The Royal Sonesta San Juan

We planned a two-week trip to the Caribbean, and on our way back, we needed a place to stay before our last flight home. We opted for the Royal Sonesta San Juan. I didn’t know much about the hotel beforehand, but the photos looked nice, so we decided to give it a try.

THE PROPERTY

The property is located only 6 minutes from the airport on a strip in San Juan where many hotels are located. The area around the hotel is a bit underwhelming and doesn’t feel very walkable, though we did see people walking around. It’s mostly a strip of hotels with private entrances. When you pull into the hotel, you are “greeted” by the front staff. I say greeted loosely because I feel like they barely acknowledge us when we arrive. We took an Uber from the airport, which was super easy and streamlined. When we walked in, we were met by a nice man at the front desk who walked us through the check-in process. Our room wasn't ready yet, so we waited in the lobby for about 45 minutes until it was ready. The property is not very big. There are a few restaurants on site, a large pool area in the center, a small kids’ playground, a gym and spa, and access to the public beach. Nothing beyond what the average hotel offers. It was simple and nice.

THE ROOM

There are two sides to the hotel. The main area with rooms is in the high-rise part of the hotel, and there is also a VIP section. When you sign up for their Travel Pass program, you become a member and are able to get free upgrades, premium WIFI, access to a members-only lounge area, free breakfast, and more. This area of the hotel has fewer rooms and more direct access to the beach and pool. It was much more enjoyable having this room, and our room was really nice and spacious. We had a living room with a pullout couch and a little dining area, a master bedroom with an ensuite bathroom, and a sitting area and desk. We also had two balconies overlooking the pool. We even had a walk-in closet and a little hallway when you walk in the front door, which was a nice place to store our suitcases and shoes.

THE FOOD

There are a few restaurants on site, and all the menus look pretty good. We ate at Ocean Breeze for sheer convenience as it was right by the pool and our hotel room, and had the most kid-friendly menu. They offered takeaway, which was nice, and we enjoyed eating it in our hotel room since we had a nice table for all of us to eat together. My husband and I are both introverts, so more often than not, we opt for room service or take food to go if we can. The ambiance of the restaurant was not really our vibe anyway, as it felt more like a place younger people would go to, as opposed to a family having a nice dinner together. The overall vibe of the hotel feels more geared toward younger Spring Breakers or couples without kids. The food at Ocean Breeze was pretty good; it didn't blow us away, but it served its purpose. We also had breakfast at Aleli in the morning. They offer a buffet, or you can order à la carte from the menu. Part of the reason we chose to take most days off was that the service wasn’t the greatest and was a bit slow. One day, we ate breakfast at Aleli. It was kind of hard to track down our waiter, as they expect most people to just do the buffet breakfast. The host was also a bit rude to us when I asked for a menu to order, saying we had to check in first to see one, even though she had just sat us down two minutes ago.

THE BEACH

The property is right on a public beach, but they have their own section with complimentary beach chairs and umbrellas, and an attendant present that can help set them up for you. Having access to the beach is always a nice touch, but I’m certain this isn't one of the nicer beaches in PR, given how beautiful PR is. This felt more like City Beach, which I’m not mad about, but I always want to be transparent with you all on what to expect. The kids couldn't care less and loved playing in the sand. Because it’s a public beach, there are vendors where you can rent equipment for water activities or even buy a fresh coconut or drinks. We loved walking over and getting fresh coconuts to drink. Other than that, there is not much to the beach but to lounge and enjoy. 

THE POOL

There is one large pool with small sections roped off within it.  Lounge chairs are scattered around, and you can rent private cabanas. We had a private cabana right on the water, and I honestly don’t know what we would have done without it. I think getting a cabana here is a must and completely worth it. By the time we went to the pool, all the chairs by the water were occupied, and the pool was full of people. When you have a cabana right on the pool, you end up having a little corner of the pool mostly to yourself, which is nice, and it’s a treat to have your own space to safely put your things down. There is a menu you can order from, and an attendant who comes by to make sure you have fresh, cold water. Having our own space really made the pool so much more enjoyable. When you stay at more crowded hotels, I thinks its definitely a must to book a cabana. Please note: not all cabanas are right by the pool; some are a little farther away. I’m sure the pricing is different, but I would check with the hotel on where your cabana will be before you book. 

My final thoughts on this hotel are that it’s a place to rest your head. It doesn’t have many bells and whistles and isn't the most beautiful hotel, but it’s in a convenient location with quick access to the airport, and you can rent a car on-site to venture deeper into Puerto Rico to explore. Since this was more of a stopover hotel for us, we stayed on site the whole time, but I do not recommend this hotel for that type of trip. If you plan to mostly explore Puerto Rico and will be sleeping at the hotel for the most part, I say this is a great hotel for the price and location. I really don’t love not giving the best hotel reviews, but I always want to be honest with you all about my experiences. This is not a place we would stay again, but I’m always grateful for being able to travel and have these experiences with my family. With that, I always encourage people to have their own experiences when visiting a place.

See pricing and availability for The Royal Sonesta San Juan HERE and use my code MISSENOCHA for $$ off your stay.