Cruise out of San Juan. Need hotel recommendation and possible sights to see

[rubbergypsy]

on the Wonder repo from San Juan to pc next feb. Will fly in the day before. Any hotels to recommend? Any tips etc. thanks

 

[bumbershoot]

If you want to stay right in Old San Juan, there's a Sheraton, but I yearn to stay at the beautiful Hotel el Convention.

We stayed at Caribe Hilton.

There are some hotels very close to panamerican pier where your ship will leave from.

We have enjoyed walking around OSJ and touring the two forts (which basically flank OSJ on the north side).

 

[GoofyLovingFamily]

Book early. January and early February rates are high in San Juan. We are on your cruise and the Southern the week before. We had booked a May cruise that we canceled and that hotel price was much less.

 

[amberwc]

The Bacardi factory is a neat little tour, we did it with kids.

 

[czmom]

January rates are very high. We just spent 2 nights there after the Galveston to San Juan cruise. I ended up booking a condo on the beach in Isla Verde through HomeAway for much less.

Things to do- walk around OSJ, food tour, visit El Moro, El Yunque rainforest.....have fun!! It's beautiful.

 

[MissMet]

What type of accommodations are important?

If you want a beachy resort feel then I'd recommend staying in Condado maybe at the Marriott in Condado. It's right on the ocean, has a great pool, casino, walking distanc to great shopping & restaurants. It's about 15 min from Old San Juan.

If you're more interested in staying in a more "city like" place that is walking distance to everything, but has no beach nearby, then the Sheraton in OSJ is nice, it's the only OSJ hotel with an actual pool. If you don't care about a pool then there are a few nice boutique style hotels in OSJ.

Another option for both Condado & OSJ that will also save you some money is renting on Airbnb or Vrbo.

A lot of people stay at the Caribe Hilton. Personally, I'm not a fan. You're not really walking distance to anything. It has a beach but it's a small, manmade beach so not worth it imo.

We're on a 7 day Southern Caribbean on the Magic this April/May. We decided to stay in a condo via Airbnb in Condado this visit as last visit we stayed in OSJ at El Cervantes Hotel. Having said all that, if it were my first visit I'd stay in OSJ and leave the beaches to when you're cruising or take a cab to Condado for the day-the Marriott in Condado does Day passes for full use of their amenities. I think it's like $60 per adult.

As for tours. I'd only bother with a tour at the rainforest or maybe a food tour. OSJ is so walkable and English is so widely used, I'd never bother with a tour of OSJ. You could see both forts in one day if need be. OSJ is not very large at all.

 

[hamm1207]

We're heading to SJ in Dec for the Magic's SJ-Miami cruise. I'm interested to see hotel recommendations and things to do as well.

 

[SleepyDeb]

We stated in El Convento. It was one of my favorite hotels ever, and I've stayed at some amazing hotels on the company's dime when I used to travel internationally for work. They gave us a free upgrade to a Junior Suite and the room was AMAZING!! I don't know how much the junior suite costs, but I will definitely look into it next time. The hotel is right across the street from the Cathedral and in the middle of OSJ. There's no pool.

At the other end of the cruise we stayed at Embassy Suites which was fine, with a nice pool. It's a 10-15 min walk to beach, but I was really unimpressed with the beach. Kind of scuzzy. The pool was definitely nicer.

 

[Donald & Daisy Duck]

We stayed at the caribe hilton and sheraton OSJ....we really liked both for different reasons. Sheraton for location....so easy to sightsee the day of our cruise and get to the terminal in time for lunch. The caribe had beautiful grounds but not mch else to see.....10 minute cab ride to OSJ

 

[hamm1207]

What are the travel options for getting to port the morning of our cruise? Do any of the hotels offer shuttles, or is the best way via cab?