My husband and I had a beautiful 4 days visit to
Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico in October. (Sorry, I am just getting around to posting about it).
It was a very simple 10 minute ride from the airport and I found the location to be instantly quite welcoming. Upon arrival, you gasp at the natural beauty around you. The lobby is open air and you could look straight back and see the ocean from the drop off area. On the right of the hotel entrance, you will see the exotic birds in the cage. The staff was pleasant and professional. The views of the ocean was breathtaking. . Our first room was a king sized bed with balcony but I hated the view of the rooftop so I called down to the front desk, spoke to Veronica and was given a complimentary ocean view in the Garden side of the hotel. Beach access was terrific and other patrons quite friendly and low-key, which I liked. All of the pools were clean. I enjoyed this hotel because both the pool and beach are open until 9pm. Even when they close, you can still utilize the boardwalk and lounge in the wicker chairs to partake in the beauty of the ocean.
The internet is not free unless you are using it in the lobby of the hotel which alot of the travelers seemed to be doing.
Hotel Grounds
Front Desk
Open air lobby
Food:
The food at the hotel is expensive. For example, my husband and I ate at the
Pina Colada Club and our bill came to almost $60 for fish tacos, burger and fries, mango smoothie and a virgin pina colada. Side note: They will ask you your room number so the bill can be charged to your room.
There is a Subway across the street from the hotel. If you walk past the Subway at the corner , walk by where they are constructing a new resort on the left, go to stop light, make a left and walk over the bridge, you will come to a strip of stores and restaurants. Over there, you will find Chilis,
Dennys, Ben & Jerrys, more Subways and authentic Puerto Rico food. If you keep walking down the strip, there is a Walgreens to purchase drinks and snacks for your room. There is also a Gucci, Louis Vouitton, Coach , Cartier along with other high end stores on this strip. This area is known as Condado.
If you are staying at the Caribe,
Mike and Charlie's Pizza and Sub Shop. Their phone number is 787-723-0242 and they deliver to the hotel. The pizza was sooo good and was delivered to us within 22 minutes. Yes, I timed it. It was nice, hot and frankly some of the best pizza I have tasted since moving from the New Jersey/New York area in 2002. We ordered a large cheese pizza and soda and it did come to $22 and change but worth it for the convenience. If you don't want to have it delivered, Mike's Pizza is located on Ashford Ave which is near Walgreens that I previously mentioned.
Transportation:
When possible, take the bus rather than a cab. The bus costs 75 cents. They do NOT accept dollar bills so make sure you have change.
Take the bus to Old San Juan. You can catch the number 21 or 53 bus to the bus terminal and walk the pier. There are CVS, Gap Senor Frogs along with other stores and restaurants. If it is a weekend, you will see the local vendors selling their wares. They are not aggressive so don't feel pressured.
Puerto Rico has a beautiful mall. They do not call it a mall. The correct name is
Plaza La Americas. It has three floors and there is a Ponderosa and Pizza Hut Express inside. If you are hungry, you must visit the Pizza Hut on the third floor. It is totally different than what I am used to and they have delicious desserts. Again, you can take the bus there. You take the number 21 to the bus terminall and then transfer to the number 22......... When you get to the bus terminal if you are going to be using the transportation system, it is wise to purchase a bus card. You can buy a 30 day unlimited one for $30.
Brownie dessert from Pizza Hut
Strawberry cheescake to die for
