wahoohfd

I'm planning on staying at this CY the night before an upcoming cruise. What kind of area is it in? Will there be places for me to take my family to eat dinner? Also, any idea if the CY has a shuttle from the San Juan airport? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

-wahoohfd

megtravels

i dont think any hotels in SJ have airport shuttles...we got a cab...fare is regulated so you will know the exact cost before you get in the cab (if you look under maps & transportation on the website, it says they do NOT provide a shuttle!)

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/maps...-juan-miramar/

wahoohfd

Thanks, megatravels. And I got additional info on the area from tripadvisor.com.

-wahoohfd

megtravels

i haven't been in that hotel or that area...not sure whats around....but it looks like there are lots of buildings so i guess there will be plaes to eat and stuff...

(i couldn't get my google maps to work nicely...)

have fun...let us know what you find.............i have been in the other CY (walked out after a couple hours....), the Ritz and i checked out the FS hotel last month!

pinniped

Any recent reviews of this hotel?

We're going to be staying in San Juan for 2 nights, Dec 29-31, and hotel prices are through the roof, presumably because of New Year's Eve. This CY is available...just wondering if it's in a decent area for walking around, finding good restaurants, etc.

During our one full day there, we will probably visit Old Town or maybe go to that rainforest that is supposedly do-able as a daytrip. We'll uber/taxi as needed, but I hope this hotel isn't too far off the beaten path...

dank0014

I stayed there in Fall 2015 and let's just say that I had to request an early departure after the first night. The room was horrible, plumbing didn't work, very dated, only one elevator for 10+ floors that was extremely small, and the only descent place to eat was a Papa Johns nearby. It is right near a strip club if that helps explain the area. I personally would recommend heading over to the La Concha option IMO

pinniped

La Concha is already sold out. With Marriott, it's this or the Ritz.

Probably go with Plan B....one of the Hiltons.

Thank you for confirming what I kind of suspected from the photos and descriptions online....

James Fleming

I liked the Ritz, but make sure you get a good deal (either an offer on the website or through Amex FHR etc).

Taxi rates are pretty reasonable - http://aeropuertosju.com/wp-content/...Taxi%20WOC.pdf

qazw1

Try Priceline. Select 4 stars hotel. Select Condado area. You will most likely end up with one of the Marriott or Hilton. However, can end up with the Doubletree which is nice hotel but no beach. If you select 5 stars, that should be the new Vanderbilt hotel. Which is worth it if under $200.

I had bid in the past and was able to get a room for about 35% off.

pinniped

Thanks...I may actually try some Priceline bids closer to the stay.

I don't know anything about the PR market, but I'm guessing perhaps a lot of hotels are holding back rooms to sell as very high end New Year's Eve packages and aren't too eager to receive a guest who wants do to a 2-night stay and check *out* on New Year's Eve.

However, I've seen this before in other cities when I've tried to book around a holiday like this: it gets down to the final couple weeks, and things start to open up a bit with prices often coming back to normal.

So I've snagged an award room at the Sheraton Old Town for now...cancellable until 12/26 (Hilton was 30 days cancel ). I'll look again later in the year...

qazw1

Start about two weeks out. Grab any if you feel the rate is right and you have a good sense of which hotel it is. You can actually get a feel by also putting in the same dates into Hotwire. They will indicate what rates and which hotels some other guests may have gotten recently.

Also, some hotel room descriptions are pretty indicative of which hotel you are looking at. The Hilton chain recently close down their casinos. So any hotel with a casino is probably a Marriott. Also, if it indicates room with city view, that is only used by I believe Condado Plaza (not 100% sure). If it is no beach and casino, decent chance the Sheraton at the convention center.

I would not select anything below a 4 star. You might end up with the small hotels.

mikesimm

There is a very nice restaurant attached to this hotel. Not a typical CY restaurant. It also has a cozy bar. The area is fine. There are several restaurants nearby.

No shuttle to airport.

Rooms are fine, no problems at all.

pinniped

Thanks for the tips...I'll keep them in mind if we get that far.

I do see a lot of small hotels listed on Orbitz, etc. for normal rates ($100-ish). Are these pleasant, clean boutiques that might actually be worthwhile to look into? Or are they just dumps that need to be avoided?

I generally won't Priceline anything below a 4* in a big city because I know the 3*'s often include places I'd never pay a dime to stay at.

AATrout

I've stayed in all of the San Juan properties except that CY. For OP it's close to Old San Juan and the cruise ship piers. Not a fan of the La Concha. The Marriott Stellaris is in a nice area on the beach and I liked the pool setup better than the LaConcha. But its now a resort and no more conc/exec lounge.

Over New Years, I would take a look at the Isla Verde area which is fairly close to SJU. Other than the RC, I logged a lot of nights at the former Sands Hotel which is now in the Intercontinental family. It has an attached Ruth's Chris Steak but is not far from one of the great Metropol restaurants - really top tier Cuban/Puerto Rican food. The Intercontinental has about the best combo of great pools and beach anywhere. The casino was small but still there after the renovations but you can walk over to El San Juan for that. I am a Marriott lifer but recommend this hotel.
Metropol

Intercontinental San Juan