Caribe Hilton

During my week-long stay in Puerto Rico, I spent the most time at the Caribe Hilton, and the service there was truly beyond exceptional. I stayed in the oceanfront tower, which places you closer to the beach with a partial ocean view (at least from my room). The location alone made the stay feel relaxing and convenient. Because it was considered the off-season, the property was undergoing renovations. The pool was partially under construction, and the hot tub experience was… underwhelming; it was more “lukewarm” than hot. The hotel does offer a few cute on-site shops and a Starbucks, and a fun photo booth in the lobby, which was a nice and unexpected touch. However, the dining options left a bit to be desired. While there were several restaurants on the property, they all seemed to offer similar standard hotel fare, just with different design aesthetics. That said, the food scene nearby more than makes up for it. There are countless excellent restaurants within walking distance or a short Uber or Lyft ride away. Overall, despite the renovations and dining limitations, my stay was pleasant, and the service truly stood out. I would absolutely give this hotel another chance—especially once construction is complete.

Literally the worst hotel on the planet! Original room had only scalding hot water in bathroom couldn’t get any other temp. Next two rooms cold water or lukewarm water room was disgusting and hot no working AC. Then after complaints got moved to a room with working water in the shower with normal temp ranges hit the room stays 73 with ac cranking all day. No real AC. Lifetime diamond member getting this experience at so many Hilton’s I’m Switching brands. Hilton is an absolute disaster!

My family (my wife, our 12-year-old daughter, and I) stayed at the Caribe Hilton from December 26 through January 3. While the staff we interacted with were consistently kind, pleasant, and tried their best to be helpful, the overall experience still fell short of what you would expect from a resort in this price range. Spa Experience — Chaotic, Unreliable & Unprofessional The spa was one of the biggest disappointments. Reaching anyone by phone was nearly impossible, appointment availability was extremely limited, and there were instances of employees simply not showing up. Communication was poor and standard spa protocols were not followed. To make matters worse, the spa had hot-water issues, leaving guests to shower in freezing cold water after treatments — the opposite of a relaxing experience. Food & Room Service — Overpriced and Underwhelming The food on-site was mediocre and expensive. The buffet was $36 per person and honestly not much better than a free breakfast at a mid-range chain hotel. Room service also repeatedly told us they were out of ice cream — while the hotel’s separate ice cream shop conveniently had plenty. It gave the impression that guests were being pushed toward the on-site shop instead. Property Condition & Surroundings The décor throughout the hotel feels dated and in need of a refresh. While the grounds themselves are attractive, some nearby properties are covered in graffiti, which detracts from the overall feeling of the area. Final Thoughts The pleasant and friendly staff were the bright spot of our stay, and the resort does have a great location and nice outdoor spaces. However, the operational issues — especially at the spa — along with the lack of value in dining and the dated condition of the property, made our stay far more frustrating and disappointing than it should have been. For the premium rates charged during the holidays, we expected a much higher standard of service, organization, and quality. Based on this stay, I unfortunately cannot recommend the Caribe Hilton.

The location is great and staff is friendly, but during the stay we experienced a broken safe, our door’s battery dying so we couldn’t get into the room, long lines for breakfast, and charges to hold our luggage for 2 hours after checkout before we go to the airport. Additionally, the hot tub was broken which has apparently been a problem for over a year based on other reviews. We still had a nice stay, but the experience is far below what I would consider a 4 star resort.

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary at the Caribe Hilton in Puerto Rico and were hesitant due to some of the reviews but were pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. The Caribe was quiet during the weekdays in mid-December and a little busy on the weekends. There were some inconveniences (such as needing a room key or wristband scanned to walk to the pool/beach every time, the pools closing around 7pm), and the grounds could use some maintenance/new outdoor furniture, but we really enjoyed our time there, especially at the beach! We are diamond members so asked for a room key instead of wristband and were granted this. The swim-up bar pool was clean and very nice but the water was cool (along with cool water in the "jacuzzies," so we opted for the beach and had drinks there. We LOVED the sandy beach in the cove protected from the rocks with the warm ocean which we have not seen anywhere else and felt safer from sharks and such. The pina coladas were excellent, and the staff were all very helpful and friendly! The diamond member perk of free continental breakfast worked out well for us with many breads/pastries/fruit/yogurt/cereal/cheese/nuts and a full salad bar. (We skipped the $20 per person upgrade for the hot breakfast buffet.) Restaurants were decent with good food (especially the Caesar salad) but a little pricey, so we enjoyed a meal once at Rustica and once each at both the inside and outside bars, but mainly walked across the street to the Tropical Coffee Bar and Restaurant for some local food/beer with much lower price tag. Our room was on the 18th floor of the Wave Wind and was very nice! The Wave WIng is a farther walk for the beach but the Uber pickup/drop off is right outside the door making trips to airport/Old San Juan convenient. The shower door did pour water on the floor and the water temperature got really hot unless you made sure to turn on the cool water, so be aware for kids, but we enjoyed the really hot water and the ice cold AC!! The room was pretty (showed a little wear with some minor chipped tiles/paint/mirror), but was really clean and comfortable including the bed. Sandra from housekeeping took very good care of us and cleaned/asked what we needed daily! The balcony door stuck a little, but we really enjoyed sitting on it for hours with so much privacy. Although you saw the ugly roofs, it wasn't hard to look out over the almost 180 degree, absolutely gorgeous ocean views (rm 1866-1870 have these views). The Old San Juan is best seen from a tour first before heading out on your own unless you are familiar with the lay of the land--We did a walking tour with Oasis which was wonderful (although very hot). The couples massages from Jean Carlos and Julianna were amazing!! The spa hot tub (which is actually a hot temperature!) is the only place we could be together as a couple outside of the massage and the couples lounge which was dark and freezing cold, so bring a suit if you go as a couple. My husband and I will definitely consider returning to the Caribe!