El San Juan Hotel and Casino Reviews

We wanted to get away for less than a week. This was the perfect trip from the east coast. Didn't take long to get there, the weather was warm, the hotel was beautiful and there were so many activities to choose from. We snorkled and took a rainforest tour while we were there and had a blast just relaxing by the pool and eating food with the locals. I even rented a car so we could check out another beach. We'd recommend it.

My wife and I came to El San Juan Hotel and Casino for our honeymoon in May 2010. We got a great deal on Cheap Caribbean, arranging our flight and a week in San Juan for $2000 for the both of us. The hotel is a beautiful old hotel with a majestic lobby with both traditional and contemporary features. There are three lobby bars, and the drinks and bar food are excellent but pricey. There is also a galleria with high-end clothing and jewelry stores within the hotel, and a small casino with a lot of slot machines and a small number of craps, blackjack, and roulette tables. The restaurants within the hotel are very good but expensive. The room we booked was the garden veranda, but these are not renovated; however, they didn't have any of these rooms so we were upgraded to the renovated hotel rooms, which are contemporary with modern white furniture and a feel reminiscent of the W Hotel in San Diego. The view, however, was of the roof of the lobby - not a pretty sight. The room was comfortable, though the shower leaks water onto the bathroom floor. Room service and use of the in-room fridge is expensive. Service is very good, though we did run into a problem when we checked out in that someone used our room phone for local calls, and it wasn't us! They gladly took the charges off our bill. Outside the hotel is a luxurious pool area with three huge pools, including one with a swim-up bar and waterfall. There is a hot tub above the waterfall as well. Just outside the pool area is the beach, with soft sand and complimentary chaises for hotel guests. The Isla Verde area has very little shopping or local cuisine - just some souvenir shops, a large supermarket, and the notable local restaurants Metropol and Mi Casita. Mostly there are a lot of chain restaurants and fast-food places, but if you want local food around the hotel, go to those places. All together, a very nice place to spend a honeymoon, and on this site, reasonably priced as well!

This was a great trip and I took hundreds of photographs because the area was lovely. A bus trip to Old San Juan from the hotel costs 75 cents! The staff at the hotel treated us like family and the dining options were good, but be prepared to pay more than in the states. Local restaurants within walking distance were inexpensive and quite good. The hotel desk has all the info to book tours to the rain forest. We booked a cheaper sightseeing tour from an ad that we saw on the street and we would suggest that you only take the tours that the hotel suggests or you may have a bad experience like we did. The bar sells great appetizers for a nominal price during happy hour and you can get them to go and eat outside by one of the beautiful pools. There is a little casino in the hotel and entertainment in the lobby which also has a bar and is quite beautiful.. The room was very simple and by Puerto Rico standards is probably very nice. I would not want to have stayed at another hotel, this hotel was lovely for what we wanted which was to sit and swim in a nice pool and have a view of the ocean. This is part of the Waldorf "collection" and not the Waldorf Astoria not that you would have known the difference at the pool or lobby area. I am glad that we went and would stay at this hotel again.

The property itself was beautiful. The food was good but expensive. The shower water drained very slowly which caused you to stand in the water for your entire shower. This is a non-smoking property which they will not tell you when you make your reservations. If you are a smoker I recommend you do NOT stay here.

I visited this resort back in March 2010 and have been meaning to write a review. This is a lovely resort and the staff is hit or miss. Our vacation began with the huge Noreaster that grounded our original flight, but with the assistance of the CheapCarribiean staff, we were able to book a new flight (albeit several hours later) but were one of the most fortunate to make it out of NYC at all that day. Thanks to the helpful staff of CC, we were able to change our itinerary, reservations and receive a refund for the difference in the airfare. I would certainly use CheapCarribean.com in the future! Thanks for all of your professional courteous assistance!

We arrived at 3:00 on Saturday and we were told that check in is at 4:00.pm. We were asked to give them a cell number that they could call when our room was ready. No one called us. We checked back at 4:45 and we were told that our room was still not ready. No one could tell us when it would be ready, but check in "starts" at 4:00 p.m. There were several other people that were also trying to get in to a room. My husband asked if we could be upgraded, because we were completely paid for an entire week, and they told us to be patient and see what they could do. It was a holiday weekend, and many guests were there for 3 days. While we were waiting I needed to find a restroom, I ask a server at the bar who was lighting candles on the cocktail tables "excuse me can you tell me where the nearest restroom is?" She looked at me and said "hi how are you?" I repeated the question and she said again "hi how are you?" I then said "bano?" She then realized that I was getting irritated and pointed to the restroom, she then asked if I was alright I said "I was but not anymore." Back at the front desk there was an increasing amount of people waiting for a room and getting very upset. The concierge then said the front desk manager did indeed upgrade us to a $700 a night room. Wow we were happy! The room was in a separate building right on the ocean overlooking one of the pools,on the second floor it was a suite with a balcony, Jacuzzi tub, and large bathroom. We could hear the ocean while laying in bed. One night we were visiting the casino and stopped at a bar (one of three) in the lobby, We went to two of them and they said they could not serve us because their computers were down. We went to the third bar and my husband asked them if their computers were down? They said yes but they could get us any thing we wanted they would just have to ring it up differently............. Tuesday it began raining before we could make it to the beach about 11:20 a.m. so we went to find lunch in the hotel because it was pouring out the little pizza and sandwich restaurant was supposed to open at 11:30. We along with 3 or 4 other couples were waiting outside the restaurant. We could see the workers getting ready and seemed to be arguing with each other one of them came over to the door that was slightly open and slammed it shut. We were still waiting at 11:45 a.m. we went else where. On Tuesday night we returned to our room at 11:30 p.m. right outside our room some one was power washing the pool deck cushions it was so loud the sliding glass doors were shaking. I called the front desk and told them and the response was "really?". Security then made the power washer stop about 10 minutes later. At 8:30 a.m. the next morning the power washer was back for about an hour. The very next night we came back to our room at about the same time 11:30 or so, and we had to call the front desk to have them turn off the pool music, there was no one at the pool and all of the pool lights were off. Again the response from the front desk was "really the music is on?" Needless to say it was back on everyday before 9:00 a.m. there was a speaker in a bush just beneath our balcony. On Thursday morning we were awakened by the groundskeepers gas trimmer trimming the grass just beneath our balcony. They begun trimming at 7:50.am. and did not finish until 8:45.am. We were ready to go home at this point. We only go on one vacation a year and we chose to go here, we ate at 3 of the restaurants in the hotel and usually do not complain about anything especially price, the prices at this resort were outrages a 10 oz can of beer $7.50 one meal we at that pool bar 2 burgers, an order of fries, 2 beers, and 2 sodas the bill was over $60.00 the fries were $8.00 alone. I was completely disappointed in this facility, it is very beautiful and clean, but the service was terrible. This was not a very relaxing vacation.

The suite I purchased wasn't available and we were offered an upgrade. The natives were friendly, the taxi drivers took us for our money even with the list of prices we were overcharged for a cab from the airport, so if you visit just make sure you stand by the price listing.The mexican restaurant outside of the hotel from the left food is average no real puerto rican cuisine. We enjoyed the stay, but no real activity in New San Juan. You have to travel to old San Juan for site seeing and shopping.

It's pricey, drinks are expensive, the casino is good entertainment. Good restaurants nearby. Transportation available for sightseeing.

Went there Aug 23-29, 2010. The pools that my husband and I went in were dirty, the water park was also dirty. The help wasn't as helpful as it is when you go to poorer islands they don't thrive on tips. The steak house had a leakie window and someone stuff a towel against the leak and the towel was stained, steak was 48.00 and baked potato was an additional 9.00, there is a restaurant within walking distance of the hotel and the food was great, the ac was kicking. The room was nice, we were in the marina and the view was beautiful, however you have to take the trolly back up to the hotel for breakfast and most of the restaurants which take about 10-15 minutes. Not much after 6 pm to do, the water park closes and the island is closed so not much for kids to do, yea they have an arcade but it is wee small. If you say you are paying cash at the bar some bartenders cut you a break. I wouldn't go here again, I don't understand why it was so pricey, not worth it, we had a horrible time, oh the ac also broke in our room.

Everything was awesome, keep up the great work!!!!!!!!!