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El Convento Hotel: Traveler Reviews

Call now to book: 1-800-454-6835 from hotels.com
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating:
  • A summary score based on quality, quantity and age of traveler ratings.
4 of 5 stars 261 Reviews
5.0 of 5 stars
176
4.0 of 5 stars
43
3.0 of 5 stars
11
2.0 of 5 stars
23
1.0 of 5 stars
8
TripAdvisor Popularity Index:
  • Measures overall traveler satisfaction based on ratings, reviews and other sources.
#1 of 38 hotels in San Juan
Show Hotel DetailsHide Hotel Details
  • Hotel class: 4 of 5
  • Rooms: 58
  • Address: 100 Cristo St, Old San Juan San Juan 00901 Puerto Rico
Property Type: Hotel
  • Lodging offering guest rooms, a 24-hour front desk and a variety of services and amenities.
Description: Located in the heart of historic Old San Juan, Hotel El Convento has set new standards of luxury, comfort and service while preserving the rich... This description is based on information provided by the hotel.
No Business Center Fitness Center Free High-Speed Internet No Free Parking Pets Not Allowed No Restaurant No Room Service Swimming Pool
Check Rates: $300 Avg. Price
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TripAdvisor Traveler Reviews

Reviews of El Convento Hotel

( 23-27 of 261 )
“Skip El Picoteo-go across the street to Buren's”

El Convento Hotel

Jun 13, 2008
1/5 found this review helpful

We chose to eat her based on some other reviews. It was during a food festival and things were busy. The traffic was terrible and parking cost us $27!

The food was ok at El Picoteo, certainly not cheap for what we got. It is tapas style but very expensive. Drinks were also expensive. We actually had a better experience across the street at Buren . We went here before dinner since the roads were so crowded and our reservation was not for another hour. The bartender Emmanuel was wonderful. He gave us great suggestions for sightseeing all around the island and made a mean batch of Sangria! The prices and food were more reasonable and better. We had just a few items at El Picoteo and then went back across the street for more food and drink!

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
bahstengirl's Summary
Date of Stay: June 2008
Traveled with: Spouse / significant other
Visit was for: Romantic getaway
Age group: 35-49
Member since: March 17, 2008
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
probably not
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Beach / Sun, Great food / Wine
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Management Response
ElConvento, General Manager
(Management representative)
Jun 18, 2008
We appreciate all comments on the hotel, even from day visitors such as yourself who are not guests with us. Please note that we have three exceptional and highly rated restaurants in the hotel and the one you chose, El Picoteo is one of them.
Regards,
Efrain Rosa, General Manager
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Check Rates
Average price*: $300 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-454-6835 from hotels.com
“Could have been better”

El Convento Hotel

3 of 5 stars
Washington DC
Jun 6, 2008
1/1 found this review helpful

We stayed here for 3 nights during our honeymoon. The hotel is in a great location and is a beautiful building. However they seem to rely on their "historic hotel" designation way too much, as the hotel is very expensive but the rooms and management leave a lot to be desired. The management was not very helpful when we encountered a problem with our room. Also, housekeeping does a subpar job - i don't think they clean the toilets very frequently.

We were in a queen deluxe room for $300 (plus tax), although that was the smallest queen bed i have ever seen and my husband and i couldn't fit in the bathroom together (and we are fairly slender people). The first room we were in, which I was told no less than 75 times was their "model room" (i still have no idea why), had this extremely annoying banging noise coming out of the AC duct that happened every 30 seconds or so (with the AC on or off). We complained that night, were told they had no rooms in our rate, so to check back tomorrow. The banging continued all night, so we complained again the next morning and were told they would send an "engineer" to look at it and if they couldn't fix it we could switch rooms. When we checked back at 5pm, we were told that the "engineer" sat in the room for 30 minutes and never heard it. The manager acted liked we were making it up, which is always a nice attitude. She told us that if we still heard it when we went back, she would switch our room. Of course, within 1 minute of being in the room, we heard it. After making the manager and their engineer come to the room with us, they also heard it within a minute or 2. Then the engineer said "Yeah, I have heard that before, just not today." And you didn't try to fix it last time? Excellent work ethic.

They did switch us to another room, which was very quiet. Upon checkout, when we saw that we were billed the full rate for the first night, we complained to the manager on duty (same one as before, lucky us). We didn't want the room for free, but considering the aggravation I felt a little customer coddling was in order. She was clearly annoyed that we were bothering her again and before I even completed my sentence she said she would give us 30% off the rate. That's all I wanted. Well, with a little less attitude.

Bottom line - its a very unique building with a gorgeous patio inside (excellent breakfast at their restaurant), and they have a complimentary wine/cheese thing which was lovely, but the management and housekeeping could use some serious work. It was certainly not terrible, but was far from stellar and its WAY too expensive considering the problems, no matter how much free cheese you give me.

  • This TripAdvisor Member:
    • Liked — The building and center patio
    • Disliked — Staff and housekeeping
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
mlc00's Summary
Date of Stay: May 2008
Traveled with: Spouse / significant other
Visit was for: Honeymoon
Age group: 25-34
Member since: June 06, 2008
  • My ratings for this hotel are:
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
    • 3 of 5 stars Business service
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
probably not
I recommend this hotel for:
Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Great pool scene, Pet owners, Families with young children, Families with teenagers
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Museums / Cultural / Historical sites
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Management Response
ElConvento, General Manager
(Management representative)
Jun 18, 2008
Thank you for your review of the hotel. We appreciate your positive and negative feedback as it helps us to make improvements where they are needed most. We do hope that beautiful memories were made on your honeymoon and that you will visit us again.
Best regards,
Efrain Rosa, General Manager
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Check Rates
Average price*: $300 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-454-6835 from hotels.com
“Old world charm”

El Convento Hotel

Jun 2, 2008
1/1 found this review helpful

Great service from arrival to departure. Location is perfect! Far enough away from the tourist off the cruise ships and closer to El Morro. Make sure you cross the street to El batey!

  • This TripAdvisor Member:
    • Liked — Location and setting
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
jayson182's Summary
Date of Stay: May 2008
Traveled with: Solo traveler
Visit was for: Business
Age group: 25-34
Member since: June 02, 2008
  • My ratings for this hotel are:
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Business service
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
absolutely!
I recommend this hotel for:
An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
People with disabilities
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Business meeting / Event
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $300 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-454-6835 from hotels.com
“Enchanted - Could be better informed”

El Convento Hotel

May 31, 2008
1/1 found this review helpful

We stayed at Hotel El Convento for one night after a weekend in Culebra. We didn't have reservation so we thought we couldn't get a room.

A friend mentioned us about the hotel. We then did some research.

We first review the Hotel in Trip Advisor. My couple and I had a curiosity from the reviews in the web page and how the Hotel Manager always writes back to any comment. This is not normal, it was clear that service was important for the hotel.

The Rooms are small but we didn't expect anything big specially in a 300 old small luxury building-hotel and for the price we paid last minute.

We met Jaime the door man. Everyone talk's about him. Almost a Celebrity.

The location is great next to Coach, Guess, Burberry, Puma and Ralph Lauren Outlets.

What I like about Puerto Rico is that you don't have 100 people jumping on top of you trying to sell you something like it happens on other islands, the south of spain or other countries.

Early that evening we started walking around the hotel and for our surprise we went to the this little room and the hotel that had Wine and Chesse of the hotel. Great romantic view. We only had bottled water, but they had a full self service bar.

I am originally from Spain and we decided to visit the tapas rest for a salad and some drinks. I could only say that only in sevilla you see restaurants so beautiful like this one. Well then we heard music coming from the outside terrace and from my surprise a really nice jazz band was playing. It was another restaurant but we didn't know because there's no signage of the rest inside the hotel and the front desk didn't mention anything. The hotel only has a sign to The Patio Rest and the Picoteo Rest.

The two tables seating next to us at the terrace were enjoying a 5 Rum Flight with a Rum Expert. They really seemed to be having a good time.

The hotel should hand out or provide a small information recommendation guide mentioning all the rest they have and its concept. Because they are all unique and different and they all have there charm and theme.

Well it was a Rum Bar called Kane or Caña. Really good mojito. We enjoy the rest of the night enjoy from the jazz band the hotel provided in the outside terrace next to a incredible art statue. My couple wanted to stay viewing some sports game inside the restaurant but not on our only night in Puerto Rico.

That night we then continue walking around the Old City and ended up with the view of the fort El Morro. At night the light effect of the fort makes it look like floating in the air. A Must See.

We slept like babies that night. During the morning we had breakfast and left.

Overall – The Hotel is beautiful. Being old one couldn’t expect thing to be like new building hotel. Having this in mind help us enjoy the hotel structure and décor even more. The next time we visit Puerto Rico I will stay in the hotel at least one or two night then move to a beach front hotel. We still have a big curiosity of the Rum Flight those two tables were having at the Rum Bar Kane or Caña!!!!

  • This TripAdvisor Member:
    • Liked — Location
    • Disliked — Lack of Information. We like to eat go rest and bar hopping
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
FullofPureLife's Summary
Date of Stay: February 2008
Traveled with: Spouse / significant other
Visit was for: Romantic getaway
Age group: 25-34
Member since: May 31, 2008
  • My ratings for this hotel are:
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
absolutely!
I recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
People with disabilities, Great pool scene, Pet owners
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Museums / Cultural / Historical sites, Great food / Wine, Shopping, Other
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Management Response
ElConvento, General Manager, Efrain Rosa
(Management representative)
Jun 18, 2008
Thank you for your review of the hotel and we are pleased you enjoyed our old-world charm and hospitality. For your information, we have numerous brochures available to our guests with historical and current details on the hotel and island so please ask on your next visit!
Best regards,
Efrain Rosa, General Manager
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Check Rates
Average price*: $300 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-454-6835 from hotels.com
“What a great hotel!”

El Convento Hotel

May 27, 2008
1/1 found this review helpful

The El Convento was highly recommended by friends and also by Trip Advisor so we felt pretty confidentant in our choice of hotel. I have to say, it was a pleasure staying there.

In addition to the beauty of the hotel itself, these little things made the stay highly enjoyable: 1) Free internet in the rooms. 2) complimentary bottled water in the in-room fridge and 3) complimentary nightly wine and cheese hour which also included water, coffee, tea, soft drinks, beer, and mixed drinks. The wine choices were excellent as well, 4 different reds and 4 different whites. This area also had complimentary coffee, tea and bottled water all day. I found it so refreshing to not have to pay for an internet connection and also to not get charged $6.00 for a bottle of water like is often the case in many hotels.

The other great plus is the location of El Convento, right in the heart of Old San Juan and walking distance to great shopping and dining as well as the forts.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
abigsvi's Summary
Date of Stay: May 2008
Traveled with: Spouse / significant other
Visit was for: Romantic getaway
Age group: 35-49
Member since: May 04, 2008
  • My ratings for this hotel are:
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Business service
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
absolutely!
I recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Families with teenagers, Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Great pool scene
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Great food / Wine, Shopping, Other
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $300 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-454-6835 from hotels.com

Reviews of El Convento Hotel

( 23-27 of 261 )
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El Convento Hotel Also Known As

Address: 100 Cristo St | Old San Juan, San Juan 00901, Puerto Rico