We stayed for an extended weekend as part of a conference/vacation. The pool and grounds were lovely, and the rooms clean and pleasant (if a little small). We were treated well by the staff overall, though some were a little young and inattentive.

The pool is gorgeous -- great for kids who enjoy swimming. The beach is lovely as well, and security is quite good. We felt that we could relax and enjoy our time there.

We only ate at the restaurant near the beach. The snacks were overpriced and only so-so, though the meals were pretty good and not too expensive. The drinks were expensive and weak, and even the bottled water and sodas were overpriced. Once the conference ended, we felt a bit isolated from shopping -- the shelves at the store across the street were 1/2 empty, and there were only a few fastfood places otherwise.

I would recommend going 2 blocks, past the SJ Hotel and Casino, to Gelato Piu for meals and snacks.

Subject: San Juan
Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico, Caribbean, North America
Title: Intercontinental, Schmintercontinental - don't deal with them!
ID#: 14870951

We didn't actually stay there, but had a problem with a cancelled reservation. They've been giving me the run around for a couple of months and have charged my credit card nearly $900 for three rooms. They give me a song-and-dance, then don't follow through. They don't return phone calls, and pass the buck to another manager. I will be contacting corporate next, then if that doesn't work, the Better Business Bureau, and other consumer advocates, along with the tourism bureaus in San Juan. I will not stay at that particular hotel at any cost. If corporates don't help me, I will swear off any Intercontinental hotels, or any hotels affiliated with them. Too many other very nice hotels, large and small, to recommend this place that won't even try to resolve a matter without threats. Go somewhere else!!! If you stay and have a problem, I would venture to say it would not be resolved by their local management!

The service at this hotel is phenomenal. Every time you call and ask for something (e.g. extra shampoo, toothpaste, etc.) they not only bring it right up, they call your room to make sure you received the item and it is exactly what you wanted. I was very impressed!

My wife and I stayed at the InterContinental from 4/1/08 to 4/6/08 and had the best time. We got a room on the 5th floor facing the pool and it was great. We were not too concerned about the room location since we were not planning on staying in the room all day. We arrived at the hotel around 1:30pm and were checked in right away even though check-in is usually at 4pm. The bell boy brought up the bags promptly and we were off to the beach and pool almost immediately.

The pool and beach is excellent at this hotel. You have to get a wrist band in order to get towels & pillows and it also identifies you as a guest of the hotel when on the beach. The pool area has tents with chairs that can be reserved a day earlier or taken on a first come first serve basis.

All the hotel staff was very courteous and helpful throughout our stay and we had no complaints at all. The concierge at the hotel was very helpful in providing us with directions and recommendations during our stay there.

The restaurants on site were expensive and so was room service. Prior to visiting Puerto Rico my wife and I decided to only consume local cuisine so we didn’t ever eat at the hotel. The hotel itself has a Steak House, an Italian Restaurant & a Japanese Restaurant.

The pool side bar and the beach front cafe were also pretty expensive. Please note that the beach front cafe is cheaper than the pool side bar even though they are only a few feet away from each other. I basically went to the small supermarket directly in front of the hotel and grabbed some Medalla Light (local) beer and brought it to the room and put it in the fridge. I then took it down to the pool and beach in a plastic cup. The same beer 10oz costs $4 at the hotel while the super market sells it for $1.25.

The security at the hotel was very good and the pool and beach guard (Mike) is very friendly.

We rented a car for our stay from Alamo and I chose to use the self parking option. Since parking is scarce in the area, all hotels charge for parking. At the InterContinental they charge $16 for self parking and $22 for valet. The self parking lot is across the street from the hotel but it’s not a problem at all to use. Some people have mentioned concern about crossing the street. We live in the NJ/NY area and crossing the streets in our areas is pretty similar so it wasn’t a big deal for us.

If you want to have some local fare walk over to Mi Casita directly in front of the hotel. It’s a small place with a small menu but the food is excellent. Another restaurant in walking distance is Metropol. They have Puerto Rican and Cuban food and is excellent as well. We went to Metropol twice during our stay.

We went to Old San Juan a few times (for meals and sightseeing). It was convenient to have a car. I used my blackberry and Google maps (gps) to help me with the directions. All road signs are in Spanish so a GPS will really help. Some restaurants that we tried in Old San Juan are, Tantra (Indo-Latino fusion), Dragonfly (Latino-Asian Fusion) and Cafeteria Mallorca (located on Calle San Francisco in Old San Juan) typical local restaurant - they have some really good rice dishes and a chicken soup that local crave for.

Another must visit restaurant is Ajili Mojili (1006, Ashford Avenue
San Juan, PR 00907 Puerto Rico). It’s located in Condado (between Isle Verde and Old San Juan). They have the best Mofongo and Asapao (local delicacies).

Day trips we did:
El Yunque Rain Forest - I even took a dip under the water fall after the 30 min hike.

ATV tours at Hacienda Carabali - Ask the concierge for the directions to this place. We did the 2 hour ATV tour and it was awesome. They even stopped at a river and we were able to jump in. They are located between the El Yunque Rain Forest and Luquillo Beach.

Luquillo Beach - One of the best beaches in PR. It’s located a miles past the road to the El Yunque Rain Forest towards Fajardo. Try out some local food at the Luquillo Beach food kiosks.

If you are going to the above mentioned 3 places I recommend that you take the 187 road. This is the most scenic way towards Fajardo. You will also pass some unique local kiosks with food and drinks (try some coco - coconut water).

Old San Juan - Takes about a full day to view the whole town and all the fortresses, etc.

We will definitely go back to PR and stay at the InterContinental San Juan Resort, Spa & Casino.

Have fun!