Caribe Hilton

I rarely write negative reviews, but this experience at the Caribe Hilton San Juan spa was unacceptable and needs to be documented. My partner and I booked a couples massage and clearly selected the service in advance. Upon arrival, we were placed in separate rooms. When we raised this, we were left waiting in a hallway while staff tried to figure out what went wrong, and ultimately were given no proper resolution. This completely defeated the purpose of booking a couples experience, especially as this was part of our honeymoon. More concerning was a serious safety issue. During our time in the locker room, an unauthorized individual entered the women’s locker area from outside the facility, despite the spa being presented as secure and restricted access. This was extremely alarming and should never happen at a property of this standard. What made the situation worse was the complete lack of follow up. I escalated this through Hilton’s Diamond support channel and was assured multiple times that someone would reach out. No one ever did. I was later told to resolve the issue directly with the property, which had already failed to address it. The only resolution offered was a minimal points gesture that does not reflect the seriousness of a safety breach combined with service failure and lack of accountability. This experience fell far below what is expected from a Hilton property and raises real concerns about both guest safety and how issues are handled after they are reported.

We stayed in the Presidential Suite at El Caribe Hilton from March 28–April 1, spending over $16,000 on what was supposed to be a luxury family vacation. Unfortunately, an incident on March 31 at the beach cove completely overshadowed our stay. Earlier that day, I found a beautiful, EMPTY queen conch shell while swimming. My children (ages 6 and 7) were thrilled—one of those special vacation moments. Around 4:30 PM, after we settled at the pool, a man approached us without introducing himself and abruptly said he needed the shell because it was “illegal to keep.” We complied, but later found this was not entirely accurate. He claimed it was for hermit crabs that live miles offshore, yet I watched him place it almost exactly where I found it. This raised immediate concerns. When we followed up at Aqua Adventure, we saw multiple large conch shells displayed at their office (gone the next morning). Staff gave inconsistent explanations, even saying they personally collected shells from various places—contradicting their “environmental” reasoning. The situation escalated when a scuba instructor, Jose Morera, aggressively inserted himself, accused us of wanting the shell for its value, and began loudly yelling in Spanish about us in front of other guests. His coworkers tried to stop him, but he continued ranting in front of Hilton security (Luis) and staff. My children and mother-in-law witnessed this. He refused to give his name, scoffed at me, and continued making derogatory remarks. As an Asian family, the tone felt racially charged and deeply disrespectful. Adding to this, Aqua Adventure’s own public social media shows large conch shells—similar to ours—being used as props for tourist photos. If this is truly environmental, why are identical shells used commercially? This raises serious concerns that the shell taken from my children was not about conservation, but for their own use or profit. Although Luis arranged for the shell to be retrieved, my husband was then pressured by staff and security to throw it back into the ocean from a pier—despite the fact that these scuba professionals could easily retrieve it again. We left feeling mocked, humiliated, and upset. My children were in tears after having something meaningful taken from their hands. There are no signs anywhere stating empty shells cannot be collected, despite swimming/snorkeling being encouraged. We had no malicious intent, yet were treated like we did something wrong. Despite speaking with multiple Hilton managers, we received only generic responses. Manny Melendez acknowledged signage should exist—but that is not the guest’s responsibility and not an acceptable resolution. We plan to escalate this to Mike Garcia, regional leadership, and the PRHTA. The lack of accountability—especially regarding Aqua Adventure staff—is unacceptable. If you’re considering a luxury vacation, I strongly recommend choosing another property. We regret not going with the Ritz-Carlton and would advise avoiding both El Caribe Hilton and Aqua Adventure. The scuba diver in the white rash guard was one of the individuals involved. All referenced posts are from El Caribe Hilton. The shell circled in red is the one I found and cleaned.

Me gustó mucho la zona de la piscina y playa.

En el buffet no habían tantas opciones. Y para el costo, no te lo incluye en la oferta. Se debe pagar extra.

Location

Old hotel

What should have been a beautiful family moment turned into one of the most disappointing hospitality experiences I’ve ever had. While enjoying a simple chess game outdoors with my family, we were abruptly rushed by staff and told we had “11 minutes” to finish. Shortly after, Henry approached us at 9:57 PM—acknowledging the time himself—and still instructed us to “clear up and abandon the area.” When I pointed out we were within the stated time, his response was: “I’ll wait the 3 minutes you have to make sure you leave.” The tone was cold, unnecessary, and frankly unacceptable for a property of this caliber. I expressed how this made us feel, yet the interaction remained dismissive and rude throughout. It was so uncomfortable that my 9-year-old niece—who has special needs—felt compelled to hug him and ask him to “be nice.” That moment alone speaks volumes. Hospitality is about people, not just policies. What we experienced was the opposite. This was, without question, the worst moment of our vacation. Based on this experience, I cannot recommend Caribe Hilton.

Location, view and friendly/helpful staff

Rooms are a little dated

I expected more as we paid U$600 per night for a twin. That did not even include breakfast. The hotel itself is tired and dated. The room had a small, gritty balcony with a shoddy table and peeling paint. The bathroom was also tired and dated with rotten wood at the bottom of the door frame. I have stayed in far better hotels for a quarter of the cost. I booked in to the spa and that was a mistake. Some parts were out of action. The outside pool was filthy. The towel I was given was frayed. All round it was terrible. Breakfast was an additional U$35. Far better to go elsewhere.

Excelente ubicación y personal muy atento.

Reception staff were very helpful

Air conditioning was broken, was very noisy and could not be fixed. Credits offered do not, as this date, seem to have been honoured. My bank account still shows money paid that should not have been taken.