Hiya everyone! It's Saturday night/Sunday morning, I've got five exams coming up this week so naturally I'm not studying and instead I've decided to give the first post on my trip!
I figured to begin this off with, I'd give a little bit of an insight of the hotel we stayed at for the first couple days whilst waiting for the cruise to start.
I flew into San Juan, Puerto Rico on Friday night and met my mum at the airport. We hopped in a cab and it was a
veeerrryy short ride from the airport to the hotel. Which was wonderful since I had been up for longer than 20 hours and had only eaten a poorly made sandwich at the Miami airport.
We stayed at
Embassy Suites San Juan - Hotel & Casino. (
xx)
The hotel was great. The rooms were clean, the staff was nice and the complimentary breakfast you get when you stay there is great.
I do remember wishing for more selection of fruit for my oatmeal, but beggars can't be choosers or something along those lines!
They have a full on little atrium as soon as you walk through the lobby. There's also a little convenience store for some snacks or pizza, drinks and if you forgot to pack your toothbrush - you can grab one down there. There's a bar/restaurant along with a steakhouse inside the hotel. We didn't dine in the bar, however all nights we stayed there, we waited the long wait to eat at the steakhouse.
This is just a guess, but I'm assuming due to the fact that it's the only restaurant within the hotel, they get super busy at dinner time. It's an Australian themed restaurant,
Outback Steakhouse, but it's got general American cuisine. I was overall very pleased with the service and the food there!
However the first night, we waited a good hour to get in and eat (we didn't end up eating until 9:30pm). The second night was better, I think we only really waited 20 minutes. They give you a buzzer though, so you can walk around or go and sit out by the pool outside while you're waiting.
Everyday, they've got happy hour where you can go and grab some mixed drinks, tortilla chips and some salsa or some popcorn down in the lobby. And it's all
free!
If there's one thing I can take away from this trip, it's that they do not skimp on the rum!
I can honestly say I spent about a full six hours inside this pool. At night, it's all lit up with coloured lights in the pool and around it, and looks wonderful. I swam so many laps and just floated around, it was wonderful.
If there is a pool, I will jump in it and it'll take an army to pull me out.
Overall, I really enjoyed my stay here. It's always a gamble staying at new hotels, but I'm pleased with our choice. They've got all the amenities you might possibly need, and it's all just an elevator trip down to the ground floor. The guests were all incredibly kind and clearly happy to be on vacation! Free WiFi, happy hour and breakfast = all wonderful perks. I would definitely recommend it.
Atmosphere: 4/5
The people were incredibly friendly and kind, which of course just helps make your experience so much better. The atrium is a wonderful addition, with its mini waterfalls and the sound effects of birds. I'd recommend if you have trouble sleeping or can hear everything, you bring ear plugs as you can hear the chirping and the action going on downstairs in your room. It tends to fade the further into the bedroom you go, though, so it all depends on your own hearing ability ha! After living in residence last year, I can fall asleep to just about anything given enough time.
Staff: 3.5/5
The staff was generally helpful and welcoming, however there were a few times I came across some that just seemed indifferent to their job. Overall though, there was more good experiences than horrid.
Rooms: 5/5
When you're travelling with someone who snores, it's amazing to have two rooms with a door to close and block out the noise of said snorer. It saved me a couple nights of having to smother my head in between two pillows in order to fall asleep. The suites were spacious, clean and had a very generously sized TV (not that we spent much time watching it). ;) The beds were comfortable enough, and the room has a thermostat to adjust the room temperature for your comfort.
Cleanliness: 4.5/5
Pretty self-explanatory. The only thing I had to take half a point away for was that the shower head was falling apart a little and the flakes of paint surrounding the tile were falling because of it.
Location: 3.5/5
It's a very short cab ride from the airport, and about 10-15 minutes from the cruise ship docks. We were more focused on this than how far it was from any of the other attractions within San Juan. The Isla Verde Beach is a block away (Click here to read some reviews on this beach.) and they have their own section of the beach for the guests of the hotel. You don't need to lug a chair or a towel with you, as there's an attendant there who will bring the chair wherever you would like it and will give you a fresh towel to use. However, it's a pretty long bus ride into Old San Juan so you've got to pick what's more important for you during your trip.
Style: 4.5/5
The style of the hotel is very modern. It's clean and crisp, and just simply visually appealing.
Overall: 25/30
Grade: B