Marriott San Juan Resort -- Not Bad, but not Four-Diamond Material Either
Written: May 21 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fantastic pool, beach access, clean, friendly service
Cons: Lack of reasonably priced transportation, beach access closes early, some issues
The Bottom Line: While it was nice, I didn't really feel like I got my money's worth at Marriott's San Juan Resort. I would recommend it,but be careful if you're on a budget.
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| gatorgirlie's Full Review: Marriott San Juan Resort and Stellaris Casino |
Our family just had the priviledge of taking our first-ever vacation together -- yes, hubby, myself and our toddler son. We wanted someplace fun and relaxing that wasn't too horribly far away and that didn't require a passport to get to. Call me lazy but I just don't feel like spending $100 on a passport for my two-year-old son.
Then a thought hit us -- Puerto Rico! It's tropical, it's beachy, it's fun, it's historical and it's less than a three hour plane ride from Orlando. Perfection!
Enter the Marriott San Juan Resort and Stellaris Casino
This vacation was going to have a little bit of everything -- a beach for mommy, a casino for daddy and a huge pool area for Aidan. On paper, this place looked like the ideal resort. Let me give you some specifics:
*One of the largest casinos in Puerto Rico -- boasting around 11,000 sf of gaming space
*Amenities such and Bath and Body Works shampoo, hairdryer, iron, coffee maker, small fridge and a safe
*Huge two-level pool (one shallow for the kiddies and another with a swim-up bar for the adults) with fountains and a slide
*Outdoor whirlpool
*Spa, fitness room and business center with internet access
*Right on the beach with complementary beach chairs
*Options to choose city, ocean or pool views
*Hertz Rent a Car right in the Hotel lobby
*Parking lot (for an $18 daily fee)
The address of the San Juan Marriott is:
1309 Ashford Ave
San Juan, PR 00907
Toll-free: 888 817 2033
Phone: 1 787 7227000
This hotel is located in the Condado area of San Juan -- approximately 3 miles away from Old San Juan and 5 miles away from the airport.
Check in is 4 PM and check out is 12 PM. This is a AAA Four Diamond rated hotel.
The booking and the Cost
We decided to book through CheapTickets.com because they were offering us the lowest price on an airfare/hotel package deal among the major travel sites. I believe we ended up spending $240 a night, including all the different resort fees and taxes they like to throw in. You can usually find a pool view room (like the one we had) for $229 plus taxes (around $35 a day) and fees (around 15% or $27 a day). The booking went fairly smoothly and I requested a fold-up crib for my son (since I wouldn't trust a young toddler in a large bed with no rails).
As far as the cost goes, $240 a night wasn't too bad but I did have a few problems with it. First, it didn't include any sort of breakfast (not even stale danishes) and second, the resort fee always rubs me the wrong way. The Marriott tells us they use the resort fee to cover things like beach chairs and towels. Yes, I understand that the room rate covers the "room" while the resort fee covers the "resort," but this is a mandatory fee and should be included in the room rate. By separating them it's making it look deceptively low -- you aren't really spending $229 a night (plus tax), you're spending $256 a night. That makes it tough to compare apples to apples when looking at other hotels in the area.
Call again in March
We booked in February, but I called again in March to ensure they had the details correct and had the fold up crib listed. I let her know we'd be arriving at 2:30 pm and she told me they'd try and have a room ready.
The arrival
Getting from the airport to the hotel isn't that bad -- unless you count spending $20 on a taxi to go five miles in 10 minutes not that bad -- and the bellhops were efficient and friendly, taking our bags quickly. We went to go stand in line and when we finally got up there (around 2:30), we were told they didn't have a room available yet. That's fine, no big deal, after all check in isn't until 4 pm anyway. She took down my number and told me she'd call when a room opened up. She also reconfirmed the crib.
At 3:45 pm, I wandered back to the desk (just to check) and was told they'd had a room available for us for about 45 minutes. Ok, now, seriously? We were sitting in the hotel lobby about 30 feet away from the front desk AND they had our number. We shrugged it off and reminded the new front desk employee about the crib -- she sounded shocked and said there was no mention of a fold up crib in the reservation.
What?
I let her know that I confirmed it with the associate standing directly to her left about an hour ago and she said she'd have one up for us soon.
*Sigh*
I give the check in process an average grade of a C+. While the staff was helpful and friendly, and the bellhops held our luggage and brought it up to our room promptly... the issue with the crib and having to wait for a room that was ready spoiled it a little for us.
The Service
Overall, I must say the service was very nice. People seemed to take pains to ensure they were being friendly and polite at all times. There was one lady who stood by the entrance to the beach and reminded us to use sunscreen (in a very grandmotherly way) when we walked out to enjoy the surf and sand... then came by five minutes later to ensure we didn't take offense to her reminder. Of course we didn't take offense -- who would? The maids were friendly and efficient, the bellhops always opened doors and the concierge helped out with everything. The servers at the restaurants were always prompt and courteous.
That being said, they did drop the ball in the service area a few times. The most notable was the first day when I called approximately 10 times between 4 pm and 9 pm (when the crib was finally delivered, about an hour after my son wanted to go to bed). They may have gotten sick of my calling, but if they'd only had it ready in the first place (it's not like they didn't have one available) I wouldn't have had to bother them so much. The other notable exception was an issue with the internet. On our last evening, I went downstairs to the business center to inquire about internet service. I just wanted to use it to check in online with Air Tran and the employee told me that if I used it for less than 5 minutes it would be free, but after that it would be $10 per 30 minute interval. She let me know there wouldn't be any charge for printing my three boarding passes.
I clocked my time down there and the check in and printing process only consumed three minutes time (I know because I was clocking myself), so I thanked her and proceeded up to my room. The next day on the bill there was an "Internet Charge" of $14.95. I called down to question the charge, letting the employee know what I had been told last night (even if I had used it for longer than 5 minutes, the charge should have only been $10). They told me they'd take care of it and they did -- they removed the charge.
The only reason why I'd have even brought that up is the fact the charge was there in the first place. What if I hadn't been paying attention or what if I was on business and the company was covering the room fees -- I would never have caught it. Not only that, but it was $5 more than the rate that I was quoted (and that was listed on the business center door itself) for 30 minutes of use. It seemed almost sneaky -- kind of like "let's see what we can put on our bill that she won't catch." It makes me wonder about the rest of the charges. I didn't keep receipts when we went down to the bar -- should I be worried that the bartenders added .50 here and there to the tab? If you have a policy of free under 5 minutes, then a charge shouldn't show up. If you have a policy of $10 for 30 minutes use, there should be a $14.95 charge. Yes, they did make it right and yes, they did it with no problem (I didn't even have to get angry about it)... but it shouldn't have been there in the first place.
I give the service at the hotel an B+, with a large deduction for the crib issue and a smaller deduction for adding a bogus charge on my bill.
The Room and the Room Amenities
The room was an interesting mixture of a Marriott hotel trying to class itself up as a resort. It worked surprisingly well. The bathroom was fantastic with tile floors, granite countertops and a large rain-style shower head. The lighting was very good and they included an illuminated makeup mirror for the ladies. The bed was extraordinarily comfortable -- with a down-style mattress pad, down comforter and both super-soft and moderately hard pillows. I'm actually very surprised at how comfortable the bed is -- I have scoliosis and usually have a very tough time sleeping on hotel beds but this never caused my back any pain whatsoever. They included a large business desk/work station and a flat screen LG TV. The dresser was small, but they had extra shelving in the closet (where the safe was located). The balcony was large enough to fit two chairs and a table between them and overlooked the very large pool and part of the beach. There was a large full-length mirror across from the bathroom. The decor was modern and the room was a decent size, if a bit on the small side. We could fit the crib easily in the corner but it left us a small amount of space leftover.
As far as room amenities go, they were pretty good. The bathroom had Bath and Body Works Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash and Lotion, along with Marriott brand soap, facial soap and mouth wash. There was a shoe mitt and a sewing kit along with a complementary bottle of Marriott water (stay away from the Fiji Water, that was $5 a bottle). The fridge was tiny but the perfect size to hold a half gallon of milk, a few bottles of beer and some leftovers from the previous night's meal. No microwave, however, meant cold leftovers. They provided ample towels, two very comfortable bathrobes and some slippers. The fridge, hair dryer, iron, safe and coffee maker all worked fine (but the maid seemed to not like refilling the coffee... probably because the place downstairs charged $3 for a tiny cup so Marriott probably wants to discourage people making their own coffee every morning for free). They did say they deliver the newspaper to the room every morning Monday through Friday but we only got the paper one morning we were there -- Tuesday -- when we should have gotten it Friday and Monday as well.
As far as cleanliness goes, the room was in immaculate shape. The maids did an excellent job and I never saw any creepy-crawlies or felt like the room was dirty, ever. They do advertise turn-down service but I think you must request it (in some hotels it's standard when they say "turn down" service) because we never received it. Actually, all areas of the hotel were always immaculately clean. There were constantly people cleaning, sweeping, tidying, dusting, straightening and otherwise keeping the hotel in tip-top shape.
In many ways the amenities in this hotel are right up there with resorts -- upgraded bath supplies, the availability of bathrobes and the upgraded decor all add to the resort feel.
I give the room a grade of A for making the bed super comfortable, the amenities upgraded and the inclusion of a nice fridge and great shower.
The Hotel Amenities
We'll start with the pool because that's where we spent the majority of our time.
When I say the pool is huge it's probably an understatement. They have a large shallow pool (with fountains) that goes from a depth of 6" to 2.5' and is perfect for little ones to play in... This pool itself is probably the size of two lap-style pools. This pool is elevated higher than the other one and pours into it. The other pool is roughly the same size as the kiddie pool but slightly deeper. I think the deepest is 4.5'. There is a twisty slide that is open from 11 am until 4 pm, a swim-up bar with food and a volleyball net for playtime. Next to it is a large whirlpool/jacuzzi with space for 8 - 10 people. The pool isn't heated and it's shaded for a good part of the day, so it's definitely cooler in and around the pool than it is by the beach. There are ample beach chairs around the pool so there was never any problem in finding a spot to store our stuff.
By the pool is a little activity hut where you can check out the towels (make sure to bring them back or you'll be slapped with a $20 per towel charge... OUCH), pick up the newspaper or a book to read around the pool, or pick up toys for the kids to play with. They had a huge selection of beach-style toys and balls for the kids to throw around. Pretty neat. They had scheduled activities every day for kids and adults alike, so be sure to check out their large activity board close to the hut.
The beach is just a few steps away from the pool and offers pretty good surfing when the waves are up. There are tons of beach chairs and I believe there are servers taking drink orders during the most populous parts of the day. The only problem I found with the beach is that it closed at 6 pm. Oh, not the beach itself, but the hotel's access to the beach. They locked a gate and the only way you'd be able to get to the beach is by going out the front of the hotel, down the street and around the corner into a small alley. Not the safest thing, I think. The sun doesn't set until 8 pm -- why block off access at 6? That's ridiculous and frustrating. The worst was the first day when we actually got locked out and had to trudge down the alley and into the front of the hotel, getting sand everywhere. Can't they install some sort of electronic access code if they're so worried about safety?
I can't say much about the spa and fitness center -- I didn't have time for the spa and the fitness center was closed for a large part of our time there. I do know that one guest was yelling at an employee for the fitness center being closed but I'm not quite sure why.
The casino was nice for Puerto Rico. It was one of the largest in San Juan, with around 11,000 SF of gaming space. It's small compared to Vegas but if you're looking to gamble a bit, it'll have to do. They have slots and blackjack open 24 hours a day, roulette and poker tables open sometimes and craps open very seldom. The bet minimums are $5 and they will usually increase at night -- yes, this even goes for the poker tables. The poker hands are $10 big blind with unlimited betting. Whoa nelly, way too much for my blood. Their roulette wheel is stacked more against the player with the inclusion of 00 and the slots aren't really all that loose. Drink service is virtually nonexistent and they certainly won't take an order for you. My husband went twice, once for two hours and once for around three, and a waitress came by twice in those five hours with small 6 oz cups of beer. So, in five hours worth of gambling he received two free 6 oz cups of beer.
The car rental place is quick and efficient, with the Hertz employees being very polite. We rented a midsize Mitsubishi Lancer for one day at a cost of $45.56 after tax and other rental car fees. We wanted to rent it for two days but the hotel charges a ludicrous $18 daily parking fee and we certainly weren't going to pay that on top of our rental car costs so we cut out the trip to the caverns.
The Marriott does not provide a shuttle service anywhere, so be prepared to be at the mercy of either taxi drivers or the bus system. When inquiring about the bus times, one of the bellhops told us the buses run pretty much whenever they feel like it... and I'd have to say they were correct. One day we spent over 45 minutes waiting for a bus to come (and there were people who had been there well before us) and a bus is supposed to come every 30 minutes. Another day a bus passed right by us even though it wasn't full and we were waving at it. The taxi system, while not as bad time-wise, is ridiculously expensive. It is three miles from the Marriott to Old San Juan and expect to pay $12 - $15 (depending on if you leave the driver a tip or not) unless you meet up with another group of travelers, then it'll be $3 a person. That means a six-mile round trip will tack on $30 every day you want to go down there to eat or shop. The Plaza las Americas (one of the largest malls in the Caribbean) costs another $12 - $15 to get to (again, only a few miles away), and the airport is an additional $15 - $20 (depending on how much luggage you have).
Trust me when I say the taxi system will eat you alive if you're not careful. I, personally, think the hotels and bus system are in cahoots with the taxi system because there were always taxis at our hotel and no one could ever tell when (or if) a bus would come. Every time we'd wait for a bus, numerous taxis would stop and try to get us to come in, telling us it'll be a while before the bus would show up. Trust me when I say that I didn't like that feeling one bit. I guess I'm used to Orlando where pretty much every nice hotel has free shuttle service somewhere...
The business center wasn't overly large, but it had a few computer terminals. They have wireless service throughout the building and public areas outside, but I have no idea how much extra they would charge you for that.
Overall, I give the Hotel Amenities a solid B. They get bonus points for their fantastic pool and neat activity center but they lose points for shutting beach access too early and not providing transportation elsewhere. They always had 10 - 15 bellhops and other employees hanging around the front doors, one of them could be spared to drive hotel guests around the nearby San Juan area.
The Restaurants
The hotel has quite a few restaurants attached. There is La Vista (the main restaurant) which is open for a breakfast buffet, lunch and dinner, Ristorante Tuscany, open for dinner, the Coffee Merchant, providing a selection of breakfast items, danishes, sandwiches and coffee, Wan Chai Noodle Bar, open for dinner, and the La Isla swim up bar and grill, offering sandwiches and hamburgers throughout the afternoon and evening.
Pretty much the only thing I can say is that everything was way, way overpriced.
La Vista's breakfast buffet served stale danishes and muffins (my corn muffin was a rock and the danish cracked in half) and a very small selection of hot entrees. There was scrambled eggs, some very salty hash browns (there were just potatoes with very, very few red peppers strewn in), bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, cheese blintzes, cold cereal, oatmeal and cooked to order omelettes and pancakes. The scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage were no better than you could get at IHop (and when you asked the cook if you could have more scrambled eggs because there were none left, they looked at you like you just asked them to commit suicide). The oatmeal was bland, even my oatmeal-loving son made gross faces. Pretty much the only good things there were the pancakes (again, no better than IHop) and the blintzes.
You know what they charged? $18 a person.
Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous for the amount of food offered and the quality of said food. There is no way I could have consumed enough to make that breakfast worth the $18 tab, especially when you consider that you can usually go and find eggs, bacon and hashed browns for $6 or less at any self-respecting diner.
We went there once and only once for breakfast.
La Vista, again, was decently overpriced for lunch as well. My husband's reuben came to $13 and my hamburger was around $15 -- they were both ok but certainly nothing to warrant the high prices.
We didn't even touch the Tuscany place, with prices starting at $22 and no kids menu, it definitely didn't seem like a place to take a toddler. They say it's recognized among San Juan Restaurants for their "award-winning cuisine" but I know that's mighty subjective, since they are also a member of the tourism board and many "awards" often come at the exchange of money (see: Charley's Steakhouse in Orlando).
The Coffee Merchant only seemed reasonably priced compared to the other offerings in the Marriott. A small cup of coffee will set you back $3, a danish $3 and a banana $1.50. If you want oatmeal, be prepared to fork over $4.50 and if you want a small box of cold cereal make it $3, plus a cup of milk ($2). While you feel like you escaped with money to spare, you did just spend $6 plus tax on a danish and a cup of coffee. Seriously. I can't say I spend that much at Starbucks for the same meal -- and both the Starbucks coffee and the danish would be of better quality.
La Isla served the same quality and style of food as La Vista, only had the added appeal of eating in the pool. Yay.
Anyway, the restaurants get a dismal D for the lack of any type of respectably-priced food option and the quality of the food. Based off of what I know from eating at three of the Marriott's restaurants, I don't really hold out hope that Ristorante Tuscany is any better.
Speaking of prices
Ok, I want to get something off my chest that has bothered me to no end. This Marriott seemed to be out to nickel and dime you. Don't return a towel? $20 a pop. Seriously. For a rough cotton towel that isn't even that high quality. The casino's bet minimums were high considering the quality of the casino, odds against the player and complete lack of anything resembling free alcohol. Want a babysitter for a few hours? You're looking at $20 an hour with a four hour minimum. *Gag* Want to rent a car for a few days, you'll pay $18 a day in parking fees on top of your car rental fees. Want to buy a drink in the bar? You're looking at $7 for a local beer (with tax). Want one of the worst Pina Coladas you'll taste on the island? Start at $8. Want to listen to the live singer on Friday night? Two drink minimum per person, per table. Nice. Want to make a short local phone call to a restaurant nearby to set up a reservation? Start at $1.50 and go higher. Want to use the internet? $10 - $15 and up, apparently. You pay the 12% resort fee to cover things like having a beach chair and the ability to use towels (hey, if it were up to me I'd just use the ones in my hotel room and be done with it). Depending on your room rate, you're looking at at least an additional $27 a day.
Don't want to be stuck at the hotel and the few restaurants within reasonable walking distance? Fork over $30 round trip for a taxi or wait until a bus might decide to show up.
Then you have to count that every time anyone did anything for you, they looked at you for a tip. Hey, I'll tip the bellhop for getting our bags but I'm not tipping you for opening the door for me. Sorry, bud.
Between the resort fee, the restaurant prices and the nickel-and-dime-you fees, sometimes I feel like I was lucky I got out of there with my credit card not lighting on fire.
The extra costs for the very little added service gets a disappointing grade of D- because... hey, it could be worse... They could have charged me to use the elevator.
Check Out
Check out was quick and easy -- they sent an itemized list up to the room in the morning and at 11 am we checked out in approximately 5 minutes. Not too bad and the bellhops will hold your bags for as long as you'd like... so if your flight isn't until 8 pm, your bags will wait behind the counter.
Overall
Overall, this Marriott warrants Three Stars. It was clean with nice amenities and a friendly service staff but after staying there for six days and five nights, I don't feel like the cost was truly justified. The lack of reasonably priced transportation and the diminutive number of reasonably priced restaurants nearby only hightened the feeling of getting ripped off. It seems like this Marriott tended to cater towards the business traveler with few worries about budgeting or expenses, as opposed to the family traveler (like most of Orlando does).
I'm kind of wishy-washy on whether I'd recommend it... If you're looking for a place that fits well within a budget, I wouldn't recommend it to you. Yes, the staff is friendly and yes, the pool is awesome... but I've stayed at four and even five diamond rated places before and this doesn't even compare. Heck, it doesn't even compare to an average Disney resort. If you don't mind paying extra for just about everything, I'd recommend you compare this hotel to some of the others in the area.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
gatorgirlie
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Location: Orlando, FL
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