Fairmont El San Juan Hotel

For the price point, this hotel was way below expectations. The location is convenient for anyone who is coming in from San Juan airport however you do hear the planes constantly. The window in our room is very dirty looking out and the room itself is nothing extravagant. The shower is small. The room service takes 2+ hours to get delivered. Very inconvenient. Why even offer room service if it is so expensive and doesn't come when you're actually hungry, but starving? The food and drinks themselves are good but again really expensive. If you have a cabana by the pool, then the service is good. Otherwise, expect to wait. I wouldn't come again, I would rather get an airbnb. If you are looking for good, affordable, ALL INCLUSIVE hotels, I recommend going to MEXICO! 🇲🇽

Just got back from a weekend in Puerto Rico with a one night stay at Fairmont. We wound up extending our stay one night because we were enjoying our vacation so much. Chose fairmont el San Juan off a recommendation from a friend who always spoke very highly of the property. Upon arrival we were met with dismissiveness from the beginning no help with our bags getting out of the car or directions on where to find the check in desk. The bellman simply asked if we were checking in and after stating yes he replied “we’ll check in isn’t until 4”. (We arrived at about 12 pm from our previous hotel. After finding the desk we were helped by Arnaldo who again was quite dismissive to my partner and I during the check in process. His face did not hide a level of I guess disgust? Brushing it off we gathered our things checked our bags and went off to the pool the towel girls were the highlight of the trip so nice and friendly. The wait staff at the pool not so much. Our waiter took a while to come around and the pool was not busy we put our order in and took a dip in the pool right behind our chairs. Our waiter passed us about 3 times and never said a word but delivered our drinks to the chairs (we were the only ones in the pool). It only took us to realize it’s been a few minutes since we ordered let’s check if they came and delivered the drinks. We returned back to watered down drinks from sitting out. We got our room fairly quickly a little before check in time which was nice. The room overall was nice for one night but could have been tidied up a bit better (someone’s used aquafor was found lying on the floor and other rubbish) and definitely needed some Maintence repairs done. The bed was comfy and the le labo toiletries were a great touch. The view also made up for a decent portion of the downsides. Overall the hotel is nice with a lot of history to it but is due for a much needed renovation again as it’s been almost 10 years since their last. The staff definitely needs some work in basic basic hospitality and I hope these kinks eventually get worked out for future stays but doesn’t seem promising.

Good amenities and friendly staff but we found a roach in our hotel room. I have family in Puerto Rico and visit this hotels/residences on this beach but have never had infestation issues. When we notified staff they came to clean up the dead roach but no other accommodations provided. We dont think we have bed bugs or anything, but who knows until we get home and process all our clothes? I’ll surely leave an update if any new infestations found…

Stayed at the Fairmont El San Juan late April to early May 2026 (5 nights) with my girlfriend - we are young mid 60-year-olds. PROS: The beach was beautiful! Lots of chairs and umbrellas, although the chairs were a bit close and we had a little problem maneuvering them to stay under the umbrella as the sun moved without getting too close to the people next to us. Did have some seaweed in the ocean, but its nature! I think when we stayed it was a not busy time, so the chairs were very easy to get early in the morning. We prefer the beach vs the pools, but the pools were very large and it seemed like they had 5 of them…plenty of room for adults, and I think separate pools for families & kids. ALL of the staff was friendly and they all seemed very happy! They made us feel like we were the only ones there. Even in the restaurants, we were treated great - some of them apparently are independent of the hotel. Restaurants on site were priced reasonable and had really good food. The Meat Market was the high-end restaurant and it did not disappoint. The lobby was massive had a big bar area. There were lots of places with private seating and a small bistro that served sushi and lite breakfast (not sure if this is served every day). They also have a Starbucks that serves sandwiches for breakfast/lunch/dinner and is very budget friendly. The hotel is less than 15 minutes from the International Airport and San Juan. The Uber ride to both was about $10 to $12 before tip. Close to the pool area, they have a 300-year-old Banyan tree which is really cool! CONS: Some of the other reviews talked about the dated rooms. Yes, they are somewhat dated, but I believe they are very passable for a 4-star hotel, considering all of the things we loved about the Fairmont Hotel. One bad thing was that our room (329) seemed to be 2 floors directly above the nightclub that they have at the hotel. On 3 nights of our stay, we couldn’t sleep well because the loud music was keeping us from having a great night’s sleep. We should have requested another room, but we thought it was just a one-night thing. I would make sure you don’t get a room on the first 4 floors that are above the nightclub. Also, our ‘balcony’ had a view of a lower roof area. We did have a view of the Banyan tree which was cool. Overall, I would highly recommend the Fairmont El San Juan! We will definitely make sure that when we go back to Puerto Rico, that we will book this hotel. Hats off to the management! The Hotel staff was 5 Star and the way were treated by everyone was incredible. This could be a 4.5 to 5 Star hotel with some upgrades, but the Management does a great job with the property they have!

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.