Carolina Hostels

I would highly recommend the Fairmont El San Juan based on my experience staying for 4 nights this past week. The pool party was a good start to the week and made the outdoor scene more lively on Sunday & then the atmosphere was relaxing for the rest of the week. Most of the lounge chairs were positioned for a full day of sun & there's cabanas for those who like shade. Each pool has a different vibe one is more lively, one has shade and more quiet & one is good for laps. We were beyond impressed with the beach bar food (highly recommend the burger & fish tacos). Our room was spacious & had a balcony which was good when we had free time to relax before dinner. As a cat person, I thought the best part of the hotel was the family of cats that live on the property. They're super friendly (and will leave you alone if you're not a cat person), some of them even let us pick them up. I was sad to find out that people had complained about them and the hotel was considering moving them when they didn't seem to be a bother at all. The gym was really nice, especially for a hotel gym & had plenty of machines to accommodate a decent size crowd. They also offer classes, I took a yoga class on the beach with Ruth, who was great and super attentive to my back problems. The shops were nice but extremely overpriced - except for the chocolate truffle shop which was delicious & reasonably priced. The breakfast buffet had everything you could ever want for breakfast (even the alla carte menu gave huge portions) - we ate there every morning, their waffles & omelette bar were my favorite & their bacon was cooked perfectly every day. The Meatmarket steakhouse we ate at our first night was impressive, especially for a chain restaurant. Riva had an awesome tasting menu, which was priced beyond reasonably, along with amazing service, hospitality & delicious house wine. Their unique twist on common dishes was impressive & we ate every bite of every course even after we were stuffed because it was THAT good. Housekeeping kept our room in perfect shape & the front desk staff was very helpful when we wanted to plan dinners off the resort & a day trip to Old San Juan. The sounds of the birds at night make it like you're sleeping in the rainforest & very easy to get a good night's sleep.

Advantages: The hotel is not far from the airport, and the service attitude is very good. Although there are not many choices for breakfast every day, eggs are all made fresh. There are cocktails and various snacks at night. Basically, you only need to go out for a meal by yourself. Disadvantages: 1. The hotel is not on the seashore. The hotel's own beach needs to be walked for about five minutes. The scenery is of average quality. 2. The hotel has a resort fee of $ 35 per night, which is not so cost-effective. Overall it feels like a good choice.

Just a 5-minute drive from the Luis Muñoz Marín Airport in San Juan/Carolina, Puerto Rico, this hotel is a favorite. The friendliness of the staff and every single hotel employee is commendable. They really go out of their way to make you feel, not only at home but as if you were family. The restaurants are outstanding. Having their great breakfast buffet in an open restaurant facing the beach is a fantastic experience. The rooms are comfortable, and the views (if you get a room with a view or partial view) are breathtaking. It is undergoing a lot of renovations inside the main lobby area so it will be even prettier than it was before. The beach is fantastic!

Convenient location to the airport. We were unfamiliar with the area and we were arriving late at night. Walkable to eats late at night and lively music to get our vacation started. Room was good, pretty lobby but there was a unfavorable smell that was a big turnoff the minute you walked in the door. Overall not a bad experience except for the smell which is reflected under cleanliness in our rating.

The location of the hotel is good, just near the international airport, which is more convenient. But the hotel service is very general, and I am particularly dissatisfied: 1. We booked three superior rooms with a view for six nights, but only two rooms were fulfilled. One room defaulted to a small low-rise ordinary room. After many negotiations, the contract was barely fulfilled until the fourth day. 2. The hotel is very dishonest and added 78 yuan for other people’s meals to our bill. After we found out, the receptionist's attitude was extremely bad. After consulting with the restaurant manager, he admitted that there was a mistake in his work and refunded us 78 yuan. U.S. dollars, but not even an apology. This is disappointing because of the loss of intercontinental standards!

The ambiance and service at this hotel deserves five stars. The staff was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. The rooms are absolutely gorgeous along with the view of the ocean. The only floor is this hotel is missing room service. Other than that I had the most amazing experience overall.

Let me start off by saying, I was going to give the hotel a descent review. However, since they renege on giving our deposit hold back, explaining to my husband that wasn’t a hold on his card to get back, but a 3rd party charge. Even though, we was both at the check in desk and Grisala told us the $101 will be held until we check out and it will go back on our card depending on how long it takes our bank. Since we are a couple who don’t complain much and tends to go with the flow, we disregard the leaking air condition, the power outage, the cold water, lack of communication and rapid response. The only feature that stood out about the hotel was location and our partial view. In addition, the staff was welcoming and friendly when we did come across them. The young men on the beach who was in charge of the chairs and umbrellas was very accommodating. The young lady at the gate was pleasant and easygoing. The maintenance and cleaning staff were accommodating treating us like humans instead of foreign tourists. I fell like they should wait until they finish remodeling before they start accommodating guests! Just a recommendation.

We stayed here on our way to the BVI and coming back. On our way we had about 8 hours between flights and it was convenient to get in late at night and just a short walk away was the hotel. It is a little odd being in an old unused terminal, but the people that work there are very nice and our room was fine. It seemed like it had been updated recently. We had the included breakfast the next morning and it was your typical included breakfast but also had made to order omelettes which was nice. On our way back from the BVI we stayed there as we had a 5am flight. Super convenient to walk to airport when the flight is so early. Would I stay here as a vacation destination, No. But would I stay here again as a super convenient, clean, acceptable accommodation right at the airport, Yes.

Clean hotel. The staff are all very friendly and hospitable. Great location, a few blocks to the beach. Lots of souvenir shops and restaurants within walking distance. 2-3 blocks to the beach. Breakfast was great, the pool was great. No complaints with my stay.