We stayed at SJ Water & Beach club for 3 nites at the end of march, 2008 as a way to finish off our Caribbean holiday. We have stayed in SJ 2 other times but this was our first experience at this trendy hotel. First location, location, location! We love the fact that you are in Isla Verde next to the other big hotels but you are on your own section of beach and have the more unique hotel service and amenities. It was a nice change from big resort feel to have the roof top lounge with comfortable day beds - loved ordering our breakfast to be delivered to the roof top and lounge on the big beds reading a book and sipping a coffee. The rooms are not large or well-appointed since it has the minimalistic, hip design flair. But they are attractive if you like a more modern approach.
bottom line is that we felt the service of doormen, front desk staff, and lounge staff to be above average and we loved the location and modern approach in the middle of SJ.
One tip for an afternoon/evening in old SJ - after spending an hour or so at the Fort you have to wander the cobblestone streets and then discover some of the best cocktails and tapas bars we have had in a long time. Our favorite pick other than the usual old stand by of Il Convento was "Toro Salvao" in old San Juan - fantastic tapas and we got a table outside in the square which made our last nite magical!

While size(small) and location (directly at beach near old San Juan) suited us well, the overall experience was terrible. While many very cool design features were distinctive the negatives far outweighed these, i.e. very small room, very loud street noises and blaring music from rooftop bar until wee hours of a.m., beat up old furniture and inferior sushi and tiny pool and pretentious eating area at pool that requires you buy a bottle of liquor in order to use large sofa like banquette seating.
In all fairness, beds did provide lovely ocean view and staff were sincere and very helpful.
Not enough reason to ever go back.

We spent 6 days at the Water Club and had an alright time. The staff is very helpful and the hotel was clean and nice in a very minimalist way that we appreciated. We really liked our room and loved the option of moving up to the roof top pool/lounge area when it got too windy for the beach (which it did...4 out of 6 days).

We are a mid 20s couple and we left for vacation expecting to have a great time...We did like the beach, the weather, our room, and the cute coffee shop/bakery down the street. But generally, we were very disspointed by the surrounding area. Yes, you can get a great meal at El San Juan down the street (we went to Coco for Caribbean cuisine) BUT it will cost you. Pretty much every place you will find to eat is in a hotel. You will basically spend your entire vacation in various hotels eating, or on the beach.

The area is definitely a bit seedy...we are from Philly and are used to a bit of ghetto flavor, but I have to admit, there were several times that I felt unsafe.

If you are looking for a long weekend get away and you WANT to eat and sit on the beach and don't care about doing much else, this place is great. We were there for a bit too long and by the time we were leaving we were more than ready to go home.

I would reccomend having this place be your arrival and departure hotel on your way to and from Fajardo and Culebra. Staying at the Water Club for your whole vacation is rather uneventful. If the weather isn't great you really will have nothing to do other than visit the other hotels along the strip or sit at the roof top bar.

As a side note, we had a great experience with Little Shogun, the sushi bar at Wet. We ate there twice...it was delicious and very reasonably priced.

All in all, the Water Club is nice. I would stay there for a quick get away, but not for a major vacation.

My family and friends have visited the San Juan Water and Beach Club 3 times in the last 13 months. As travelers to some the worlds best hotels and resorts we can undoubtedly say that this hotel is a small gem. The property is beautiful, hip, and well maintained. The staff from top to bottom are the best we have ever experienced. If you want a truly extraordinary vacation experience book the San Juan Water and Beach Hotel- you will not be disappointed!!