Hotel Review: The Intercontinental in San Juan, Puerto Rico

I would place the Intercontinental Hotel and Resort in San Juan Puerto Rico in the top ranking of comfortable hotels. We booked a cruise that was to leave from San Juan, and wanted to arrive in the city the day before the ship was to embark. We were hoping to reserve memorable accommodations.. The travel agent made the arrangements for us to stay at the Intercontinental for the night. Having been there herself she recommended it as the best lodging.

We were traveling in late April when it was still cold in our area, and upon arrival in San Juan it was warm and sunny. We got a cab from the airport to the Intercontinental located at 5961 Isla Verde Avenue. Upon arrival, the hotel staff offered to lock our luggage in a room while we made sure our rooms were ready since we were a little early for check in. The hotel and grounds are beautiful. The front has lush tropical trees and plantings. The lobby has what looks to be marble flooring and expensive looking furniture arranged around the lobby. The check in staff was fast and efficient, indeed our rooms were ready. The staff brought our luggage right to our rooms. The rooms were nicely furnished and had balconies. The balconies were overlooking the back of the hotel but the view was not objectionable. We went to explore the pool area and beach. Here is where this hotel really is nice. The pool consists of several interconnecting pools. There is a waterfall and a bar area that has one side in the pool complete with seats in the water and the other side is on the pool deck with traditional seating. We of course tried the swim up bar and it was fun and unusual. The only problem was if you didn't want to charge your drinks to your room which we didn't, the money got kind of wet, but it all spends the same. After checking out the pool we went to the beach. The hotel has a deck area that is quite long that overlooks the beach. There are tables to sit at and a bar nearby for refreshment. The beach was lovely and not crowded. The ocean that day had pretty big waves rolling in but we did go in the water and let the waves splash us but it wasn't really possible to swim in the rough water. When we were tired of the ocean we sat at a table on the deck and admired the view.

For dinner we decided to try Alfredo, the Mexican restaurant right in the hotel. While pricey it was good. There was a choice of seating inside or out. When you first walk in, the hostess greeted us with a sample of champagne. In between courses the waiter brought small wedges of cheese. The only minor complaint would be that the waiter never offered to take drink orders; he just took our food orders. The hotel also offers two other restaurants one with Japanese Cuisine and the other with Mediterranean food.

Other amenities offered by the Intercontinental are, Hotel Shops, a Health and Fitness Center, Spa, Babysitting, and a Casino. Overall, we enjoyed our stay and felt that the Intercontinental provided memorable accommodations.

Sources:
Personal Experience
Intercontinental Hotel