PR San Juan Caribe Hilton

[thereuare]

August 16, 2003... one nite pre-cruise stay:

There is an Hhonors check-in on the second floor that members can use, regardless of status level. Take the stairs and turn right (or take the elevator and turn left) and at the far corner of the Business Services desk there is a special check-in for Hhonors members. I don

[giadav]

We stayed post cruise, 2 nights 3/14 to 3/16. $102 per night

I agree with everything "thereuare" posted above. We were on the 5th floor with a great ocean view! (we were 1 floor higher than "thereuare" and the rooftop wasn't bad, the view of the ocean made up for it).

The hotel was fully booked both nights with a convention. The staff was very nice and the conceirge was extremely helpful. They even called the airport for us to see if we could get on an earlier flight because Boston was expecting a Noreaster and we wanted to be sure we got home....I know, crazy.

The Caribe also has a spa called "Olas" that is on the property. They offer every kind of body wrap, facial, massage, theraputic whirlpools outside, spa manicures and pedicures with fresh rose pedal baths. It sounded so enticing, unfortunately, I had just pampered myself on the ship. There was also a health conscious breakfast/lunch cafe with outdoor umbrella tables (and fans if it is too hot) where you can get great smoothies, bagels, lox, wraps etc.

The pool bar was closed because they were jackhammering the concrete around it. The outdoor restaurant "Atlantis" had great burger, alittle steep at $10 w/fries, but they were really good.

One of the nights was very interesting from 7-9, there was a "Casting" of some sort. There were beautiful young girls, with the longest legs I have ever seen, short skirts, high heels, truely gorgeous going through the hotel to the 2nd floor for this casting, the male guests were bumping into the walls!!!

Anyway....we had a great time!! Thanks to this sight!!

[LoneStar]

I was extremely satisfied by my $65 stay at this property. It was light years better than my previous experience at the Intercontinental. I can't imagine wanting to stay anywhere else in San Juan.

The best thing about the Caribe is that it has beautiful, private grounds -- a true enclave in the city (with a great swimming beach accessible only to hotel guests). At some resorts in Puerto Rico (like the Westin Rio Mar) you don't really see the ocean when you're down at the pool or eating at a restaurant. At the Caribe, the ocean is EVERYWHERE, and it's stunning. They've spent zillions on landscaping and it shows.

Check-in procedures seem to have changed a bit. Hilton Honors members now check-in at the main desk (there's a special area for them). As a blue card member, I didn't get any free cocktails or breakfast (I asked!!). I was a little apprehensive when I was shuttled off to the "garden wing," but my room was very large and well-appointed. On the 4th floor, I had a nice view of a lavish oceanfront garden with a sliver of ocean behind it.

The hotel seemed to be trying to offer value for money -- especially for those, like me, travelling with kids. There were several free kids activities available where they could be both entertained and earn prizes like T-shirts, hats and frizbees. They set up games and a bounce house by the pool, too. The fish feeding from their private pier (they give you the hotel's stale rolls to throw to the fish) was a big hit. As was swimming out to their floating "island" in the ocean where there was a slide into the water. Kids get breakfast free, too, which made their lavish (and expensive) breakfast buffet affordable. Definitely worth a try. Everyone should also try the free (virgin) pina coladas they offer at 1 pm at the pool bar.

On weekends, the place is quite lively in the evening as the San Juan elite shows up in their finest for weddings and such. They look like great parties, and I even stopped to listen to one of the bands. It ads a nice vibe to the atmosphere of the hotel.

There is a useful Subway sandwich shop a block from the hotel if you want a casual meal at an affordable price (before ordering, look at the placards for the current specials, like discounted pizza in the evening or the sandwich of the day). There was also a hole-in-the-wall Puerto Rican "cafeteria" which I didn't get to try, but might be a decent alternative. Otherwise, there's not much in the immediate vicinity. Parking is now $15/day, and if you're just sticking to San Juan, I would advise against a car. Old San Juan is less than a mile away and should be an affordable cab ride (you might be able to walk in daytime). Thereuare recommended the Casita Blanca to me and it's a terrific casual Puerto Rican restaurant in a somewhat dubious-looking barrio. I drove my car there for dinner and was lucky to get a parking space next to the restaurant (I wouldn't want to have walked far to my car at night). But it's probably only a mile and a half from the hotel, so cab fare shouldn't be too bad.

No resort fee, but at check-out I was hit with an additional $5/per adult, per day San Juan room tax. It's apparently a new tax that's gone into effect this month -- along with a nasty new 7% or so sales tax that you'll have to pay on pretty much everything. I protested, but they insisted on charging me (I'll probably call priceline to complain, too, but I doubt that will get me anywhere!).

Bottomline, though, if you can get this place for under $100 on priceline, take it! An excellent travel value.

[nitad]

I stayed in this hotel two different times on this last vacation. At the beginning of my trip we stayed two nights in the tower rooms. The rooms were large. I had a king size and my boys had another room with two doubles. I had no trouble getting what i asked for at the front desk. The view was nothing great but I could see a little of the ocean. We had no time in the rooms so that was not a big deal. The beds and pillows were so comfortable. That was very nice. The bathroom was mid to large with a large shower stall and all glass enclosure and rain shower head or hand held to use. it was very nice. The sink was dated and the marble was chipped but I didn't mind that. The rug also had stains. It needed replaced. The lobby and grounds were beautiful. Went to the Pina Colada club for a late night meal. hot dogs for the boys and tostones for me, beer and Pina Colada = 46.00. expensive even though the hot dogs were foot longs. The starbucks in the hotel was high too. We did not eat at any of the other restaurants.

The staff was very nice. Had a great concierge by the name of Eliot who set my navigator to get to the rain forest and other locales. They all tried to help get us around the island which is not easy since the gps only works with coordinates.

The second night, the last night of our trip we went back and got one room in the main building. It had a more updated bathroom, but it was smaller. A nifty shower head though that had some kind of spray blast. I had never seen that before. My sons liked it. Again, the view was not great.

We had valet parking for 20.00 a stay and could come and go as often as we wanted. For 75 a night this was a gem. I wish we had had more time to stay in the hotel and pool and beach. It really was nice, but the island was calling and we decided that was more what we wanted.

I didn't get honors points for my stay, except on the resort fee.