Name: El Colonial - Adults Only
Address: 312 Calle San Francisco, San Juan Antiguo, San Juan Antiguo, San Juan Antiguo, 00901, Puerto Rico
Rating: 7

Air conditioning

24-hour reception

Smoke-free property

Gift shop

Express check-in/check-out

Terrace

Private check-in/check-out

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

General

Bridal suite

Non-smoking rooms

Rooms

Concierge services

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Internet access

Internet

Spanish

English

Languages Spoken

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Sun Deck

Recreation

No parking

Parking

Spa tub

Pool and beach

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Isla Grande Airport

Luis Munoz Marin International Airport

El Colonial - Adults Only

San Juan Antiguo

This hotel was a nice place to stay the night before our cruise. It was very eccentric, cozy, and clean. The front desk staff were super helpful and easy to work with. This hotel is in Old San Juan and very close (very short walking distance) to restaurants and one of the historical forts. It was also close to our cruise port and we took an Uber to get there (about $7). I would definitely recommend if you want a place to stay that is not your typical chain hotel. I am glad we chose this hotel!

Overnight stay before cruise

The hotel is in the heart of old San Juan, very short walk to many places. The building itself is on the older side, but from the outside looks in great shape. I was pretty excited when we checked in. We arrived at 5am, the night time receptionist ( I believe his name Pepe ) is super helpful, funny, and friendly. Same thing when we checked out, the receptionist was very helpful.

The room itself has good AC, a safe, and Netflix streaming.

There were enough issues stopping the hotel from getting 4 stars.

1) the sink in the room is often at the verge of overflowing. It’s shallow with a slow drain.
2) there are no cups in the room.
3) Some of the morning time receptionists are not making an effort to be helpful. For example when I asked about laundry, other than repeating “Laundromat” he didn’t give us any pointers.
4) We stayed for 5 nights. The entire time there was water leaking right outside our room and the only solution to the puddle was a sign that says “slippery when wet” which was partially blocking our door for the entire trip.
5) there were false fire alarms in the middle of the night for two consecutive nights. They get a star though for not having real fires.



Best location, and the rest could be great 

The guys at the counter are very friendly, the room is beautifully decorated and clean sheets, the air conditioning is excellent, the shower water is warm, the location is good and the restaurant is nearby.

We loved the stay and excellent service.

Check in was a breeze, we got there about 11am and were checked in early. Went out for the afternoon, came back to shower and there was no hot water. Found out after I had gotten in. Had to go back down the stairs (no phones in the rooms) and they said that they knew that. So they had us move rooms. Our first room was bigger and faced the side street, the second was smaller, but nice, facing the road and a church. The bed was very comfortable and the rooms were very clean. Small tv. Church started at 6am, but no bells, just beautiful singing. We really enjoyed our stay, very close to attractions. Enjoyed the way the windows opened. A/C was cold and worked well. If you want a place with charm, character and close to attractions, this is a good place.

Charm, character and close to attractions!

We had to move rooms TWICE. The standard queen room is much smaller than is pictured and there are no windows—conveniently left out of the pictures online!! The a/c is also tremendously loud and old. It feels like an insane asylum!!

The second room, the one with a “balcony” aka a window, was the same price as the standard queen despite being deluxe and was only slightly bigger and had one, albeit large, window. No tv. The a/c did not work AT ALL. We asked the front desk to help us and they said it worked, only for us to come back to a suffocatingly hot room with  a broken a/c (still). We asked to move again.  The third one was still small but livable. The only one who was helpful was someone who did not work at the hotel but worked with the chain. 

Stick with Airbnb. Much larger and nicer places for the same or lower prices!!

False advertising - do not stay here! 

We stayed here for only one night, but our experience was great! We arrived before check-in time and were greeted warmly by the staff. Fortunately they had rooms available and let us check in early. The front desk manager, Ricky, was a terrific help. He gave us recommendations on places to eat and things to do, and his choices were spot-on! We had an amazing 2 day adventure in Old San Juan and we would stay at Da House again anytime! 

Great choice in Old San Juan

The people are lovely. The beds are comfortable. The rooms are clean. But the stairs!!! There are so many stairs and no elevator. If you are young and energetic the location is great. They are currently under renovation and you can see that they are making every effort to restore the beauty of a landmark building. Around the corner is their sister hotel Casa Blanca which is also a gorgeous old building! Excellent restaurant and an ELEVATOR!! 

Under renovation, but great potential 

Stayed here two nights after cruise, love the location, short walk to everything including beach. Hotel has no lift but we were lucky only on 2nd floor where the check in is. A young man came helping with luggages so not too much of the trouble. Room has strong aircon (noisy but acceptable) good WiFi and love the nexflix tele but room weren’t clean as we caught two cockroaches. This room has no window so dark and quiet good for sleeping. 
*The shower is really weak, hardly can wash anything with it. I won’t be back for this reason! 
Rooftop nice place to chill with a big bath tub/pool as my son loved it and has a nice view. 
San Juan free trolley system was a joke never seen one! 

Well located 2 stars hotel 

This is a decent (and affordable) place to stay in Old San Juan if you can sacrifice small comforts like a shower that works properly. 

Our shower was barely more than a trickle, and it only had two settings: scalding hot and freezing cold. We asked the staff if there were any tricks to get it working properly, but their tip — “turn the knob very slowly” — didn’t work. 

There was also considerable street noise, which I was mostly able to block out with earplugs, and on our last morning the hotel sent two repairmen to do some work outside our room at 8 a.m. (!). No earplugs could have blocked that noise. 

I start with those things, because they’re the kinds of things I would like to know right off the bat when reading a review, but their are several big plusses to staying at Da House. 

✔️ The bed was really comfortable, with a nice, firm mattress and plush bedding. 

✔️ The AC worked like a charm. 

✔️ There are two sun deck areas for guests to enjoy — one on the roof and one on the fourth floor. Both have plenty of seating and the roof offers a great view of the surrounding town. 

✔️ There’s a pool on the roof, which we found amazing at the end of a long day of walking and baking in the sun. It barely got any use while we were there, so we had it to ourselves every time. 

✔️ The front desk provided a hair dryer, which I really appreciated. 

✔️ Our fourth-floor room (one of the two sundeck options) had a big window that you could throw open in the evening to enjoy the breeze and a pretty sweeping view of the the town. 

✔️ The location was great, within hopping distance to corner stores, cafes, restaurants and bars. Café Mallorca and La Bombonera are blocks away and essential stops for authentic Puerto Rican breakfasts. 

✔️ It’s pretty inexpensive for Old San Juan. 

We’d recommend it if you’re willing to risk the quirky shower and the possibility of noise in the mornings. 

Nice affordable option, with a few quirks

I stayed here for one night on my way to the BVI.  It was perfect because I could walk to anywhere I wanted to go in the area.  The staff was extremely helpful with suggestions on where to go to eat and how to plan my short stay to get the most.  They also helped me with my luggage.  The room I was in had a little balcony overlooking one of the side streets.  The room was adorable with big doors and a canopy bed.  The front desk is on the 2nd floor and there isn't an elevator.  I would definitely stay here again if I have a lighter suitcase.

El Colonial - Adults Only

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