Caribe Hilton

Experience begins with the Uber drop off located about 500ft from check-in; Ubers are unable to access the hotel’s porte-cochèr for some reason, so you’re left to drag your luggage up the stairs and past the gift shops without bellman support. Check-in is pleasant enough, we opted for a king ocean view room with balcony. The ocean view was nice with the ruins of an old fort and the city in the distance though directly below were the unsightly rooftops of the hotels convention center. Balcony had two small chairs and a table, all filthy (goodbye white pants). Room was fine, at $850 a night, an empty mini bar and no bottled waters in sight (and no easy way to procure one). Shower didn’t drain, AC was loud and struggling, TV could barely maintain a signal, lighting is offensive, lots of dents, nicks, scratches around the room. Guest hallways smell like mold and jungle rot. Breakfast restaurant looked gross, standard midmarket hotel fare with long lines of tourists waiting for their dry scrambled eggs. Line at Starbucks in the lobby is interminable—kudos to the two overworked baristas. There’s a Morton’s steakhouse on property in case you’re in the mood for some true local fare—overpriced, bland, commodity steakhouse. You have to get up at 7am if you want to snag an old rusty lounge chair by the manmade beach or one of the many freezing cold pools that will soon be jampacked with screaming children. You could also opt for a dip in the mysteriously foggy hot tub. Drinks are fine, fairly priced for a beach resort and the bartenders are friendly and affable; lines at the pool bar could reach 15-20 minutes for a drink and the beach servers were very rarely seen. No offers of decent wines by the glass or modern beverages such as a high noon or white claw, just a lot of sugary “tropical” blender drinks. The beach itself is not well kept with lots of visible plastic trash (I did my part!) the beach attendants are friendly and will set you up with an umbrella for a modest tip. Bathrooms are a hike if you are on the swimmable beach side. Note that you have to scan your bracelet and have your bag checked by security each time you go to the restroom and back. While we were there the elevators were completely out of service for most of one of the days. The lobby at night is lit up like an operating room and it feels like you are staying in a mall. There’s a lovely little cafe across the street where we took most of our breakfasts and lunches for some authentic local cuisine, skipping the “French fries +…” hotel nonsense. Quick uber to charming Old San Juan or other neighborhoods with no shortage of excellent dining and drinking options. Beach was nice for chilling and bathing? though there are jellyfish and rocks. I’ve been to beach resorts all over the world at a variety of price points and service levels, and for the price, I cannot recommend here.

The location is great IF you want a pool experience and ocean view (if your room gets one!). BUT if you want easy access to Old Town this isn’t the place. Expect to use expensive cabs or slightly cheaper Ubers to get there. The hotel itself is a bit tired in many areas despite the $150 million renovations after Hurricane Maria in 2017(?).

This place in its prime was very nice I’m sure, that ship has sailed some time ago. The staff is pretty much indifferent to our presence with a few exceptions. The food is below average and their prices are above average ( $30 breakfast with pancakes hard enough to use as weapons) The golf course is in bad shape, greens are terrible, fairways not much better and the carts are barely serviceable. The rooms were clean enough but need updating, our water never did get hot, luke warm at best. The bright spot is that you get 2 complementary 12 oz bottles of water when you check in for your entire weeks stay!

Second time here .disregard the poor reviews ( hint car door opens for ladies ? ) The staff and rooms are up to par . Central location . Beaches are limited due to rocky shoreline but there is a lagoon . Easy walk to the Fort and old San Juan and the same to the hotel Vanderbilt which is a beautiful hotel at three times the cost of the Hilton . Enjoy …..

Gorgeous views, relaxing, the staff try to please the customers, it is pricey but also another great Hilton brand hotel in paradise. Had no problem finding beach chairs, the Super Bowl event at the Caribar was excellent, and I could not get enough of the natural beauty in the well-maintained surroundings. If you have the money to splurge, go and enjoy yourself at this magnificent hotel. Just remember to request the Wave wing with ocean views.