Condado Vanderbilt Hotel

I have stayed already 2 times at this property, but not during my most recent visit to Puerto Rico. We did return to The Vanderbilt, because of Christian! We had a spectacular time and my partner also celebrated her birthday month! We have received the best hospitality and service from Christian at the VC Lounge, no surprise there. He is by far one of the best people I have come across and he takes pride and joy in what he brings to the table, no pun intended. The tapas and drinks were by far the best we have had, kudos to the chef. Also Miguel at the VC Lounge did not disappoint either. Gracias Miguel! Keep it up and hope the Vanderbilt reocfnthe best workers in the realm. Thank you!

We went to visit our new found friend from our previous stays at the Condado Vanderbilt. Although we did not stay this time at the hotel, we revisited the lounge for tapas and drinks during our last days in Puerto Rico. Christian does not disappoint and his colleague Miguel also did a great job! Their service and welcoming is by far one of the best I have received, and I have traveled and dined and have had really great dining experiences. The tapas were great and we were content with the drinks! The mojito and Negroni, really, really nice. Thank you Christian and Miguel! I will miss Puerto Rico!

Although the hotel is a bit “tired” looking the staff is very polite and aim to please. A special shout out to Kevin at the beach. He went above and beyond. Every morning he had 4 lounge chairs and umbrellas ready and waiting for us. His friendly, polite and attentive service was very much appreciated.

I needed a room with walk in shower. The front desk staff were helpful and friendly. They handled my request perfectly. They asked me to wait as the room requested was not ready yet. I only waited a short time. The room was spacious and the bathroom exactly what I requested. The hotel is beautiful and all the staff went out of their way to make me feel welcome. The location is perfect with beautiful views on the ocean.

This stay unfortunately did not feel like a true five-star experience. The hotel itself is beautiful, and the history of the property is impressive, but several service issues made the stay fall short of expectations. Check-in and check-out were slow and not expedited. The pool experience was the most disappointing. Signs say pool attendants are available from 7am to 7pm, but that wasn’t the case. On my first morning at 7am, a member of the cleaning crew told me not to sit in a section near the ocean because it still needed to be cleaned. While I appreciate the cleanliness, that work should be done before 7am if that is when the pool areas are supposed to open. Towel availability was also a recurring problem. Every day, the adult pool had no towels in the morning, and one day I was told to walk to the other side of the pool complex to find some. I later learned that towels on the adult side aren’t usually set out until after 9am — which would have been fine if the signage were accurate. In the afternoon around 4pm, I got into the hot tub assuming towels would be restocked afterward, but they never were. I had to air-dry before going back to my room, and during the 1.5 hours I was there, I even saw guests using dirty towels from the bin because nothing had been replenished. Chair-saving was another issue. Guests were “reserving” chairs for hours without using them. One morning, a towel and sunscreen were left on a chair by the infinity pool around 7am; three hours later, after breakfast and lounging, no one had returned to claim it. Most luxury hotels enforce reasonable policies to prevent this, and it would make a big difference here. To be fair, there were positives: the room and the view were great, the butler service was excellent, dinner at 1919 was outstanding (especially thanks to the servers and sommelier), and Avo Lounge was also lovely. However, despite those highlights, the overall experience wasn’t worth the price, and I wouldn’t stay again or recommend it, as the service falls short of what a hotel at this level should consistently provide.