Hotel El Convento

Loved the Old World Charm

A lovely stay. The hotel was beautiful and very "old world". Desk was very helpful. The wine/cheese reception each night was fabulous. If you ask at the desk for a letter you can use the facilities at either of two beach resorts. We tried La Concha and had a wonderful day on the beach.

An Oasis in Viejo San Juan

As the only hotel within Old San Juan, El Convento provided outstanding service and location. Although tourist-filled at times, the area still looks and feels as it must have hundreds of years ago. Hotel is comfortable and humbly luxurious with unique style--and windows that actually open! The staff is extremely helpful and accommodating, esp. those at the front desk and the bellmen. The property really needs a dedicated concierge at least part time to alleviate rare backups at the front desk. As for in-house dining, I only tried breakfast which was expensive and disappointing since, frankly, the menu contents looked like one you’d find in most any Hilton Garden Inn or Marriott Courtyard--nada puertorriqueno! Minor complaint overall since so many authentic places are 5-10 minutes’ walk. [Note: not a beach resort/spa, though access to those services can be provided.] Truly an outstanding property and location with a unique, prime location, most historical sights within walking distance, and high levels of service. Would definitely return.

Heed the warnings of driving of driving in PR. Tour books and blogs warn of awful drivers, but I didn’t really encounter them (maybe just a Bostonian’s perception!). But many road signs are poorly placed, non-existent, or free of markings to major destinations. There’s no danger involved--but frustration and lost time, yes. Unless you’re comfortable with tour buses that ferry you to your destination and right back home vs. an opportunity to wander afterwards, a rental car is a must. Prime issues: rush hour traffic and snail’s pace driving on Old San Juan’s one-way one-car-wide streets. Hotel staff should provide guidelines to avoid this. Finally, many roads are small switchbacks, some unexpected. Though well-maintained, the blind curves remain. The real issue isn’t all of these challenge, it’s setting expectations properly and adjusting to "PR time." Ah. Relaxing in the Tropics.

Outstanding Hotel!

My husband & I spent 4 fabulous nights in this gorgeous hotel. It is breathtakingly beautiful & immaculately maintained. Don’t miss the daily complimentary wine & cheese reception. I had to take a photo of the wine & cheese assortment just so I can hunt them down in my home neighborhood ( they were so delicious...it was hard to save room for dinner!) .. also it was great place to mingle with the other guests & receive tips on where to go & what to do. As guests of the Hotel El Convento in Old San Juan; we feel we had the best of both worlds since the Hotel offered us beach & pool privileges at its chic sister hotel on Condado Beach in San Juan; just a 10 minute cab ride. We are already planning our return trip & without question we will be staying at the Hotel El Convento. The day we departed we realized at the airport we forgot our passports & wallet in the hotel’s room safe. This brings us to the superb staff...Melanie at the front desk was kind enough to retrieve & send them via the hotel’s chauffeur directly to us! This saved us another cab ride/fee to & from & we want to stress that this is just routine hospitality that you receive from the staff. Can’t say enough how much we love this place & the people! You will not be disappointed!