Priceline Hotel: San Juan 12/13-12/16

[igneous]

Hello to (thereuare) and others,

We are traveling to begin work in Monteserrat and will stopover in San Juan PR for 3 nights of vacation. 2 adults and an infant. We would like to stay at the Caribe (although we were a little scared by some reviews - we are hoping the construction will be over). We are attracted by the idea of walking (with stroller) into Old San Juan, something that you cannot apparently do from the other resorts.

Do you think we have a decent shot of getting it for $70? Right now it is $116 on hotwire (we think). I have heard the holiday season can be difficult.

Thanks for all your work, its a great site.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

What are the actual 3 nites you are looking for?

It is indeed walkable from the Caribe to Old San Juan, but be forewarned it is still quite a looong walk... only made more difficult with a baby stroller. But you would know better than i how much your family enjoys walking.

Add your actual dates and we'll advise further.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

It is indeed walkable from the Caribe to Old San Juan, but be forewarned it is still quite a looong walk... only made more difficult with a baby stroller. But you would know better than i how much your family enjoys walking.

Double check the amenities your seeing your on your Hotwire search with those found in our HOTWIRE PUERTO RICO list as I believe the hotel you're seeing is the Inter-Continental.

Would you be happy with that hotel as well? (it's closer to the airport than Old San Juan)

Let us know and we'll advise further.

[igneous]

(Thereuare),

Thanks for your quick reply,

1) The 3 nights are 12/13-12/16.

2) I based the Hotwire $116 deal as the Caribe on the following - but I defer to your experience if you think I'm wrong:

a) It has a spa,, beachfront, casino,pool, resturant, tennis (this seems to match "lars32" post from 2/29/04.

:) It is a customer favorite

c) In one of the customer reviews it refers to the swim up bar and waterfalls.

e) I hope its not the IC because on the IC website you can get rates of $109, vs $116 +fees that Hotwire is offering.

3) Re: the walk, we are pretty serious walkers, but have never been to PR and have generally travelled without the infant. Other than not walking at night, is the terrain (sidewalks or lack thereof) so rough that one could not negotiate a stroller from the Caribe to and through Old San Juan i.e will we have to take a cab into town anyway?

Curiosity questions if you have the time; Do you think you get a better room through Hotwire than through Priceline? Did you think that Old San Juan was more touristy than "real" i.e is everyone a tourist or is there a real community of people there, should we be considering other towns in PR for a more cultural/ culinary experience.

Thanks again for your time and wisdom,

PS. Go Blue! My wife has her geology degree from UMich.

[thereuare]

You should use the link provided above to see what amenities are believed to be associated with each hotel... we update the lists with new information when we the amenities change or are reported differently then they had been previously (we can't go thru every old post and do so). Even with that said, from lars32 HOTWIRE PUERTO RICO post you'll see the following:

Beachfront, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business, Tennis, Spa

This does not match what you are seeing on your own search:

spa,, beachfront, casino, pool, resturant, tennis (emphasis provided by thereuare... also notice the Fitness and Business icons don't match up either)

In fact, the Caribe Hilton doesn't currently have a casino.

As well, the Hilton's website is showing that it's sold-out for your dates. It is possible that they're 'holding' rooms for a convention, meeting, or catered affair and will release them a few weeks before check-in date once they know how many rooms the 'venue' will actually need... but i would start to at least consider alternate plans.

The next closest hotels to Old San Juan are the Wyndham Condado Plaza and then (i think) the Radisson isn't too far either. The Park Plaza is also right next door to the Hilton, but it's not a place i recommend staying. You also may want to look into Wyndham's Old San Juan which is directly in OSJ. WYNDHAM's WEBSITE.

It was nearly 15 years ago that i was in Old San Juan (didn't make it there on my last trip to Puerto Rico) so things may have certainly changed. I don't remember the terrain being to bad on the road there, but once in Old San Juan the entire area is cobblestone so navigating the streets could be tough (and i remember the sidewalks being crowded). We rollerbladed there from the Condado Plaza and rollerblades were quite new at the time and hadn't yet 'arrived' in San Juan so we certainly got a lot of strange looks in our travels (but also a reason why the cobblestone streets of OSJ stick in my head).

I don't recall how touristy vs. local the people were, but the shops are definately geared towards tourists. If you want some local flavor dining i recommend you read LOCAL DINING IN SAN JUAN.

[igneous]

(Thereuare),

I see what you mean about the casino and the sold -out dates; However what do you think about the "customer favorite" and the comments regarding the "pool swim-up bar and waterfalls" which does not seem to exist at the IC? I don't meant to belabor the point, just trying to figure things out. Is it possible that they had given a block to Hotwire or would that be removed if they were sold out?

Second, If that is the case, Hotwire is a bit of raw deal as the IC website has rooms for less; Would you just try Priceline at that point?

Thanks,

Igneous

[thereuare]

It's not just the Casino icon that doesn't match... as noted above there are other inconsistencies.

Thru a little digging i was able to confirm that the IC does indeed have a swim-up bar and a waterfall in the pool. This info, along with the amenities exactly matching what is believed to be associated with this property, leads me to believe that what you are seeing on Hotwire is the IC.

Priceline and Hotwire are almost always the cheapest way to book, but there are times when that is not the case and why we encourage users to shop around and/or ask for help. The good thing about Hotwire being 'out of line' (price-wise) is that they offer a Double the Difference Guarantee which can often be used to get a room even cheaper then the best rate you can find elsewhere (there are some instances where users were even paid to take a trip!) You can see many examples of this in the HOTWIRE LAS VEGAS HOTELS section of the board as that appers to be the region it occurs most frequently (and profitably). However, in your instance the $7/nite ($14/nite after doubling it) difference hardly seem worth the trouble and part of that will be eaten up by Hotwire's fee.

I can't comment as if you should just try Priceline at this point as i'm not sure that you're comfortable staying anywhere in Priceline's shaded region (ie- location seems important to you). It may still be early to lock into a 'non-cancellable' reservation for a property that may not be near your top choice (that's the impression i'm getting... maybe i'm wrong and you just had your heart set on the Caribe Hilton and are disappointed in that aspect). With that said, what were your thoughts on the above Wyndham Condado Plaza, Wyndham Old San Juan, and/or Radisson? How would you feel if you received one of these properties (or the InterContinental) on Priceline?

Let us know and we'll supply a bidding strategy if you decide you are ready to bid.

[mtohio]

Hi,

Just to add an additional opinion.

Having stayed recently at both the Caribe and Condado, I agree that the Caribe is a great property; and the Condado is only a "short" walk from the Caribe if one wishes to use the Condado casino --- though, I do NOT suggest taking the short walk back at 3am w/ 2K in your pocket !

Being a father of a 2-1/2 year old, 7 year old and 9 year old --- we have much experience with the stroller set. And while I am quite the serious walker -- I think that the walk from the Caribe to Old San Juan is a little bit too far. Actually, while the location of the Caribe is great [between old san juan and isla verde (intercontinenal, ESJ and Ritz)] I never really considered it in walking distance to Old San Juan.

Also, on my last trip, we checked out the Intercontinental -- and I have heard great reports from my friends --- this is probably a great property if you don't mind being in Isla Verde --- and it is very close to the airport [and on the beach].

Don't hesitate to ask any further questions.