I just returned last night from 8 days in San Juan; we spent the last three nights at the Water Club. I had high expectations for an awesome experience and chose the Water Club sight unseen. I heard and read a lot about it and felt that it was a match for the experience I wanted; luxurious, great service, cool aesthetic. I must say the service was GREAT. They really do a great job. Eveyone smiled, they refered to me by my name, the doormen introduced themselves, shook out hands, very very positive and happy -- all the time. Eveyone gave off the impression of kindness and concern. They all have great personalities. That's the positive. The negative - the aesthetic needs a total overhall. The concept is cool and in its day Im sure it was. Magazine clippings framed on the lobby walls indicte that it was selected as one of the top hotels "in the world." When you look at the date of the article, you find its 2003. There is no way its one of the best hotels in the world. Walking up the front steps to the entrance you see chucks of the concrete stairs missing, concrete railing pillars crumbling (not exaggerating). Not a great first impression. The lobby looks cool overall but when your eyes focus on the details you notice that its all tired -- all the walls are covered in out of date white polyester shears, floor to ceiling, The blue light that illuniates all the common areas including the lobby hides the dirt well, but if you're a clean freak like me, its dirty. The water fall in the elevator is cool but dated, it needs repair and you can see that the glass is stain, there are blue mozaic tiles missing, etc. You get off the elevaor and step into common halls which are extremely dark, lit only by blue light. All walls are covered by white sheers which are dirty - how could they not be?. The sound of the ocean is piped thru the halls, which is cool. You feel in a way that you're under water, the concept is cool. I walked into the room and the stench of dirty water which had been slopped over the floor by a dirty mop hit me like a ton of bricks, that was aweful. I told the maid that I didnt want the floors mopped at all during my stay. The room however is cool, no complaints, linens were great and very clean, bathroom was updated, but again, those white floor to celiing sheers on the walls and the blue light. Everything is lit by blue light; however the chioce to switch on headboard halogen and an incandescent floor lamp was available. The partial ocean view was just that, partial. You couldnt see the ocean unless you walked up agianst the window and looked to the left; you couldnt see the water from anywhere in the room. The room didnt have adequate storage for clothes, you had to live out of your suitcase, which isnt so bad if thats what you're used to. The location on the ocean is great, although I thought that the beach area in front of the hotel was dirty; its also a local beach and people on the island litter like crazy and no one cleans up, at least not for the three days I was there. The ocean front is great nonetheless. The area outside the hotel is nothing at all, many American fast food places around, the area is not glamorous at all, but it did seem safe, which is important. I prefer the Condado area; its much better in terms of choices of fthings to do, at night especially.

I don't know even know where to begin. We arrived on friday night late at the hotel to hoards of people partying and drinking to loud music in very skimpy outfits. We finally get to the room after an exhausting flight from NYC and encountered a dog barking all night in the room next to us along with drunk people swarming the halls screaming. In the morning, you have the cleaning ladies chatting at the top of their lungs in the halls talking to each other and doors slamming. Now on to the beach area. It isnt private at all. You are on a public beach and the noise level once again was unbearable. Not the trendy boutique hotel I thought it was going to be. On top of everything else the Water Club also needs alot of fixing up (stairs broken, waterfall in the elevator leaking and cracking) and the food is average nothing to write home about. The one good thing about the hotel is the waitstaff they were all very attentive. If you are looking for some relaxation and not into partying all night long and a ton of noise this hotel isnt the place to go. I would recommend the Ritz Carlton. Worth it to spend the extra money.

We absolutely loved our stay at the Water Club. I'm not sure what was better: the room, the view, the beach or the service. We had a beach view and it definitely was worth the extra money. Every aspect of our stay was comfortable and relaxing. The water theme is carried out through the property and the rooms. The staff goes out of their way to provide to your every need. I highly recommend this hotel and I hope to stay there again.

The Water Club is a sexy boutique hotel located right on the popular Isla Verde Beach. The best part of the stay are the parties on the rooftop on Fri & Sat nights. The hotel staff is extremely helpful and professional. It's a perfect place for a long weekend with friends. This hotel is not for families with small children, or older couples who want a secluded quiet trip. See Pics!