Daughter and I spent 4 days there this week and had a wonderful time. The young woman at the desk couldn't have been more gracious...as were all the natives we spoke with. If you want the Ritz and all the amenities friend...this ain't it , but if you want a nice little room and a comfy bed at a very reasonable price...this might just work for you. Yes, hot water does take about 5 minutes to reach the shower and you want to take yours when no one else is. Lobby has a fridge if you want to keep some food there. Location couldn't be better, a very short walk to the beach, 24 hour Walgreens a block away, lots of little shops and eating places. Nearby bus stop will take you to Old San Juan for 75 cents and have correct change please. Yes, you might have to wait a while for Bus B21 but you'll see at the terminal on the return trip...the drivers take a break in between trips so have patience, you're on island time, enjoy the warmth or even the light sprinkle. I understand buses stoop running at 9 pm. While in San Juan catch a ferry and and then grab a taxi with a few other folks and head for the Bacardi place...nice afternoon.

this wasn't my first choice, but booking a month in advance in high season, you take what you can get. but I very much enjoyed my stay there for five nights. one of the magazines listed this as more of a hostel than hotel and it certainly is like that. if you're looking for lots of amenities, look elsewhere. staff was great and very friendly. had no problem parking a compact rent-a-car. no holes in the towels as another reviewer complained here. breakfast is cereal, coffee and donuts, but hey, it's free, and you're steps away from a starbucks. now I will say the rooms could seriously use a paint job, some new carpet, but no bad smells. as for hot water, if you take your shower about the same time everyone does, yes, you'll run out of hot water. me, I eat breakfast, check email with free wi-fi, then had plenty of hot water for a long shower. it's just a block from the beach, lots of eating and drinking choices, and it's a decent base to explore san juan. however, you are some distance from old san juan and there are buses, but I never saw them. taxi will run you about 13 bux plus tip each way. I didn't want to rent a car until the last two days (for trips to arecibo & farjado) and you couldn't pay me to drive into old san juan, so it'll cost you about the same in taxis as rent-a-car but you don't have to deal with the traffic and nutty drivers. I'm only giving this an average rating because I think some people might expect something more, and I'm sure if I had more advance time for booking I might have found better, but it's friendly, nice hostel atmosphere -- met several nice people in the courtyard during my stay (and a mix of young and old), and for the price I won't complain (san juan is expensive). and there's a very friendly cat on the premises you can spoil.

Apparently this place is going to be torn down at some point, and they are no longer updating it at all. We are budget travelers and not used to the Hilton, but this was terrible. The shower didn't work, the towels had gaping holes, the rooms reeked of must, and the breakfast was so unappetizing that we ended up going elsewhere for breakfast. Would not stay again even if it was free.

Being budget travellers/students this was an excellent choice, however we can see how those with higher expectations would be disappointed. The room was clean, the beds very confortable and the staff very helpful. the location was excellent, just steps from the beach, resturants and nightlife of Condado (we even walked to Old San Juan several times, though it took 45 minutes to walk it). Our room had two large beds and a fouton (excellent for 3 collage-football player types that we are) as well as a reasonably equiped kitchen. We parked on the street and although we parked several blocks away, we never had much difficulty finding a place (even on Friday night). The down side, we did spot a couple of palmetto bugs in the room (however anyone who travels in the tropics know that these bugs are harmless and virtually impossible to get rid of). We were also annoyed when the maid forgot to clean our room one day. Third annoyance was that one of our keys to the front gate didn't work. There isn't much of a view (surrounded by tall buildings) but you get plenty of light in the spacious courtyard, which was great for relaxing in the evening, paying cards and enjoying a drink. Excellent choice for the student/backpacker/budget concious but if you are picky and/or want high end, then go somewhere else.