Hotel El Convento

We planned our wedding at El Convento from DC, and the two people who made that possible were Nelia Sanchez and Gabriela. A destination wedding means a year of emails. Headcount changes, menu decisions, allergy flags, timeline questions, invoice questions, and a hundred small things that probably felt endless from their side of the inbox. Neither of them ever once made us feel like we were asking too much. Every message got answered. Every detail got tracked. That steadiness is the reason we were able to enjoy the year leading up to our wedding instead of dreading it. Then came the day. It rained, our ceremony had to move to the indoor backup, and the El Convento team executed that change so seamlessly that our guests thought it had always been the plan. Nobody around us panicked, so we never panicked either. It was still beautiful. The food was a real highlight and our guests have not stopped talking about it, which is not something people usually say about a wedding dinner. The drinks were excellent and the bar service ran smoothly all night. The staff took care of us from the first hour to the last, and we never had to look for anything or ask twice. And the property itself is, of course, extraordinary. Salón Campeche and Patio del Níspero are stunning spaces with real history in them, and they gave our Old Havana Nights theme a setting that no ballroom could have matched. But the building is not what made it feel like ours. The people were. Thank you, Nelia and Gabriela, for everything.

I’m Puerto Rican…born and raised in NYC, but visit Puerto Rico often. First… if you want to visit like a lovely city in Spain without spending hours on an airplane visit old San Juan. You will not find another American city like it, and it is very bilingual. Second… El Convento Hotel the place to stay! A stone’s throw away from the Cathedral “San Juan Bautista (as old as San Juan), the food at El Convento is excellent, and it’s near many excellent restaurants. El Convento is very close to a beautiful ocean walk surrounding the old city and an easy walk to Castillo El Morro, as huge Spanish fort built in 1595. So much more to say, but… El Convento Hotel is the ideal location for a visit.

My husband and I went to PR for the first time at the end of May, beginning of June and we stayed Hotel El for the first time for 4 nights. Very centrally located and charming historic hotel. We had an amazing and warm welcome by Enrique, porter/greeter at the entrance of the hotel. Ian at the front desk who checked us in was very friendly. They gave us great suggestions about places to eat and sight seeing. Would definitely stay there again the next time we go back to Old San Juan.

We had an amazing experience with Ricardo and Jesus. If you are in town you must visit …

El Convento is truly a five-star experience; I am certain there is simply no better hotel option in Old San Juan. From the moment I booked our stay, directly through the hotel, the staff were responsive, attentive to my requests and concerns, and generous in their answers. I was apprehensive about travelling to Puerto Rico in the midst of the water crisis, but the hotel was right to assure me our stay would not be affected one bit. We arrived early, and the lovely ladies at the front desk greeted us and took our luggage into safe keeping while we spent some time at El Parque de Las Palomas, just down the street. They telephoned soon after to say that our room was ready, although it was still hours before the official check-in time. When we reached our room, our luggage had been delivered upstairs for us, and we had a beautiful birthday surprise arranged by the hotel staff, personalized to my son in a hand-drawn card on the hotel's lovely stationery. Our room was just perfect, clean and beautiful like the rest of the hotel, and reflected a tasteful mix of Spanish colonial history and modern design. The hallways, pool, veranda, and especially the central courtyard are just stunning. It was magical to get up early, survey the Old San Juan skyline, with the Cathedral right next door, and then proceed to sip tea and coffee in the company of birds flitting about the níspero tree. The daily Manager's reception provided outstanding cheeses with tiny gourmet toast crackers, Pellegrino, and wine and was included with our stay. We were touched each late afternoon to find our room had been made up a second time and that delicious chocolates, personalized by the hotel, were waiting for us on our nightstand. The beauty and comfort of the hotel would have been enough, but this was a place where detail mattered, right down to the "El Convento" branded water bottles always on ice for guests, the Molton Brown soaps and lotion, the bathrobes and slippers, and even the classy uniform dresses all of the women wore. The food at the restaurant was excellent, and the open-air patio was enchanting, with the chango birds flitting about. And then there was the location - for this reason alone, one could choose El Convento. Old San Juan is a walkable city, but it helps a great deal in the heat to have your hotel room nearby to afford a quick rest, dip in the pool, or some chilled water. You cannot beat the ideal combination here of convenience and luxury. And being in the center of it all does not mean your sleep will be compromised; the antique wooden doors and related extras mean the rooms are quiet at night and the atmosphere very soothing; the air conditioning was ice cold but fully adjustable to one's needs. We availed ourselves of the option to go to the beach in Isla Verde at the Marriot, and that visit was easy, enjoyable, and clearly well arranged by both hotels. In summary, El Convento is a phenomenal choice, the only one, perhaps, for guests wanting to be steeped in the real culture of Old San Juan while enjoying a luxury hotel accommodations, all at an affordable price. We felt like we were members of a private club and not simply hotel guests, a rare experience by any standard.