sailanacra
Sep 2, 09, 8:38 pm
My original posting of this was on a Conrad Condado Plaza thread. Since several people liked the information, I decided to copy it into it's own thread. Since I am currently in Puerto Rico listening to the Coquis (local frogs) chriping away in advance of Tropical Storm Erica due tomorrow, I thought I would update the tread and add some more to it (so I guess it's my four cents worth ;) )
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I've staying at every Hilton hotel on the island in the last 12 months (well I just had lunch at the Hilton in Ponce) and each hotel has it's pros and Cons. I have only stayed at the Conrad once, but it was a terrible event. Recently I have seen an update to the Conrad Puerto Rico thread where the GM is aware of the problems and trying to fix them, so hopefully things will change. Below is my experience.
As a Diamond I did not get an upgrade, and in fact when I asked the front desk a question about the pool they refused to answer, actually accusing me that I was not staying in the Hotel. Only later did they appologize after I demanded to speak to manager and they discovered that their check in computer somehow "lost" my reservation. I actually challenged them to take my key and go with me to my room and I would show them my luggage with my name on it and a copy of my reservation.
Needless to say I will NEVER stay there again.
The Hampton Inn down the road has some great staff, and they don't charge a 15% resort fee or 30 dollars for parking (it's 5 bucks). Typical Hampton inn, so no upgrade, but they do serve free alchololic drinks (just like an Embassy) in the evening. Mostly business travelers. Good location. Free internet (the only Hilton hotel on the island with this feature).
The Caribe Hilton is average to good but has definately gone downhill over the last 24 months. No more lounge. Breakfast room feels like a 3rd world country. Very expensive drinks at the bar, especially for the Pina Colada as it was invented at the hotel bar. They do have upgrades there, but it (and the whole hotel for that matter) is very inconsistant. The room could be super old and crappy, or really nice depending on which of the 3 or 4 towers they put you in.
The Waldorf Astoria "El San Juan Hotel" is fantastic and the staff are great. My only complaint is the walls of the rooms are paper thin and you can hear the person next to you clearly talking at a normal level. They actually have a warning letter about that in the rooms. The lobby and bar of the El San Juan is one of the nicest I've ever been in (especially people watching on a weekend night). No upgrade. Pool is average at best, but is on the beach. If you want a umbrella on the beach it will cost you an extra 20 bucks or so, which is a rip in my opinion.
The Waldorf Astoria "El Conquistidor" is fantastic as well. The staff there were some of the most attentive I have ever run into at any Hilton. I did stay there the week that they were becoming a Hilton property so I'm sure that helped. Beautiful resort and they have a nice private island they take you to that makes you realize you are actually in the Carribean. Had a fantastic upgrade. Not a good hotel to stay at if you need to be in San Juan as it's about an hour away.
I am currently at the Conquistidor as I write this and I have an few extra thoughts. The private island (Palamino) is the main attraction of the hotel (perhaps tied with the very nice golf course). While the golf course and main hotel are kept in immaculate condition, the island needs some serious improvement. If they spend just a little extra time and money on the island, then this resort would be perfect. The chairs are worn, the basketball court has no net and is buried in sand, the $45 per hour Hobie cats are from Columbus' time, there is trash all over and the staff on the island don't give a crap about you or anything. I acutally experience this last time, but gave them a pass but filled out a comment card to the manager. My experience this time was the same and it really is a stark constrast to the rest of the hotel and staff. Overall still a really nice hotel. My upgraded room overlooks the Carribean and is one of the nicest views I have had at any hotel. Lots of restaurants in hotel and a starbucks. They even have a Striphouse steakhouse which was fantastic.
The Doubletree has been recently upgraded and is quite nice, but not anywhere near the beach. Good business hotel and the upgrades are nice and the breakfast is very good. They still charge a "resort fee" of 15% even though calling it a resort is B.S. The pool is smaller than the pool without a resort fee at the Hampton Inn. The low rates usually make up for that and sometimes you can negotiate the resort fees. Decent location though. Modern rooms. Nice workout center. Next to a grocery store which is convenient.
There are two Embassy Suites on the island. One is by the airport (no airport shuttle....of course none of the hotels have one). Typical Embassy Suites...no more....no less. Sometimes can be very expensive. They have a very busy, yet average managers special with a very long line at times. There is a Outback steakhouse in this hotel which sucks more than the average sucky Outback steakhouse in my opinion.
The other Embassy Suites is west of San Juan. If for any reason you have to travel to San Juan in the morning from this hotel, then FIND ANOTHER HOTEL. When I stayed there, I asked the front desk what time I had to leave the hotel to get to Fajardo by 9 am (ironically where the El Conquistidor is located). Fajardo is about 30 or so miles east of San Juan and the Embassy is about 12-15 miles west of San Juan. The front desk guy said don't leave later than 5:30 am and he was right. I sat in bumper to bumber traffic just outside the hotel at 5:30 AM!!!! It took almost two hours to get to downtown.
Now if you have to travel west in the morning (or just stay in the hotel and enjoy the beach) then this is your hotel. Overall a decent Embassy Suites. Nicer than average Manager's reception (at least in 2007 as I haven't stayed there since I always need to be east of the hotel). Nice pools, ok beach. Kind of isolated though. Near just about nothing.
Overall I would stay at any of the hotels but the Conrad, but I would pick the Doubletree or Hampton for business and the El San Juan for luxury, the El Conquistor for a resort, the Caribe Hilton for a Russian Roulette challenge and the Conrad for a horrible time.
I hope this helps. I hope the tropical storm is a dud and I get out on Friday as I am about to cash in 310,000 points to stay at the Cavelieri on labor day. I hope that hotel is all what people say it is, or was.
Sail a Nacra
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I've staying at every Hilton hotel on the island in the last 12 months (well I just had lunch at the Hilton in Ponce) and each hotel has it's pros and Cons. I have only stayed at the Conrad once, but it was a terrible event. Recently I have seen an update to the Conrad Puerto Rico thread where the GM is aware of the problems and trying to fix them, so hopefully things will change. Below is my experience.
As a Diamond I did not get an upgrade, and in fact when I asked the front desk a question about the pool they refused to answer, actually accusing me that I was not staying in the Hotel. Only later did they appologize after I demanded to speak to manager and they discovered that their check in computer somehow "lost" my reservation. I actually challenged them to take my key and go with me to my room and I would show them my luggage with my name on it and a copy of my reservation.
Needless to say I will NEVER stay there again.
The Hampton Inn down the road has some great staff, and they don't charge a 15% resort fee or 30 dollars for parking (it's 5 bucks). Typical Hampton inn, so no upgrade, but they do serve free alchololic drinks (just like an Embassy) in the evening. Mostly business travelers. Good location. Free internet (the only Hilton hotel on the island with this feature).
The Caribe Hilton is average to good but has definately gone downhill over the last 24 months. No more lounge. Breakfast room feels like a 3rd world country. Very expensive drinks at the bar, especially for the Pina Colada as it was invented at the hotel bar. They do have upgrades there, but it (and the whole hotel for that matter) is very inconsistant. The room could be super old and crappy, or really nice depending on which of the 3 or 4 towers they put you in.
The Waldorf Astoria "El San Juan Hotel" is fantastic and the staff are great. My only complaint is the walls of the rooms are paper thin and you can hear the person next to you clearly talking at a normal level. They actually have a warning letter about that in the rooms. The lobby and bar of the El San Juan is one of the nicest I've ever been in (especially people watching on a weekend night). No upgrade. Pool is average at best, but is on the beach. If you want a umbrella on the beach it will cost you an extra 20 bucks or so, which is a rip in my opinion.
The Waldorf Astoria "El Conquistidor" is fantastic as well. The staff there were some of the most attentive I have ever run into at any Hilton. I did stay there the week that they were becoming a Hilton property so I'm sure that helped. Beautiful resort and they have a nice private island they take you to that makes you realize you are actually in the Carribean. Had a fantastic upgrade. Not a good hotel to stay at if you need to be in San Juan as it's about an hour away.
I am currently at the Conquistidor as I write this and I have an few extra thoughts. The private island (Palamino) is the main attraction of the hotel (perhaps tied with the very nice golf course). While the golf course and main hotel are kept in immaculate condition, the island needs some serious improvement. If they spend just a little extra time and money on the island, then this resort would be perfect. The chairs are worn, the basketball court has no net and is buried in sand, the $45 per hour Hobie cats are from Columbus' time, there is trash all over and the staff on the island don't give a crap about you or anything. I acutally experience this last time, but gave them a pass but filled out a comment card to the manager. My experience this time was the same and it really is a stark constrast to the rest of the hotel and staff. Overall still a really nice hotel. My upgraded room overlooks the Carribean and is one of the nicest views I have had at any hotel. Lots of restaurants in hotel and a starbucks. They even have a Striphouse steakhouse which was fantastic.
The Doubletree has been recently upgraded and is quite nice, but not anywhere near the beach. Good business hotel and the upgrades are nice and the breakfast is very good. They still charge a "resort fee" of 15% even though calling it a resort is B.S. The pool is smaller than the pool without a resort fee at the Hampton Inn. The low rates usually make up for that and sometimes you can negotiate the resort fees. Decent location though. Modern rooms. Nice workout center. Next to a grocery store which is convenient.
There are two Embassy Suites on the island. One is by the airport (no airport shuttle....of course none of the hotels have one). Typical Embassy Suites...no more....no less. Sometimes can be very expensive. They have a very busy, yet average managers special with a very long line at times. There is a Outback steakhouse in this hotel which sucks more than the average sucky Outback steakhouse in my opinion.
The other Embassy Suites is west of San Juan. If for any reason you have to travel to San Juan in the morning from this hotel, then FIND ANOTHER HOTEL. When I stayed there, I asked the front desk what time I had to leave the hotel to get to Fajardo by 9 am (ironically where the El Conquistidor is located). Fajardo is about 30 or so miles east of San Juan and the Embassy is about 12-15 miles west of San Juan. The front desk guy said don't leave later than 5:30 am and he was right. I sat in bumper to bumber traffic just outside the hotel at 5:30 AM!!!! It took almost two hours to get to downtown.
Now if you have to travel west in the morning (or just stay in the hotel and enjoy the beach) then this is your hotel. Overall a decent Embassy Suites. Nicer than average Manager's reception (at least in 2007 as I haven't stayed there since I always need to be east of the hotel). Nice pools, ok beach. Kind of isolated though. Near just about nothing.
Overall I would stay at any of the hotels but the Conrad, but I would pick the Doubletree or Hampton for business and the El San Juan for luxury, the El Conquistor for a resort, the Caribe Hilton for a Russian Roulette challenge and the Conrad for a horrible time.
I hope this helps. I hope the tropical storm is a dud and I get out on Friday as I am about to cash in 310,000 points to stay at the Cavelieri on labor day. I hope that hotel is all what people say it is, or was.
Sail a Nacra