The lobby is ornate and smells incredible. But the heritage king room was tiny and so dimly lit that it was almost impossible for two adults to use it comfortably, especially around the bathroom sink area. We had an incredible ocean view, however, and the staff at the restaurants, bar, and pool were so friendly that they made up for the less than friendly check in process. Please note that the gift shop is TINY and very pricey!
High-rise hotels and condos line many famous beaches, competing in a search for the finest views of the sea. Not all views can be equally as good. Buildings have sides. All sides can’t face the right direction. And not all floors can be high. But many travelers want a view. Some are willing to pay for it. Hoteliers know that. A few travelers don’t want just any view. The want the best view. What is “the best view?” It’s subjective, of course, but in San Juan, a quest for best view begins by realizing you won’t be staying in the old city. As intriguing as that maze of narrow streets, centuries-old buildings and massive forts may be, it doesn’t offer many possibilities for great sea views. So we move down the coast to relatively upscale Condado. There you’ll find the high-rise hotels most apt to compete for the coveted best views. The informal guides to San Juan seem to have settled on these criteria: higher is better. Full view of the sea is better. And… if possible, full view of both the sea and lagoon is best. That room is going to be hard to find. Rooms facing the sea can’t face the lagoon—unless they are on a corner. Rooms in the hotels moving toward the Isla Verde area can’t face the lagoon—because it’s not there. In fact, probably only a couple hotels really can offer the nec plus ultra. One of them is Condado Vanderbilt. Question: should you book a room there, and if so, which? The hotel is possibly most famous beachfront property for luxury, as it conserves the opulent encrustations of what a century ago was a tycoon's beach house. That legacy is still part of the hotel. Well, sort of, though chances are you won’t be actually staying in the original mansion. You’ll be staying in an added modern tower. But for the view that’s where you want to be anyway. The rooms on the corners have the best views, and arguably the best of those are toward the top. We stayed in Room 1210, the top floor. It would be hard to find a better view in Puerto Rico, and with two balconies you can sit out and watch either the beach walkers on the sea or the kayakers on the lagoon. Condado Vanderbilt features its own beach chairs, multiple restaurants, pools and poolside drinks. At a price, the price being $32 for two Mojitos, plus tip. Alternatively, a walk down Ashford Avenue past the hotel can bring you to a variety of perfectly respectable Puerto Rican restaurants. But no pool. Any downside to this five-star hotel? In service and efficiency, no. It has everything. Solicitous staff make you wonder if maybe you were mistaken for some movie star? You’ll feel like a Vanderbilt for a day, maybe. But fancy comes at a price. Our room cost $591.41 a night on a weekday, taxes included. But the view!…
My wife and I just checked out after a stay of four nights in the old section of the hotel on floor three. First let me tell you that you can not hear anything in your room when the band is playing on floor two. Second the following problems were noted and some were tolerated and some reported in the bathroom: tubdrain malfunctioned, sinks never had hot water, shower took 15 minutes to get hot water, one day we never got a hot shower even after reporting the problem, and the toile flush handle kept sticking. The coffee maker was broken and when reported a new coffee maker appeared and we hooked it up and stepped over the old coffee maker for balance of thr stay. Two nights in a row the TV turned on mysteriously and woke us up; ultimately we unplugged the TV. The front desk people upon check told us the wrong WIFI code , they said use your name and room number, and after we complained we were told the correct code, and we tried at the front desk and were told that the signal was so weak to try at another hotel. The Resort Fee is the highest I have ever encountered at 20% room rates! we paid approximately $350 for the following: hot tub was cold because of problems snd the next night it was closed. We did not return, instead we went to the infinity pool and was treated to two nights of warmish water anx one night of cold water. Apparently the staff was short staffed and we could not get pool service two oc yhr three nights. i think my greatest concern is that the people at the desk will tell you anything to placate you and there is no follow thru. An example is for a late check i was told a $200 fee would be incurred, but when i explained that we needed extra time to shower because of no hot water, i was accused of not reporting the problem, which the desk person checked out the notes on the file and then waived the late check out fee. The most ironic part was that the one day we stayed in the room late morning, we had workers on the roof doing repairs and had to shut the curtains. Do not rent room 330…
My daughter and I enjoyed a very nice stay at the Condado Vanderbilt in mid-January for a long awaited mother-daughter trip. We found the historic beauty of the hotel, the on-site amenities, and our ocean view room (no balcony) to be excellent. Dining at 1919 and Ola were wonderful, as was enjoying live music in the Veritas Wine bar (lobby) in the evenings for a nightcap. The room and bathroom were clean and modern and our water view worth the extra cost to me. Our check in was pleasant & efficient and we were offered a glass of Prosecco, yet it was lacking in hotel information provided by staff. They give out a sheet at arrival listing restaurant times, however information about coffee availability in the lobby and a visual map of their property and amenities would be very helpful for guests. We discovered the adult pool/hot tub and Tacos & Tequila restaurant in the East tower (as we were staying in the West tower) after a few days into our stay. I highly recommend taking the time to walk the property on both sides of the lobby area to discover all the hotel has to offer its guests. Following our stay, the hotel emailed me a followup survey, however the online link never worked to provide that feedback. Overall, I enjoyed our stay, however misinformation provided by front desk staff and lack of facility information for guests caused some unnecessary stress. This resort could be outstanding with better front desk staff training and visual map of amenities/services provided to guests. I hope to be back one day.…
We sent an email to reservations, concierge & cc'd the Managing Partner Ben Tutt way in advance ofbour stay. We were looking forward to celebrating our baby moon at the Condado Vanderbilt. We asked for a few requests & accommodations. As an IHG rewards member, I shared my member # and asked for an upgrade if available. Also, some non-alcoholic sparkling wine. Champagne, apple juice, or similar. When I checked in at the front desk, the staff were cordial, but they just seemed very focused on doing their job and did not make much eye contact. The last time I checked in at this hotel, the service was much better, and we were offered drinks while we waited and an ice wash cloth. Notbthis time. I asked if they had an upgrade available and let them know about the additional notes on my reservation. The room was not ready for early check-in, but they told us it would be ready within 1 hour or so. So my wife & I left to walk yo Walgreens. When we came back, we asked if there was an upgrade available. The woman replied yes, but there will be an additional nightly charge. I asked if she could confirm my IHG #, and she did. I asked as a courtesy can we have the room at no charge. I explained that if not, I'll pay. She said "ok don't worry, we are able to get an upgrade for you at no additional charge." She told us it would be a much larger corner room with an ocean view. When we went to the room it was the same standard room with a city view. My wife said, "Let's enjoy the beach & pool. We decided to relax first, unwind and enjoy the beach, and revisit the room issue later. The beach is rough with many waves. The beach area for Vanderbilt guests is tiny, and you can easily feel suffocated with all of the people. The sister property La Concha has a wider beach area. Vanderbilt guests can use the waiters/waitresses at LaConcha, but you will need to walk up to them for service. The pool 3 pools are pretty small but eloquent. The pools pack out easily, and the infinity pool should have a guest limit. We decided to eat lunch at a restaurant called Atabey. This restaurant had really good reviews & recommendations. I would not recommend it. There was only 1 guy working the bar, helping the cooks, welcoming guests & waiting the tables. We felt bad for him. Other customers left because of the long wait times. It took 30 minutes to get water, silverware, and drinks. After 1 hour or so, we received our food. The food was subpar and overpriced. I assumed the Sancocho would have tasted good, but it had a very strong taste of too much recao & cilantro. Perhaps the Culantro & Cilantro were not too fresh. It might have been re-heated A few hours later, I spoke with another worker at the front desk, and they apologized for the mishap & said a manager would call you to your cell phone to see what they could do. Later that night, I called the front desk back and asked to speak with a manager after never receiving a call back. There was no manager available, and I spoke with a man at the front desk. I explained everything to him, and he was very unapologetic and said if there is no availability, we can't do anything, or you can just pay more. I told him to forget about the upgrade and that my frustration is not with him. I told him that I was told I would be getting an ocean view room and that a manager would be contacting me. Both never happened, and the back & forth was frustrating. He said a manager will call you. I told him that the service has been very slow. Even when asking for items in our room such as ice, water, extra pillows, and towels. No one showed up for hours. The bathroom floor was a little dirty with water stains. The bed was unclear & sunk in. Thevshiwer had little to no water pressure, and the shower had white residue from water stains. I told tge front desk attendant that I might end my stay early. He said no problem, just let me know, and I'll be happy to modify your reservation. Very rude. Did not show an ounce of empathy. The next day, I spoke with a manager, and they asked me how they could help. I explained the situation and let them know the only person rude was the gentleman at the front desk last night. The initial lady who helped check us in told us about our room upgrade, and we never received it. We also called and complained last night about our toilet not working and making a loud noise through the night, and the bathroom sink was leaking and flooded the bathroom floor. My wife is pregnant and could have slipped. They said they would send someone to fix it, but they never came to the room. At this point, we told them thanks for trying, but we will be checking out. The manager also apologized and saw my email with my requests and the reason for our stay. The manager tried to keep our business and said a room upgrade is available now for free. She also gave us a $100 credit. We declined the suite but ate breakfast. Breakfast was overpriced around $87 for coffee, eggs bacon home fries, and my wife had pancakes. The service at the restaurant nesr the pool was dry & subpar. The Waiter never engaged or spoke to bus much. The pancakes were amazing, but the eggs bacon & hone fries were bad. Another manager called us back, offering a large, luxury top floor very large suite. We declined again. After we at the hotel, we received an email from Mayra Berrios, the Director of Guest Services, apologized and sent me a receipt waiving our 1 night stay. We will never stay at the Condado Vanderbilt again. For the price & 5 star status of the hotel we were very disappointed.…
The hotel is lovely, the room is great, location is lively. Food and drink is severely overpriced and ok (wings cost $28, 1 drink $21), the restaurant across the street is AMAZING! Cayo Blanco. We were there for brief business and our honeymoon, we booked very last minute under the companies corporate rate which required calling and booking directly with the hotels in house reservations department. The person I spoke to quoted me two very dramatically different rates for a city view vs ocean view room - a $370 per night difference - so I chose the less expensive option. Upon check out I noticed I was charged the the higher rate and questioned it. Conveniently, I also did not receive an email confirmation confirming the rate I was quoted, shame on me for not calling them back and insisting on getting one. The hotel has refused to honor the rate I was quoted. What should have been a $1,000 stay was over $3,000. It all just seems so shady and dishonest. We loved Puerto Rico and will return, but we will never stay at a Vanderbilt property again.…
We came in for cocktails and it was a great experience! Lincie and Jacob have real showmanship and style in their drink preparation. They give you little noshes at the bar… seasoned nuts, olives, and spicy caramel popcorn. They make a lot of the syrups and sugars in house. We have the lady lavender, lady rosemary, and a concoction that Lincie made. Great atmosphere and bar tenders.
Experience the height of luxury in San Juan at the Candado Vanderbilt Hotel which offers rooms and suites with stunning views of the Atlantic, Condado Beach, and historic San Juan. The hotel features three pools and a hot tub with a fantastic poolside lounge area and bar as well as private beach access. The spacious Ocean Queen Suite included a lovely living room and dining room area as well as two grand balconies overlooking the ocean and beach. We were greeted in our room with champagne and a sumptuous collection of chocolates and sweets. The bed was plush and cozy and the bathroom included a splendid tub where much time was spent luxuriating. Condado Vanderbilt is without the premium San Juan hotel!
The historic hotel is truly glamorous. The siting is incredibly perfect although the beach is extremely small and because of powerful waves was inaccessible. We got a reasonable rate and as always in these situations the staff truly do their best so I feel torn about complaining BUT the room we stayed in had a musty smell (a result of the hurricane?) and was in dire need of maintenance. See pictures! Also the housekeeping was erratic. Each day they missed something or forgot to replace an item ( a towels, a bathmat, coffee pods etc, ) or example removed our bathrobes which were hung on hooks. Each day we had to call housekeeping. It became comical! We wondered each day what we would be calling about when we returned to our room. Also we had to ask for pillows that were not lumpy bumpy. We have stayed at 5 star hotels and unfortunately this hotel looks like a 5 star but is managed like a 3 star. The icing on the cake was our bill was vastly incorrect and after 4 calls from the airport we resorted to leaving a message on the Hotel Managers voicemail telling him the bill was wrong plus they did not credit us for the one day prepaid amount we paid when making the reservation. Unnerved us unnecessarily on the last day of our otherwise lovely vacation. Checked my charge card bill the following day and it was corrected. …
The Amenities, facilities, and customer service are all average. This property doesn’t have much to offer in terms of an experience or the level of luxury you would expect at $900 a night. Small pool, no beach access even though on the strip. They are also pretty passive about accommodating issues. This is not the kind of place that will readily offer a concession or amenity as a show of customer service/client experience. My check-in experience was not the best even though my issue worked itself out thankfully. I came here on a solo birthday trip and I honestly wish I were somewhere else.
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Listing