Hotel El Convento

This is a beautiful hotel located in Old San Juan and right across the street from the Cathedral. We stayed for 8 nights and ate at the restaurant once. The restaurant was fine, but there are so many other places to go. We had breakfast twice and were well pleased. Other mornings we went to the plaza for coffee con leche and a breakfast sandwich. In the morning, there is coffee and an afternoon there is a wine and cheese reception (about 4 or 5 pm. Check for the schedule). Nearly everything you would want to do is within walking distance of the hotel. I toured the fitness center and it had everything you could ask for, but did I use the fitness center? Mofongo, no! I had no time and I did not come San Juan to get or stay skinny! I have seen dislikes about the wi-fi, but the staff will provide a wireless hotspot, if your room (like mine) has poor reception. What a great place to stay! There is a SuperMax grocery nearby. I never noticed this -- even on my 2nd trip to Old San Juan, but it on the east side of the plaza, about a block away. And another thing... the Hotel Convento has beach access to the Courtyard by Marriott in Isle Verde. This is an AWESOME beach (the best I saw in north PR) and the Uber ride was easy. The pool there is good, too. Typically a 5 minute wait. You will need to bring a receipt/proof of stay at the Hotel Convento -- I was able to use my room key and booking.com reservation, but check the front desk on what would make that easier. The beach boys will set you up with an umbrella and lounge chairs -- tip them! The drinks are expensive at the Marriott, so you might want to bring a small cooler and stop by that SuperMax store.

The laundry machine was out of service and there seemed to be no urgency about getting it fixed, so I hiked a couple of blocks to a small lavanderia (they gave me the name and location). (You can drop off or do on your own.)

excellent location, comfortable, beautiful

The daily cleaning service did not really clean. There were children’s toys in our room from the previous guests and the ice bucket had water in it clearly indicating no one bothered to check and clean. our bathroom was barely cleaned every day. only towels were replaced. Another issue that was not nice was that we arrived at 1:30pm so they told us to wait until our room is ready since check in time is 3pm. we waited and came back again they askedcus to wait longer. we only got our room at 5:30pm!!! when I asked that check in is at 3, why isnt the room ready, the reception told us “No, check is STARTS at 3.” This is the most bizarre thing I have heard in any hotel….

First class hotel, steeped in history, with a beautiful courtyard patio with two restaurants and bars. The location was perfect - we could walk to anywhere we wanted to go in Old San Juan on charming cobblestone streets. Our room was huge, with windows that opened out onto the plaza, which was always fun to observe. Food, drinks and service in the hotel was top rate. The daily wine and cheese reception was great, and we tried to make it each day we were there.

The pool was very small -- more of a soaker -- but it was on a beautiful rooftop patio with an amazing view, so I can't complain. Taxi service from the hotel can be a little slow due to traffic -- better to walk to one of the larger streets to catch your ride if going out of Old San Juan. Our bathroom was a little small, but very nice.

location

They advised that they had a washer and dryer on the property, but the washer was broken down our whole stay. So we had to find a laundromat to do our clothes.

We have stayed at El Convento six times, including this visit. Great location. Good service except for spotty housekeeping.

The housekeeping at the hotel needs improvement. No change of towel and removal of old towels for three nights! Repeated calls to the front desk and visits to the front desk did resolve the issue, but only two days before we were leaving. Hotel is in need of some refurbishing and a little tender cleaning up. For example, the canopy over the cafe on the ground floor has some holes and when it rains, as it often does, there are drips and water issues on the floor.

the courtyard was lovely for breakfast and drinks and roof top pool was great

the room was not super clean and lamps didn’t work and suitcase rack was broken

Hotel is a bit dated but in a great location. Pool isn't really a pool but more of a "plunge pool" - to me this was fine and it was quiet before 12 each day. Later in day you might feel you were sharing a bathtub with a lot of strangers. Hot tub was nice and good view from roof deck (some umbrellas for shade). Wine/cheese happy hour was great, and hostess was quick and polite. Didn't eat at hotel so I can't comment. Did get drinks - one bartender would bring drinks to rooftop; other one didn't offer (overall service is hit or miss but leans toward quite positive). Bottled water available at all times and there was coffee available all morning at no cost. Great location and staff were great at making dinner reservations. Third time staying there. Beds comfortable - balcony isn't a balcony and bathroom amenities quite limited.

see full review above - positives and negatives - but overall positive experience.

Location was exceptional.

TV channels were limited. Ice machine on floor 3 was not working. Reserved a two double bed room, but it was not available at check-in.

Excellent location a walking distance from all major historic & cultural sitesa & pleasure venues of Old San Juan. The Old World charm of its structure, Interiors, rooms. The Excellent, attentive, warm and welcoming staff, from desk clerks to wait staff and housekeepers. The courtyard patio restaurant and delicious breakfasts. The complimentary wine and cheese every evening. The self service Coin Laundry. The comfy bed. Daily chamber care and turn down every evening.

There's little I can think of that I didn't like. Just know that Ubers and Cabs cannot turn in to the narrow street of the entrance and must leave you or pick you up at the corner; not that far from the door, however. So not a big deal for me.

Overall the location was just incredible. It was right in the middle of Old San Juan and had everything required nearby. I would give 5 stars for the location only. Other services were also pretty good.

The wifi coverage was pretty bad in the hotel. There were a lot of areas where you could not get a Wi-Fi connection at all. Other than that, we also had a water leakage in the room at a couple of places, which was kind of annoying given that it is a pretty expensive property. The staff was prompt to address but it was a constant thing with water leakage.