Caribe Hilton

Stayed at the Hilton for 6 nights. First off I know it’s an older hotel but the room was in need of repair. The drywall in the bathroom was chipped and the toilet paper roll was not properly connected to the wall causing it to constantly eject the roll of TP whenever it was used. Also the AC is locked so it never really got cold. The beach and pool are nice though and the staff made a conciliatory effort to help. But I expected more staying at the Hilton.

Ok. Let’s be real. 3 ladies in room 758 (tower). It’s a decent place if you share the cost and rent a car. $ 19 to park in the garage next door. You can link 1 room key card to the parking and at the end of your stay, you swipe out of the garage and drop the key card in the box next to the swipe thing-​a-​mangingy. The airport has barely any gas stations so make sure you fill up just before returning the car. If you don’t have rental car insurance, get one. People here are aggressive and roads suck. I use to drag race with my Asian Honda Civic so I was comfy but I can see the good old minivan getting whacked here.
On top of your room rate, 18% extra for use of the facilities. Not bad for 3 people. Expedia got us a good rate so we paid $ 22 extra per day for all 3.
My room, well, It’s just very expensive for a room that needed new carpeting. 2 full size beds (no queen), Hair dryer that didn’t work but still stuck on the wall (though they provided an extra one in a bag hanging from the bathroom door), Day 3 new sheets that had stains, and balcony that had two chairs but no small table like the other rooms. Oh, and A «free» safe but no batteries for it to work. Tv was generic (which is ok) flat screen but resolution on my 90s tube tv worked better. I can go on and on.
Hotel service was fine. Beautiful grounds. Staff tries their best. $ 15 drinks. Building is just old and I’m not sure Paris Hilton wants to invest any more into this hotel. Main floor caribe bar and welcome lobby was gorgeous and modern. This is clearly is where their money went. Oh yea. we were upgraded to a Hilton honors room and I was still not Impressed.
No resort bracelets needed here. You can just walk around but make sure to carry your room card in case they ask. This resort is somewhat secluded from condado and I’m sure many people come and go to use the grounds without being guests. By the way, walk to condado peninsula is 20 beautiful minutes. Really, it’s a nice walk. Or if you walk to old San Juan it will take 45 minutes. Both options are great. Oh, and don’t to go so sizzler because it’s old, dirty, and pedestrian flashing lights don’t ever turn red and traffic at 50 mph will not stop for you. Buttons on light posts to allow pedestrians to walk across don’t work. So run with your life and do not hold hands because any lack of doubt after you’ve decided to run will result in death. It’s true. I’m not a dramatic person at all.
Unless you dramatically upgrade your room and can spend the money on this island that is currently bankrupt and asking the U.S. To relieve its 30+ billion debt, then I would say go to Mexico… they have veggies and enjoy foods of the Non fried variety.
Food wise, i would not consider myself a foodie, but one that really knows food and understands it. My ethnic country, Laos, is my template of crazy awesomeness and allows me to embrace every cultures’ food scene. Essentially, having lived in Miami and formed wonderful relationships with Puerto Ricans and Hispanics alike, PR local food has little to be desired. I get more greens eating southern collards than here. The locals here will confirm this fact. How many ways can you make a plantain that is affordable and yummy? One– fry the crap out of it. Very little incorporation of any location vegetation. I can think of a million things to plant on this island and incorporate into the local cuisine. Truth: any high end restaurant can whip it up but it’s not reality. I wanted reality and I got it.
I craved a salad half way through and had $ 15 Caesar at the piña colada club. It was mediocre at best. But let me tell you — the «cafeteria» across the street served as a good staple every morning for fresh fruit.
Anyway. I’d only go back if I split the cost with 3 people.
I will leave with this note: people are nice. This island has beautiful natural and epic places to see and visit. El yuncae, Luquillo, cave camuy, gozalandia falls, Arecibo. Stay at this hotel with friends or a cheaper one to explore this island.

Not sure why this hotel only averages three stars. We had a great time here. Clean room with balcony that overlooks the tropical garden. Front desk was friendly and helpful. The lobby area is very nice. Went to the beach and pool everyday, it was never too crowded. The Palm trees around the pool definitely enhance the experience. It was also pretty convenient to walk to restaurants across the bridge. Gym is good enough. Always taxis waiting in the lobby.

No words can explain how much I loved this hotel! I come to Puerto Rico often but never have I ever appreciated it as much when I was floating in the middle of the private beach with such a breathtaking view, I promise you that it is well worth the price! This hotel would’ve been a five star for me if I wouldn’t have found poop in the locker room showers, when I put in the complaint they had sent someone to clean it up immediately. But I do feel as if they need someone checking up on the bathrooms more frequently since we are paying a pretty penny. Other than that it was absolutely amazing!

Great amenities and short walk for beach and pool access. This is the only hotel in Puerto Rico with a private beach. Our initial room was not the room booked with e-​check in, but the front desk gave us another option, corner room without a balcony. Worked well for 2 adults and 1 child.
The restaurants in the hotel are typical, overpriced and mediocre food. We chose to venture off the resort and find local, economical PR cuisine.
Overall, I would suggest this hotel and if we go back, would consider staying here again.

Really fun hotel. Pool scene was great as was the back patio area overlooking the ocean. Lively music with puddle jumper planes flying overhead. Location was fantastic: quick trip from airport, walking distance to prime Caribe restaurants/​nightlife and an easy bus trip ($.75 — exact change) to old San Juan. Biggest complaint was the noise level — our room faced the street and on a Saturday night you could hear booming bass from the cars and general street noise. The lobby area and bars were very modern and sleek but the halls/​rooms could use updating. Other than that had a great time and would stay there again.

Love the hotel hate the service at the Caribar!!! Wow an amazing space and view. I have stayed at the hotel around ten times in the last two years and still cannot get service at the bar to save my life. God know I have tried. Seems to be the same bartenders. Looks like they have been here forever. Is that Colonel Sanders???
Let me make this simple
Hotel: awesome
Beach awesome
Hotel staff: awesome
Food: awesome
CARiBAR SERVICE: Completely Horrible!!! Management please help I love this place but the Caribar service does not hold up.

Awesome service. The people are friendly and helpful. I left my suite jacket in room and they help locate it and ship back to me in the states. The room was good. Can use some upgrades but for the price and view, you can’t beat it.

I’m kind of shocked that this hotel only averages 3 stars. Then again, I do have diamond elite status with Hilton, so I often get nicer rooms and other little perks that I probably tend to overlook and just assume everyone else gets.
My fiancé and I wanted a weekend getaway and decided to venture to PR. It was both of our first times visiting. I looked at different hotels and when it came down to it, just decided to stick with Hilton since I’m comfortable with the brand. The location was fabulous! Right on the water, not far from the airport and very close to Old San Juan. We landed around 10am and I did have to pay $ 80 for early check-​in, which I’ve never had to do before but perhaps because this is a nicer destination they require it… whatever, though, it was worth it. Our room was tiny, but we were fine with that being it was just us. It had a great little balcony with water/​beach view. The room was clean. I’m not sure when it was remodeled, but it was updated yet still had an older feeling to it. If you’re going to PR, there’s so much else to do that we were hardly in there so I didn’t really care much about specifics. All of the staff was so friendly and helpful. The pool area is fabulous. The swim-​up bar area was a great time and the whole outside area is great. We didn’t find that it was slow service at all (surprisingly since it was spring break and crowded).
There’s a Starbucks located in the lobby (that always boosts a rating!). We ordered room service one night when we came back late and were hungry. Pizza, chicken, and rice… along with oatmeal cookies. All were delicious and I felt the pricing was typical range for room service.
The back where the Sushi restaurant is was definitely a unique experience. There were free-​range peacocks, turkeys, etc. and a beautiful koi pond. There was also another pool back here that we only ever saw one or 2 people at. We don’t have children, but there were lots there and they appeared to have a lot to do.
I would stay again and would recommend it.

I’m here on business and the company is paying the bill. So I’m sure my review will differ from those who actually had to pay $ 300 a night for this place. First of all, everyone has been very courteous. Although nobody has gone out of their way to help us. If you want a drink, be prepared to wait. Bartenders are SLOW and understaffed. Great selection of restaurants and bars. Food has been awesome! Pool and beach area are clean. I love this place! But if I had to pay the bill, I’d probably stay somewhere else. The value just isn’t there. I’d pay about $ 150 max for this place.

What an AMAZING STAY at the Caribe Hilton! They were so accommodating to our needs! We arrived at 5am and they allowed us to check in at that time which was great. The room were comfortable and modern. We add a wonderful dinner at Lemongrass and the pork wrap at the parrot club was amazing!

After staying at so many remodeled Hilton hotels in U.S. over the past few years, I went here expecting the a nicely remodeled hotel. Boy was I wrong. The rooms had an old feel to them. They did have a flat screen TV and nice marble titled bathrooms with rain shower heads. Beyond that, the carpets were worn down in the two rooms I saw. The walls could have used a new coat of paint. It looked like they may have remodeled the room about 7 to 10 years ago.
The rest of the hotel was very nice. Pool area was clean and had lots of chairs and towels and a nice large pool. Even a mini side pool that had a swim up bar. The poll food was tasty and reasonably priced for hotel food. Wifi had good coverage with dead zones. Dead zones included the ground floor from the elevator all the way to the parrot cage and a couple spots in the meeting rooms.
If I came back to Puerto Rico for vacation again, I would not stay here unless they have remodeled. There are so many hotel options in the area to choose from.

This resort is absolutely beautiful. I’m very happy that I chose this hotel. The resort grounds are probably the best you can find in the San Juan area, but it’s just very very crowded on the beach during the day.
Pros
1. Resort grounds — They keep the resort grounds immaculately kept. It is just a beauty to see.
2. Options at hotel — I loved that they had a variety of food options in various price points. I’m glad that we were able to grab quiznos as a cheap food option. Also, I loved that enterprise was located there. We were able to rent a car without leaving the hotel.
Cons
1. Rooms — Ok, huge TIP, ask to be put in the renovated tower. I paid extra to have an ocean view room, because the pictures online were phenomenal. Well, we were initially put in the main building with a view of a enormous tree. So, I proceeded downstairs with my bags to ask for a different room. The front desk obliged without a single objection. I think they consciously knew they were putting us in an inferior room. We were then moved to a room on the 19^th floor, and we were very happy. My boyfriend and I have stayed at several Hilton’s now, and I was disappointed in the hotel, but I’m glad they fixed the situation.
2. Location — The location is a pro and con. I liked that we’re secluded, because it was quieter. However, you have to walk far or pay about $ 14 one way for a taxi. We spent a lot of money on taxis and walked a LOT just to get anywhere.
Overall, the front desk correcting the room mistake helped redeem the Hilton to me. If we were stuck in that other room, it would have definitely marred my trip. Our stay here was pleasant and we had a great trip in Puerto Rico.

I first posted a review (of 1 star) our first day there, but I did indicate that I’d follow up with an updated review to give them a chance to win my wife and I over. Not sure they won us over, but it did get better…
Lots of info, so let me break it down by category.
Bad Start:
45 minutes after arriving and just checked in — to an incorrect room. Trying to get the room corrected, but the service is so slow as to really get our vacation off to a very frustrating start. My wife and I did not book this 2-​week getaway to sleep in separate twin beds. Our written confirmation (that we printed & brought with us) includes a king non-​smoking room. Finally got settled in a room with a king bed and (some kind of) ocean view — it took over an hour. Slow service was the rule … Long waits with only 5 – 6 families/​couples ahead of us. Update: The check-​in-​desk service was horrifically slow and stayed slow… but thankfully, we didn’t need them that often.
Room:
The first room they tried to put us in (in the Tower) was a bit old and in need of renovation. The second room was located in the east side (i.e., odd room number — 1009) of their recently renovated main building –it was great. We were glad to high up in the building and had a nice little balcony with view of the sunrise and the Condado.
Room Service:
Pricey, but relatively quick, and the service was thoughtful and nice (extra cookies, etc.).
Resort service:
This is where I was most frustrated and disappointed. Our first day and we couldn’t find an available lounger on the beach. Well, the vast majority of the loungers were unused, but we were told they were all ‘reserved’ — no place for us. Things got better… I’m not sure I would say the service got better, however. It was more a matter that the beach situation got better as the resort got much less crowded after New Year’s, alleviating the ridiculous ‘reserved beach’ situation. Maybe this is a personal issue I have, but apparently, the practice is to get up at 6:00 am and reserve large swaths of beach chairs for the entire day. The result was that the beach was packed with ‘reserved’ chairs the entire day, even though at least 70% of the reserved chairs on the beach remained empty and unused all morning (the wife and I had a habit of lounging in the mornings and walking and exploring every afternoon).
As an analogy, imagine showing up to an empty restaurant at lunchtime and asking for a table. The host tells you that he has no room for you as the tables are all reserved. Thus, you go somewhere else for to grab a bite to eat and then on your way back, you pass by a still empty restaurant. You ask the host why all the tables are still empty… did all of the reservations cancel? The host replies, ‘No. All the tables are still reserved. We just don’t know when/​if the people making the reservations will show up to use the tables.” In essence, each reservation kills the table for the entire day. So it was with the ‘reserved’ loungers on the beach.
So for the first few days of our stay, the beach was filled with booked chairs… so much so, we often couldn’t locate free loungers to use… and even got so bad that they ran out of towels for several hours (due, at least in part, to many towels being used to ‘reserve’ 100s of unused loungers). After New Year’s, however, many people left. Thus, the beach was wide open, and … the issue effectively went away.
Maybe this is just «the way it is», and I need to develop more tolerance or patience. That’s more easily said than done when you are being charged an 18% resort service surcharge on your hotel bill. For that kind of money, I expect better, more efficient and more responsive service.
Resort Location and facilities:
This may sound crazy, but I think Caribe Hilton may be worth a try. I say this assuming you are not going for the peak Christmas — New Year’s period, and for the following reasons:
— Location, location, location. Quiet, slightly isolated location. Short walk to old San Juan (about 40 minutes — or very short cab ride). Short walk to the heart of Condado (about 30 minutes in the opposite direction).
— Great facilities. While I had issues with the service, I loved the facilities and the privacy.
Summary:
We ended up having a good time… despite the early frustrations with service. As I said, things did get better. Plus, vacations do have a way of putting a smile on everyone’s face. That said, the service left a sufficient sour taste in our mouths that the wife and I will probably try a different island — or a different area of Puerto Rico — next winter. However, if we come back to the immediate San Juan area, I think we’ll at least consider coming back to Caribe Hilton. The location is just that good (suiting our preferences).

I have been a Diamond member for over 20 years. I just checked out of this hotel!
Frankly, This hotel is beautiful! None the less, thus hotel gives Hilton a bad name! The service is indifferent, and hospitality is forgotten by every employee we spoke to. Shameful
1. I’ve never heard of having to pay a tip up front, prior to service.
2. Never thought I’d see the day when a buffet closes prior to closing time.
3. Never believed I’d experience the front desk telling me to purchase sodas from the vending machine because they’re busy… even though the water is complimentary for Diamond members.
I will write a letter to Hilton Corporate.
Hilton Caribe… Shame on you, you are in the hospitality industry, where hospitality is mandatory.

Very nice hotel for the price. Beach is beautiful, the best private beach on the island. Pool great with a swim up bar. Roberto, the best bar tender out there.
Food and drinks are expensive but very good.
I gave 4 stars out of 5 because our bathroom door was broke and they supposedly had maintenance out to fix it, twice. Wasn’t really fixed until a few young men helped get it back on the tracks. No compensation for our troubles.
Overall a great stay and I would definitely book again with them

This name brand hotel was definitely a disappointment. I stayed here last weekend because my husband was in town for a work conference. My best friend decided to tag along for fun since I knew my husband would be working all weekend.
Hotel Lobby:
This hotel looks promising when you pull up to the open air modern hotel lobby. The lobby is spacious with multiple couches to sit in and relax. There is a Starbucks in the lobby area as well which is very convenient and a hotel bar with a huge TV screen and comfortable chairs to lounge in. They also have a complimentary water station with 3 fruit infused water coolers but if you arrive there after 12 noon they’re usually empty…
The front desk is super helpful especially Albert who is awesome– so patient, informative, and friendly!
Hotel Rooms:
The rooms at the Condado Lagoon Villas are super outdated! These villas are old! We had 2 different rooms– one hotel room villa suite that included 2 double beds with 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and living/​dining room area. The 2^nd night we switched to a bigger suite (we were told local celebrities room here) that had one master bedroom with king bed, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, and large living room that included a pull out double sized wall bed. The furniture in this part of the hotel is old, the bathroom in the master bedroom had an outdated stand up shower that reminded me of college dorm showers. The only positive about these rooms are the space and nice ocean views.
We did happen to see the hotel rooms in the main part of the attached hotel lobby building and those rooms are super modern and recently updated.
Beach:
The private beach area is nice and quaint. There were always available beach chairs and you can always ask the hotel guys to put up a beach umbrella for you. An unlimited amount of beach towels are also provided (I hate when other hotels only let you have one towel per guest). The beach area is quiet and relaxing. The sand is brown and fairly soft. The water is not blue like the caribbean islands but clean and clear (you can see little fishes swimming in the water). No seaweed or hard rocks/​shells at this beach. The water is calm and not wavy or rough.
I loved the hammock area! This is in a nice little shaded part of the beach with multiple hammocks tied to palm trees. The hammocks are nice and spacious (was comfortable sitting in one of them with my husband). Check this little area out– it’s great for taking naps!
Pool:
I did not try the pools because I’m more of a beach girl. The pools did look nice and clean. Lots of kids in this area. There is also a swim up pool bar. Jacuzzis near the pool were cold.
Food:
Pool Area Bar & Grill-​Not bad! The Chicarones de Pollo was nice and crisp– I definitely recommend this if you’re a salt carnivore like me. The fish tacos were not tasty at all. The burger was good, not made to order, but hit the spot after a night of drinking and laying in the hot sun on the beach.
Caribar– Light bites are served here. The ropa vieja arepas are amazing! The meat is tender and succulent, spiced just right. The pork belly flatbread is served in a huge portion but not worth the price (microwave pizza tastes better and is cheaper). The chicharones dish offered here is totally different from the one served in the pool area– I definitely don’t recommend it at Caribar.
Room Service: Open til midnight. Not good at all but convenient at 11pm on a Sunday night with not many options to choose from. Pizza was soft and seemed microwaved. Mac n cheese was basic and bland.
Morton’s Steakhouse– Good, expensive steak with large portioned sides. Poor, slow service.
Palmeras Restaurant– Good buffet breakfast but long wait times on the weekends. Great service!
Pina Colada Club– Did not try the food here but drinks were good and strong. Food here was pretty moderately priced and did not seem worth the price (from what others recommended to us).
Food/​drink service on the beach was super super slooow! Faster to go to the pool bar instead of waiting for beachside service.
Location:
The hotel is less than 10 minutes from OSJ and there were cabs lined down the driveway and easily available.
There is a liquor store across these street that also sells bottled water and snacks at reasonable prices. Definitely stock up on this if you want to save money at the hotel.
Overall I would probably not stay here again. There is a nice modern feel to this hotel when you first arrive but it doesn’t continue onto their outdated rooms. This is the 4^th hotel I’ve stayed at in Puerto Rico and definitely ranked the lowest… there is definitely better out there.

This was an awesome hotel and trip to Puerto Rico. I wish I had taken pictures of our room and the hotel. We had booked a city view, but were placed into a ocean-​view instead either by accident or for whatever reason, but we were so much more happier with what we got than what we thought we were getting. We could see the ocean, the beach below, the hotel pool and so much more. It was so peaceful waking up each morning with such a sight.
The only reason why this does not get the 5^th star is because it is not All-​Inclusive, but most hotels in Puerto Rico do NOT have All-​Inclusive offers. If All-​Inclusive were added, all hotels could easily charge another $ 50-​$ 100 per night and I think most people would be willing to pay that as long as you have some really good food, not just buffets.
This hotel as well as all the others surrounding it are very centrally located to get to Old San Juan and some local beaches and especially the airport. I would advise getting a rental car to go exploring, BUT know before you head out where you are going and try to be back to the hotel before too late. Oh yeah, self-​parking and valet parking are available a this hotel.
Shopping is a must in Puerto Rico. There are plenty of places to go around the hotel, in the hotel and beyond. There is also an open-​air lounge downstairs with plenty of bars to include karoake and some live entertainment. The wildlife is fun to watch as well with beautiful birds at the hotel and of course the well-​known Coqui!
The hotel staff is very friendly and willing to help out with all of your questions. Housekeeping was very attentive and handled all request with a smile and a gracious greeting.

I agree that this is a beautiful location, and it seems that they put some effort into some parts of the building as well… it’s the other parts that are weird.
The hotel is a bit away from everything, hard to walk to other restaurants and areas… plus cabs are $ 14 a ride! (Airport is $ 22). There are no walls or doors in the lobby, just walk in and stay in the carribean air — I loved that and thought it was really neat. There is a cage with two giant macaws that is really cool as well. Tourism and Concierge are separated from the check-​in so it doesn’t get bogged down.
Our room was on the 8^th floor in the «renovated» tower. This I didn’t understand… for being the newest and nicest tower it needed a lot of TLC still. The fantastic views from our balcony were overshadowed by the chipping paint, the rust chunks and the bird poop everywhere out there. The beds were ROCK HARD and honestly hard to sleep on. One thing I don’t understand… fabric shower LINERS? They had mold along the bottom.
The bar area downstairs was LOUD at night, but sometimes it was dressed up fancy shmancers and I could never tell when and when we weren’t allowed in that area. Not to mention a bottle of Medalla rang in at $ 9!!!
The pool area was gorgeous, and there was tons of space to spread out. There was an in-​the-​water bar, and a couple restaurants. Servers milled about by the pool, but you could only pay with your room key.
There were kids running around on the walls and splashing in the hot tubs, there was no supervision. Why post rules about age limits in areas if no one enforces them?
There were beautiful ocean views, two hot tubs (not counting the really cool japanese-​garden like area with another separate pool/​hot tub). They had a pier jutting out into the ocean where they would cast spotlights to see the fish and manatees.
The biggest and worst part of this hotel is their tourism company, GSI. They were constantly incorrect, unreachable, unknowledgeable and absent. We were stranded in Fajardo for 45 minutes one time, and a driver refused to pick us up from our Bio Bay tour — causing us to catch our own ride. We later complained and were only refunded a deposit.
I think it’s a great hotel located in a cool area, it just seems poorly maintained.

Beautiful lobby and hotel grounds but the rooms are a different story. We were checked into a room at the 7^th floor on the tower building. OMG it was disgusting. It was a very unit that you can see the HVAC unit in the room if you open one of the cabinets, the bathroom condition was disgusting. There’s urine on the toilet bowl and there was hair, short hair all around the bathroom area. You know what it is. I called and asked for a different room and was «upgraded» to the garden towers which was a much newer room with more acceptable condition. It cost 18.95 per day to self park which you have to always inform the cashier on the garage building to bill it to your room instead of being able to scan your hotel key card to get in and out.
Overall the stay was enjoyable after we were swapped to a different room. There was a couple of drunk patron that was stumbling around the hotel area on one of the nights we were there and it made the area look cheap. We will stay again in the future if the price were right.