San Juan (Condado) - The Hotels
The Condado area is a beautiful stretch of beaches, bars, restaurants, shops and hotels. To me, this is one of the "best" areas and we picked 3 hotels- The Hilton Condado, La Concha, and the Coral Princess Hotel. We placed them in order by price below. Read each to get the overall individual rating, and check below to see the one we rate best bet.
The colorful open entrance and driveway of La Concha!
La Concha - A Renaissance Resort
There are hotels, and then there is La Concha. (I always wanted to say that!) This trendy, in the heart of Condado hotel is both great for location as well as service. Being right on the beach, you can get an oceanfront room that has either a balcony, or even just a full wall of window that allows you to see God's glory in the form of water.
The crisp whites and blues of the rooms make it spacious, and the double door allows you to open the room or close off the front and bathroom doors.
There is a casino right down stairs with pretty solid blackjack tables
The pool area is pretty much amazing, but there are children allowed. There is an adult only side that is pretty chill, and you can order food and drinks or hit up the poolside restaurant. There is a towel check with sunscreen and other beach necessities like Off.
The same can be said of the beach, and beach chairs and umbrellas- delivery of drinks, ice cream and coconuts for sale.
The bar at La Concha usually has something going on, and if not there, it is pretty close to a few bars and a quick cab ride to La Placita or even Old San Juan.
With all of the perks, it is more on the pricey side; you can find good fares on certain search sites, but the going rate is 322 a night in March with an 18 percent resort fee. I can't say its not worth the price, as the service is unmatched.
During peak times, there IS a wait for the elevator, one of my biggest issues with the place.
The view from one of the outside balconies to the pool!
The Hilton - Condado
As a Hilton property, you can have an idea of what you will be getting- Solid accommodations and pretty good service. You walk in to a red room, which is OK in the day, but the room is pretty dark at night, and there were only lamps to light it. You get a bay view or a balcony to the city, both give their own feel to the already dope vibe.
The bed is super comfy and faces the view of the city and bay. The TV was pretty big, and we actually had a little pre-game there and watched the All-Star Dunk contest before we went to La Placita.
The closet is in the bathroom which was awkward, but it does allow for more space in the living area.
We got in super later, or early, and tried to call down for late check out but whomp. No free late check out.
The grounds are pretty cool and they have their own private beach on the bay. They have a few on site restaurants but are far down in the Condado area.
I didn't get a good pic of the front, this is a stock photo!
The Coral Princess Hotel
The benefits of a hotel but the feel of home, the Coral Princess is for those who want to be "there", but get that it doens't have to cost an arm and a leg. Just a close walk to beach, the location is pretty good. If you get a car, there is a space available to park. A Continental breakfast is included, so its closer to a bed and breakfast feel.
There is a large upstairs patio with tables and a hot tub, and also on this floor are a pool table and full kitchen and refrigerator. There is a pool downstairs, but we prefer the beach in most instances, so we didn't use it.
The bathroom was really nice, with a jetted tub if you would like to use it. They did also have orange-scented amenities like a regular hotel would.
There was a stocked mini fridge with the necessities-water, soda, etc.
The cons of Coral Princess - no ocean view as it is about a 5 minute walk to the beach from the property, but the beach is AWESOME and for the price and space, the walk is no biggie.
Our room was also on the first floor, right outside our window was a large, loud generator. I sleep like a rock so this didn't bother me
So all in all, the best value, to us, was the Coral Princess. While La Concha is my favorite, the Coral Princess was literally half the price. (I will say, if you are "fancy", stay at the La Concha. If you like to look the part, this is the place for you.) To only have a short walk to the beach, same access to bars and food, and a more "homey" feel *plus* being able to now splurge a bit more, the Coral Princess is a win.