Fairmont El San Juan Hotel

Summary - Wonderful staff, food, and incredible beach, but the hotel/rooms need a complete renovation. Overall, our kids loved it and we had a great time because of the staff. However, if Fairmont would invest in a renovation it could be top-notch but right now, it is in need of TLC. PROs: The STAFF was amazing at the hotel! They went out of their way to help with any issues and were extremely friendly. Particular shout out to the Front Desk staff (Wilfredo/Edwin) for resolving an issue, and the pool bar staff, including Luis. The beach is GORGEOUS and we loved the proximity between pool and beach for the kids. The lobby area is "neat" with an Old-School historic rat-pack vibe, albeit not a beachy vibe. We also loved the DRINKS and FOOD (not sure why some reviews were negative about this). Our elementary school age kids had a GREAT time because they didn't mind some of the "cons" I note below. Cons: While the location and staff are wonderful (and personally, this is the most important part of a good stay), the physical hotel (main building with lobby) is desperately in need of a complete renovation! We had a broken pull out couch upon arrival so no place for the kids to sleep (until new beds were brought). The drawers fell out of the bathroom and were small. And I am a really hard sleeper but omgosh the AC SOOOO loud it was like being put into a rocket launch each time it went on / off. There were also no balconies / open windows which is really strange for a beach vibe. They should close the hotel for just a year or so and invest in a major renovation and then this hotel would be a premier property because it has such a good location. They could modernize while keeping the rat-pack history style.

The hotel is very very old. Just because it’s old and historic doesn’t mean areas of the resort can’t be updated. The halls and rooms were damp and have an odor. The bathroom is ridiculously small and needs updating for the price. The feed on the TV cut in and out and it took days for the hotel to remedy the issue. The house keeping staff were great and extremely friendly. The lobby is spectacular but very dark. The food and drinks are overpriced compared to restaurants in the area. A burger annd a glass of wine was $90+ for lunch anccording to the menu. Entertainment was great and lively especially on the weekends. Casino and Sportsbook were OK. If you wanted to bet on sports you had to be a Draft Kings member. Why? Kind of stupid if you want to bet on a game and can’t. The taxes and “resort fee” are obscene! Not sure what is included in the resort fee (see attachment) but it’s almost as much as the Hilton and Marriott across the street per night. If the hotels daily rate doesn’t include beach and pool chairs, something is very wrong! Not sure what else a resort fee includes? We were never told. Also used ACCOR points to pay for one night and made reservation directly with the hotel. Of course upon check out, I was charged cash for the night. Not sure why point redemption was not added into my reservation. Everyone at the resort was very friendly and that was the hilight. Cost per room per night for an April visit is suspect.

We didn’t stay at the hotel but we visited the Banyan Tree Grill. We stumbled upon it on Trip Advisor and decided to check it out. We visited this place three times, not only for its quiet appeal but because of the bartender Martin. Martin was quick, attentive, funny which made the experience even better. Bartender 5 stars Food 4 stars - we ate the fish tacos and empeñadas Atmosphere 5 stars

The property is beautiful, there are plenty of restaurants, shops, and even a Starbucks. The pool area was clean and staffed, same for the beach. It was a 15 minute Uber ride to Old San Juan and 15 minutes from SJU.

I stayed at this hotel in early march. We honestly loved our stay! Our room in the tower was exceptionally clean ( 7th floor) and the cleaning staff were very nice. Riccardo, one of the managers in the lobby is incredible. He was so helpful the entire stay and gave us many tips on where to go. The beach was lovely. The food was ok but could be more diverse in options. The steak restaurant is a must!!! Overall, really enjoyed our stay.