Condado Vanderbilt
Only 11 minutes from the airport, this unassuming hotel, Condado Vanderbilt, is in San Juan, Puerto Rico. From the outside, I wasn't expecting what we were going to walk into, but as soon as we stepped in, I was taken aback by the beautiful lobby with plush velvet chairs and an iron-wrought, curved double staircase. Talk about a grand entrance.
THE PROPERTY
I didn’t realize when we planned to stay here that this is essentially a city hotel. I guess I should have put that together since it’s in the capital after all. The hotel is in a neighborhood that contrasts with its glamorous lobby, but I did like having the option to walk to local shops and restaurants. Obviously, being in San Juan, it’s a good hub for exploration if you want to leave the hotel and sightsee what PR has to offer. Our trip was really just a stopover to the BVI, so we opted to relax at the hotel. One trick we like to use when traveling far with kids is to break up a trip if we can, and since there were no direct flights to the BVI, we spent some time on a nearby island to make the trip feel less daunting. Condado Vanderbilt is a smaller hotel compared to the mega-hotels in San Juan, but it makes up for it with its charm. (Also, I typically prefer smaller hotels anyway. On the property, you will find. various restaurants, a small pool with cabanas and plenty of surrounding chairs, a gorgeous view of the ocean, al, and a jacuzzi nestled over a small strip of private beach. The little patch of beach that is private is not for swimming or relaxing, as it is full of rocks, and the water can come up high, making it dangerous to swim in, but it makes for a stunning and relaxing view.
THE ROOM
I seriously gasped when we entered our room. It was grand with the most amazing view. We had a corner room on the 11th floor. You walk into a hallway and into the “dining room” with a round table seated for 4 and a little kitchenette. Then a small living room greets you, which has a pull-out couch (where the girls slept). To the right, you find the bedroom with a king-size bed and a large bathroom with a closet, a shower, a bath, and a separate water closet. The nice part of the water closet is that it can be accessed by the entry hallway as well, so if you are sharing a room, the people staying on the pullout couch do not have to walk through the bedroom to use the bathroom. The view from the room was insane, and we had two balconies. One balcony overlooked the grandiose body of water that stretched on as far as you could see, and the other offered a part-ocean, part-city view. Both equally stunning views and great spots to relax. We even had the girl do some relaxation and drawing out there.
THE FOOD
On the property are multiple restaurants for you to choose. Our first night, we had dinner at Tacos & Tequila, which overlooks the ocean, and it was a nice little treat because the night we ate there, they had live music that our girls loved dancing to. The food is Mexican-inspired, which I thought was a little odd considering we were in PR, and it would have been nice to order Puerto Rican food, but I digress. We ordered the table-side guacamole, and my daughter was so into it that she loved watching them make it in front of us. Honestly, it tasted so fresh. I’m glad we got it. All the dishes we ordered were very good, and the service was great. We arrived early on the first day, and while we waited for our room, we had lunch at Ola Oceanfront and enjoyed our light lunch. We also enjoyed their menu at the pool cabana the next day.
THE BEACH + POOL
The property is a 3-minute walk to the beach. You do technically have to leave the property to access the beach, but it's a simple walk over on a clear path, and once you arrive, they have their own section where you can have someone set up chairs and an umbrella for you at no extra cost. The beach is public, but it’s nice that they have their own section. You can view a strip of hotels along the beach as far as you can see, which also does the same. The sea of umbrellas decorating the beach is mesmerizing. There are local vendors where you can purchase fresh coconuts from (our favorite!) and also specialty drinks. Because they are local vendors, the pricing is much more affordable, which is a nice perk.
We obviously didn’t use the adults-only pool, but it was tucked away in the corner of the property, and I thought it was nicely secluded if you wanted more quiet away from kids. It is, however, right on the path to the beach, so it gets a lot of foot traffic. The other pool for the general population is more in the center of the hotel. It’s not very big, and we were not there during a very busy season, so I could imagine the pool getting crowded in busier times. It is lovely though, with plenty of seating all around. We had a cabana one day, and it was nice to be able to have our own space. The cabana rental includes a stocked fridge with drinks and water, plus a fruit platter. There is also a waiter who can take your order, with the food coming from the Ola Oceanfront restaurant. We actually ended up having dinner in the cabana on our second day after a day of swimming and beach, and it was nice not have to change the girls for dinner and just be ready to relax after a long day.
Overall, this is a cute, smaller hotel in a convenient location. As far as it being kid-friendly, I would give it a 6/10, just because it really doesn’t cater much to children. We did feel welcome with our kids and never felt weird bringing them around the property, but there isn't much for a kid to do at the hotel besides swim and the beach (luckily, our kids love both). But it is a lovely stay with gorgeous views, delicious food, and beautiful decor. This is a hotel I would stay at with my significant other or on a girls' trip.
See pricing and availability for Condado Vanderbilt HERE and use my code MISSENOCHA for $$ off.