink and dine.

The staff were more than helpful, from the second we walked in Lewis immediately greeted us with drinks (free open bar) and gave us great tips on how to start our vacation. Also the communication between staff was top notch! I will most definitely be staying here again when I visit back.

Stayed at Hotel el Convento from September 1st and will be checking out today, I want to say the staff is so friendly and warm and welcoming. The hotel is very historical looking but the beds are very uncomfortable. I have to particularly point out three people that made our stay fantastic! Victor the bartender was the best bartender I have ever experienced, and I am from New York. His personality is amazing and his drinks were outstanding. Truly an asset to the hotel. Also, Kiara and Thanushka our waitresses were the best! Their personalities were so friendly and helpful. We laughed so much with them. I hope the hotel recognizes these three people as special employees because they were the three that made our stay phenomenal!