Hotel El Convento

El Convento is a nice hotel in the heart of Old San Juan. The rooms are nice for an old hotel and the staff for the most part was very good. We ran into an issue the day we were checking out. The manager had already given us a late checkout at 2pm. I was just confirming this with the front desk and the woman tried to retract the late checkout and get us out of room at 1pm. Not cool. And she wasn’t even nice about it. Of course, I would not be bullied and we checked out at 2pm as originally planned. The other issue we experienced when we came back early from dinner one evening and our door was propped open with deadbolt. Not for turndown service. This hotel uses actual physical keys. Nothing was missing but was disturbing regardless. We went down to the front desk to tell them what happened and the woman, different than the one mentioned earlier, said, “yes, that has happened before, I am glad nothing was missing”. Are you kidding me? They absolutely need to spend the money and get electronic keys like every other hotel in the world. Probably would not hurt to have security camera’s in hallways, also like most other hotels. Probably would not stay here again.

We stayed 6 nights at El Convento in San Juan, PR. The building is beautiful and well cared for in a tropical environment( ie humid, hot weather, torrential downpours frequently). The staff are mostly wonderful! The restaurant courtyard is v nice and the food was delicious. A couple of issues came up , one being the HVAC system in the rooms with high ceilings. We like to open windows for fresh air, but this causes a huge buildup of humidity to invade the room and it is hard to get rid of! In fact, it began to drip from the ceiling onto the bed ( very slightly but v annoying). They did move us to a higher floor to a room with low ceiling and a better HVAC system and an airy location( ie sunny). They warn you not to open windows in humidity! I think they need to put fans in the bathrooms as this contributes to extra humidity from showering. Ask for 3rd floor room as they are airy and get some sun. The rooms are ok with good beds. The breakfast included is vouchers but should be more inclusive with less rules about what you can order. It is delicious, however. Lovely staff at breakfast esp Adera! The location is the best for wandering around Old San Juan! The wine and cheese was a real highlight each day on the beautiful terrace! With issues, the staff, including the manager, were v responsive! We were stay again, but on the 3rd floor in a low ceiling room. George the valet was great!

Juan Rivera. Excellent service for morning breakfast all week. Very respectful and quick. Highly recommended. We really enjoyed ourselves at the El Convento Hotel in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. We would definitely stay here again.

Utmärkt läge, underbart charmig byggnad. Takterrassen med pool.

Personalen skulle ordna taxi, men struntade i det och undvek oss när vi blev sena

Our room was amazing, and the location of the hotel is excellent. We loved the square outside the hotel and all the little nooks and crannies in the historic hotel itself, particularly the courtyard and the morning coffee spot! Being right in Old San Juan made everything accessible and easy to find and walk to! We got to see so much just stepping outside the hotel and walking a block or two. The church was beautiful, and the food options were plentiful.

Everything was great!

We have experienced several of the group “Small Luxury Hotels of the World” and the experiences were gorgeous, the hotels were meticulous, with attention to every detail including food. We chose the Hotel El Convento, San Juan, Puerto Rico because it is listed as a member of “Small Luxury Hotels of the World”. This is not a “luxury” hotel and should not claim itself to be such. This hotel requires being shut down for a complete overhaul . It is tired, worn, sticky dirty, and feels uncared for in the worst way. There are huge cracked paint peels, lopsided stained and very dusty trellis encompassing the dining areas, smelly, dirty restrooms off the bar/dining room, tired sticky passageway doors, suite doors, outdated inexpensive toilets and faucets……and the list goes on. Yes, our suite had been modernized but the light switch/plug covers are patched and uneven, the air conditioner very noisy, the shower not draining properly, and there was no hot water the day we arrived. As we sit here on the veranda, there is a workman jackhammering intermittently on the wall in the open bar/dining area which has been torn down. We are still awaiting our room to be cleaned …it is after 4 P.M………

Great location although very difficult to get to via taxi in high season with the traffic. Beautiful old hotel with nicely appointed rooms. Pool area was lovely and a nice place to escape the heat and bustle with all the tourists from cruise ships. We had a bay (and pool) view which was excellent. Our kids looked out on the back dump area which was not ideal. The breakfast in restaurant took awhile and they were under staffed. But otherwise we really enjoyed our stay!

Slow service and not enough tables for breakfast. Difficult to get to with roads blocked/traffic.

Staff, at the front desk and in the restaurant/bar outstanding!

Construction is necessary, of course, but it will be nice when it's done.