Hotel El Convento

I'm apparently one of the few people on the Internet that didn't have a great experience at this hotel. Our room was part of a Suite on the 3rd floor. They had shut off (and put other guests in) the bedroom space and rolled a temporary bed into the Dining/Living area for us. The bed was real low to the ground and felt like a box spring. No mattress, just a box spring with sheets. No blankets, just sheets. It was really weird for such a nice hotel. The antique furniture was fabulos as was the view but the bed was too big for the space and you couldn't hardly pass between the bed and the dining table to get to the bathroom. There were no night stands and the phone was 30 feet away from the bed - lousy for our early morning wake up call. After trying to sleep on the miserable bed, we requested another room and were told that only one room was available. It had two twin beds and cigarette smoke pouring in through the ventilation. But the beds were soft and we were exhausted so we took the room. Then the noise started. Loud banging late into the night that started again before dawn. I swear we were sleeping next to elevator equipment but couldn't verify that. It took the front desk over an hour to honor our request for a room change. We believe they purposely put us in the worst room they had to punish us for complaining.

El Convento is a beautiful little hotel. It's quiet and elegant, and located in the older part of San Juan. There are many nice shops and restaurants (and also the historic fort) within walking distance.Unfortunately, the experience level of the staff doesn't match the elegance of the hotel. We checked in at noon on a busy Sunday, when a large group of guests were checking out to leave on cruise ships. Although we waited for the rush to subside, the staff was still flustered and it took around 30-40 minutes to get our bags tagged and into a storage area (check-in time wasn't until 3PM). They took my cell phone number and said they'd call when the room was ready. No one called, so we returned at 2:45 and rooms were ready for check-in.The room was beautifully furnished. Unfortunately, there was no running water. When I called the front desk at 3:30, I was told it would be restored "soon". We spent the afternoon out in the heat and returned at 6 PM. Still no water. No way to flush the toilet or wash our hands. Again, the front desk said "soon". Housekeeping came to each room with a bucket of water to force-flush toilets. It turns out that the water problem extended throughout that section of the city. But it was clear that the general manager wasn't on duty and the desk manager wasn't able to handle unhappy guests by herself. Three other staff members at the front desk just stood and watched. At 7 PM I finally asked them to find us another hotel. We re-packed, they agreed to refund our fees through [...], and they booked several of us into the Marriott Courtyard Isle Verde (with running water). When the taxi finally dropped us off at 8:30 PM, we discovered El Convento had paid for my fare but not the others. Very awkward situation. The water problem was out of their control. But some basic customer service moves (quickly and proactively informing guests, keeping them updated, even meeting them in the lobby with bottled water) might have kept tempers under control. During a major situation like that, there also needs to be a manager on duty with decision-making authority. I didn't like having to come up with my own resolution at 7 PM. Not good for an expensive hotel that bills itself as a "small luxury hotel of the world".

The hotel is beautiful with lots of interesting history. Its location is right near great shopping and restaurants in Old San Juan and just a couple of blocks from the El Morro fort. Our room was very nice, looked out on the plaza/park. Particularly enjoyed the 6pm wine reception with quite a variety of drinks and a lovely patio setting to watch the sun go down. Breakfast was good and service there was excellent.Our visit did start off a bit negative. We waited 1 hour and 20 minutes for the hotel to deliver our luggage. I called the bell captain several times and the phone would just ring and ring with no one answering. I finally went down to the reception desk and they started pursuing the lost luggage. It turned out it had been misdelivered to the wrong room. So a negative start to a good stay.

It's location is great. You're at walking distance to everything in Old San Juan. I loved its architecture, ambiance, and the restaurants it has. The room was nice but there was some cleanliness issues. It seemed as though the staff only cleans the surface or what's visible to they eye. If it considers to be a luxury hotel, staff should be more thorough. There was an issue with the iron and it ruined my $300 shirt. They did not do anything about but bring me another broken iron. Wasn't pleased at all.

I was under the impression for friends who had visited that El Convento was a luxury hotel. While is it is quite quaint and aesthetically impressive, it is by no means a luxury hotel. Luxury hotel connotes not just amazing amenities but also high quality service. Multiple times we had to call down for towels and to have housekeeping service come by. This shouldn't happen in a luxury hotel. We were supposed to have a Vista view - but could barely see the water from our room's window. The place is more old than antique to be honest. I would have preferred to stay that their sister resort, La Concha on Condado Beach. The pool is absolutely tiny so if you enjoy swimming do not stay here. The one positive is that the crowd here is well-mannered and not rowdy. Also, Old San Juan is very easy to navigate so the location is great.

The check-in was a nightmare. Absolutely unorganized and unprofessional. When you pay in full and in advance, there should not be any reason to not have a room available for check-in upon arrival. Aside from that, the rest of the stay/staff was good.

*** DISCLAIMER: We had reserved 4 nights that happened to be a couple days after Hurricane Irene.*** When we were checking in, they stated they had water but no electricity and apologized for the inconvenience. They couldn't tell us any kind of estimate as to when it would be restored. We stayed the night, hoping the power would come back, and it didn't. We were surprised that the hotel didn't offer flashlights or anything, being a 5 star hotel. Thankfully there happened to be a dim street lamp outside of our window across the street-- if we hadn't, we would have had absolutely NO light in the room. The following afternoon, we still did not have lights or A/C and we decided enough was enough and we checked out, were refunded (thru Orbitz) for our remaining 3 nights and transferred to El Convento's sister hotel La Concha in El Condado, (La Concha: modern, sleek, clean, nice employees, and great location, right on the beach. LOVED it.) I realize that it's unfair to judge the hotel because of the circumstances that they had little/no control over, but overall, it was a negative, depressing experience. We didn't get to experience any of the amenities at all (to this day I don't even know what they are), and we felt our stay should've been AMAZING and flawless for $150+ per night. Regardless, we felt it was pretty, but not as nice and luxurious as we had expected after reading all the positive reviews. We felt the hotel should have done more to help make the experience more comfortable for its guests... discounts? Flashlights? Offer to transfer to a sister hotel? ANYthing. We also grew tired of Old San Juan quickly, and felt that 24 hours in that area was more than plenty. We were SO happy to move to La Concha.

Loved the location of El Concento; I was able I walk to all the historical sites and was less than 2 blocks away from the fortress walls! It was a great spot to hot restaurants and get to experience Old San Juan. If you want the beach though, this is not the hotel for you. The pool is small, and you would have to get on the bus to reach the beach. It simply depends on what sort of experience you are looking for. It is not a "resort" hotel but you can't beat the history it has!

This was not what I was expecting for the price paid. rooms are small and some on lower level are dark. I adjusted and enjoyed my stay, but it was a definite surprise.

El Convento is located in Old San Juan away from the noise of the tourist area. It is lovely, well appointed, and the staff just can't do enough for you. Be warned, though. The hotel is located across the plaza from the San Juan Cathedral. It is very popular with the locals and the plaza is alive with school groups every Saturday. We found it charming, not noisy. Out room had two double beds which made it a bit tight to move around. Internet service was provided. When we return, we'll opt for a single king or queen for the extra leg room.