First off, the photo seen here is not of this hotel. This hotel is in a 17th century building and does not have windows except for in the front and back. I went ahead and chose to stay here despite the tepid reviews. We needed a hotel before and after cruising and I wanted to be in Old San Juan. I had been made aware of the elevator issues so I requested a room on the main floor. Our room was quite large and clean and was just under $100 a night, booked directly. The furniture and amenities are very outdated, but everything was in working order and our bathroom was huge. Beds are comfortable and the only complaint I would have about our first night is we had trouble getting the air conditioning low enough. The staff were very friendly and courteous and even offered to get us ice from the 2nd floor so we didn't have to manage the stairs. (As with other reviews, the 80+ year old elevator was broken one of two days). We also didn't have phone in our room, but there is one available in the lobby and the staff gave us a personal wake up call. The staff were able to store our luggage and gave us an orientation of the town for sighseeing. It's the location that makes this hotel perfect. You are literally right off of Plaza de Armas and within walking distance of almost everything in Old San Juan. Right around the corner is Baraccina, a nice restaurant that is world famous for having invented the Pina Colada in 1963. The food is good, too. We found that the skylights leaked during our recent stay but the rooms stayed dry, we only had water in the central sitting area. We chose to skip the continental breakfast, there isn't much to choose from. If you're used to higher quality hotels you'll be disappointed here. If you don't mind something quaint and in a great location this works just fine.

I expected the hotel to be like all the other stock hotels you see around, but it was surprisingly individual. It's owned locally and licensed under the Howard Johnson name, but it hasn't lost its unique touch. The rooms aren't ritzy, but the convenient location makes it so worth it. It's a fabulous location if you want to bum around Old San Juan--it's right next to tons of great food and within walking distance of the sights. (Old San Juan, by the way, is absolutely lovely.) The hotel was a good price and breakfast was included. Really, there's nowhere else to stay in Old San Juan!

We booked this hotel two nights prior taking a cruise and one night after our cruise. There were six of us traveling, so we booked three rooms. All of us agreed that this hotel met our expectations. The best thing about this hotel is the location. Every thing there was within walking distance. There are two pharmacies across the street. There are a lot of souvenir stores, the house were the pina colada was born (Barrachina) was around the block. There are a lot of restaurants close by. We went to Jibaritos, a puerto rican restaurant, located about six blocks from there. Continental breakfast was included so that was very convenient for us. The elevator from the hotel is more than 100 years old!!! It was very tiny and slow; so we used the tiny stairs all the time...if you don't like to use the stairs or have a lot of lugagge ask for a room on the first floor. The people at the lobby were very friendly and polite. There are no phones on the rooms but since we all had our cell phones we didn't care. The rooms had no windows but that did not bother any of us. The rooms were clean, and we felt safe all the time. If you would like to be close to the beach then this is not the hotel you need. If you want a good location to explore the old San Juan within walking distance at a reasonable price; then I would recomend you this hotel.

The hotel is in an ideal location in Old San Juan. The Plaza is a great spot for people watching, meeting locals, and getting some coffee. The big problem with Old San Juan for me was that there aren't very many street signs on the buildings at intersections, so often times you really don't have a clue what street you're on. After driving in and out of Old San Juan though, you start to figure it out (it's not that big an area). This is an old colonial building converted in to a hotel. That means most of the rooms don't have windows because the houses had windows in the front and back to allow air to pass through the house and cool it down. Side rooms didn't have windows. I guess the door were just left open. If you want a room with a view, don't stay here. If you want a large room, this isn't the place to stay. If you want someplace to rest your head at night, this will do just fine. The air conditioner in my room sounded like, well, an air conditioner. If you're used to very high end central air conditioning that makes nary a sound, I suppose you might find it noisy. If you're used to the sound a window air conditioner makes (white noise), you'll be perplexed by the negative comments left by others about the sound the AC makes. The continental breakfast offered is decent, and should be taken advantage of (pastries, cereal, fruit, toast, juice, coffee). The staff is friendly and helpful, and made sure we knew which parking garage had the best rates (thank goodness! There was a big difference!). The elevator did break down one day while I was there, and it's slow, but it's not like it takes 10 minutes to get between floors. This is hardly unusual at a hotel in a building that was built before elevators were even invented (stay at any old converted hotel in Paris, and this elevator will seem like heaven by comparison). The staff gladly helped my travel companion with her bag the day the elevator was broken. I would describe the hotel decor in the lobby and lounge area as "Pottery Barn." And I rather liked the tile work in the lobby. If I were to stay in Old San Juan again, I would definitely stay here. Compared to the prices of other hotels, this was definitely the best deal I found. If your focus during a vacation is getting out and enjoying the sites and culture, and want your hotel to be safe and comfortable but not the focus of your stay, this is a good option for you.