San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino
- Ishtar
- First Reviewer
- 4 out of 5
- Avg. Member Rating
- 79
- Reviews
-
7
- Photos
Great Hotel As a Package Deal Experience
- January 2, 2009
- Rated 4 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
This hotel was comfortable and as fine as a larger hotel in the tropics can be with the exception of the following:
1. We arrived at the hotel in the late evening. We entered the hotel lobby, as one must when arriving, and we discovered that the lobby bar was huge and the center of everything in the lobby, as were the surrounding cocktail tables. At the far end of the lobby was a Puerto Rican style band that had decided that they needed to test the audible limits of pain of everyone present. I guess that if one were really into the drinks and music over the course of the whole evening, the lobby experience would be fun. But I could barely communicate with the person at the reception desk and we all couldn't wait to leave the lobby as soon as we could. We're party people, but this lobby was being used for too many different purposes.
2. Because the hotel is 22 stories and it is located on the northeast coast of the island, the sun is always inland of the hotel. This puts the huge hotel structure between the beach and the sun. The resulting shadow on the beach is of concern. As the day goes on, the shadow moves with the sun. This means that most of the people at the beach must move their chairs several times during the day to stay in the sunlight. There are a lot of people at the beach and this process can be somewhat inconvenient.
Highlights: The beds and pillows are heaven. the staff is attentive. There is great dining in the area, especially in Old San Juan.
Have a good time! We did.
The perfect getaway
- December 31, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
We took a trip to PR in Dec 08 for a few days relaxation without the kids (5 of them!) and stayed 4 nights at the SJ Marriott. We couldn't have been more pleased. The facility was inpeccably clean and the staff was extremely polite and helpful. The rooms were clean and quiet and the beds were very comfortable. We plan on coming back to the SJ Marriott in May 09 to stay longer and take in more of the local sights. All in all, a fabulous trip at a wonderful hotel. Oh, and the weather was perfect!
Great hotel; Get Room On High Floor
- December 19, 2008
- Rated 4 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
We recently stayed at the San Juan Marriott and enjoyed the property. The location is excellent, especially because of its proximity to other things to do and places to eat. The staff was all very friendly for the most part (only bad experience was at the Beach Bar, but they were extremely busy at the time).
The hotel was in excellent shape and was as nice, or even better, than most Marriotts I have stayed at in the continental U.S.
The only downside to this stay was that we ended up with a room on the fifth floor. We had the option of a room on the 17th with two double beds, or one on the 5th with a kind bed, so my wife and I chose the lower. This would have been fine with us -- we don't care immensely about the view from the room -- except for the noise. On Friday and Saturday night, there was live music at the lobby bar, and we could hear it five floors up. It lasted until 3 a.m. on Saturday night/Sunday morning, and it was loud enough that it kept us awake.
We did not eat at the hotel, and we did not purchase many drinks. Everything was very expensive there, and we found better alternatives within a few blocks.
Otherwise, I would definitely recommend this property.
San Juan Marriott Resort Stellaris Casino
- December 6, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
This is the second time we have chosen to stay a week at this hotel. We have been pleased both times. The buffet is wonderful. We have always stayed in an oceonview room. Based on comments from friends who have not, we recommend paying a little extra for that. The staff is excellent. The pool is well-kept and many areas exist near the pool that are removed from the children of the pool. In other words, it has a great design to accommodate families as well as those seeking a peaceful place to relax and read or just rest. We have not been impressed with the casino. The machines are not well tended. We had two machines keep money and had to get refunds from management. If you don't count what you receive back, you might be short-changed. It gave new meaning to "one-arm bandit." Except for the casino, this hotel gets rave reviews from me.
Thanksgiving Visit
- November 30, 2008
- Rated 4 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
Well, for the money it was OK.
Bad: The elevator only worked half the time. There were 2 in the section of the hotel we stayed but one was being worked on and clearly had not been operational in some time. Best case...a long wait, but I had the thing break on me when I was on it, and sometimes the stairs were the only option. Also we lost power once, but all of Old Town was dark for an afternoon of our visit.
Beach: Red flag for rough surf every day and I get the impression this is the norm.
Food: Standard food, you could be anywhere in the world and get the same mediocre food. Not cheap!
Service: Not bad, concierge and others were helpful. Room had a leftover cigar and pumice stone from previous visitor, so not sure how clean, they did leave extra towels. Cabs always available.
Nightlife: Not upscale but they usually had a dj and/or band and a lively crowd at night. The trendier places don't pick up until after midnight so if you are not a night owl, this is the place.
Kids: The pool has a slide and the hot tub says no kids allowed but it was almost always all kids, good thing 'cause the pool was cold. Pool has a slide, not always open. You can check out some games and stuff at the towel stand.
Walgreen's a couple blocks away is great for breakfast and stocking fridge with beverages. Can't sell food from 12-5am or all hours on holidays.