(Rates from $235.00)
Hotel El Convento
Historic, antique-filled hotel in Old San Juan
General Information
What to expect: Designated Puerto Rico's official guesthouse for visiting heads of state and other dignitaries, Hotel El Convento contains sections dating to 1651, when a Carmelite convent opened on the site across from San Juan Cathedral, the Western Hemisphere's oldest. The convent housed nuns for 252 years until closing in 1903. In 1959, the building was converted into a hotel. Entertainment, government, and social notables made it their San Juan destination. Pablo Casals played his cello in the courtyard.
San Juan investors restored and reopened El Convento in 1997 as a boutique hotel with contemporary amenities. Guests enter on a black-and-white marble floor amid Spanish antiques and tapestries. Popular with guests wishing to explore Old San Juan, Hotel El Convento is also family-friendly, providing children with easy access to the Puerto Rican Children's Museum across the street.
Amenity highlights: A rooftop sundeck fringed by bougainvillea provides sweeping views of Old San Juan. The sundeck, furnished with cushioned lounge chairs and potted flowers, includes a 5.75-m-long (12-ft) plunge pool and small spa tub. After strolls through Old San Juan, guests can relax in the interior courtyard shaded by a 350-year-old tree. Complimentary wine is served afternoons in a third-floor lounge, where a balcony overlooks San Juan Cathedral. |
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Insider tip: A block west of a small sculpture park outside the hotel entrance, visitors can walk out to a guard tower and peer through slits just as Spanish soldiers did in the 17th century.
Awards and Affiliations
The hotel is a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
Property Amenities
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Hotel El Convento is in historic Old San Juan. The Puerto Rican Children's Museum and San Juan Cathedral are across the street. The hotel offers three restaurants, each with its own unique charm. Patio del Nispero serves breakfast and lunch in a garden courtyard. El Picoteo is an open-air tapas bar with antiqued masonry walls. Caña Restaura serves a local menu of Puerto Rican cuisine, while Il Perugino specializes in Italian entrees. Complimentary bottled water and coffee are available all day in the lounge, which also includes a self-serve honor bar.
A computer in an air-conditioned library provides complimentary Internet access. Complimentary wireless Internet access is available in public areas.
Valet parking:
$20 per 24-hour period in lot with in/out privileges.
Fee does not include tax and is subject to change without prior notification.
Ground transportation:
Shuttle vans and private cars of varying prices are available. They can be reserved during the process of booking a reservation for this hotel, via this Web site, and added to the total trip cost.
- Spa tub
- Concierge services
- Complimentary newspapers in lobby
- Fitness equipment
- Restaurant(s) in hotel
- Bar/lounge
- Parking (valet) 20
- Parking (surcharge)
- Parking (secure)
- Banquet facilities
- Exhibit space
- Conference room(s)
- Event catering
- Meeting rooms (small groups)
- Audio-visual equipment
- Business services
- Internet access - wireless
- Internet access in public areas - high speed
- Internet access in public areas - complimentary
- Express check- in
- 24-hour front desk
- Porter/bellhop
- Express check-out
- Security guard
- Multilingual staff
- Safe-deposit box - front desk
- Number of rooms: 58
- ATM/banking
- Tour assistance
- Medical assistance available
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Library
- Coffee in lobby
- Patio
- Elevator/lift
- Number of floors: 5
Rooms
Hotel El Convento offers 58 guestrooms, all non-smoking, in a yellow, five-story building. Wooden doors with louvered panels open to French balconies (no step-out space) offering views of Old San Juan. Rooms also face wide, open-air, balustraded corridors overlooking the hotel's open-air garden courtyard, with tables and upholstered chairs outside each room.
Decor features handcrafted furniture of dark wood and wrought iron, including Spanish antiques and replicas of antiques. Floors are terracotta-tile, ceilings white, and walls colored. Small marble bathrooms contain pedestal sinks and shower/tub combinations. Amenities include bathrobes and slippers, compact refrigerators with complimentary bottled water, 32-inch LCD televisions, and Bose CD players and radios. DVD players can be rented. In-room massage is available from an independent provider.
Room Amenities
- Internet access - high speed
- Cable/satellite TV
- CD player
- Air conditioning
- Climate control
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Internet access - complimentary
- Voice mail
- Multi-line phone
- Refrigerator
- Coffee/tea maker
- Bottled water in room (complimentary)
- Wake-up calls
- Housekeeping (daily)
- Turndown service
- Bathroom telephone
- Makeup/shaving mirror
- Massage - available in room
- Sewing kit
- Slippers
- Shower/tub combination
- Bathrobes
- Hair dryer
- Child care (in room, surcharge)
- DVD player on request
- Window opens
- Clock radio
- Desk
- Iron/ironing board
- In-room safe
- Television
- Rollaway beds
- Cribs (infant beds) available
Dining
Patio del Nispero - Located in garden courtyard under 350-year-old nispero tree bearing crabapple-like fruit. Potted palm trees. Umbrella-table seating. À la carte breakfast. Lunch menu featuring daily specials, burgers, sandwiches, salads, and main courses such as Pecan-Crusted Sea Bass and Soy-Pineapple Chicken.
El Picoteo - Open-air tapas bar with antiqued masonry walls colored orange, high wood-beam ceiling. Also, terrace seating under awnings and umbrellas. Lunch/dinner menu featuring hot and cold tapas, Spanish-style pizza, paella, sangria. Open Tuesday–Sunday.
Caña Restaurant - Upscale, Nuevo Latino menu in an intimate dining room. High wood-beamed ceiling. Red-and-white walls. Lunch and dinner. Closed Wednesdays.
Il Perugino - Located across the street, guests may charge meals to their room. Specializing in pasta, salads, and seafood, the restaurant also serves a large selection of Italian wines. Dinner only.
Recreation
A rooftop sundeck furnished with cushioned lounge chairs includes a 5.75-m-long (12-ft) plunge pool and three-person spa tub. Guests are provided complimentary access to El Convento Beach Club, located a sister property, that includes access to the pool and white sand beach. The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or near the hotel; fees may apply. |
- Fishing nearby
Policies
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Photo identification and credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- Pets not allowed
- Check-in time is 3 PM
- Check-out time is Noon