After three months of research, I discovered that Condado Beach is highly recommended by tourist YouTubers. So, we decided to stay at La Concha Renaissance Hotel, a beachfront hotel.
It was difficult for me to choose between La Concha and the Marriott, but I believe I made the right choice.
I prefer La Concha over the Marriott from the outside. Our hotel, La Concha, is close to everything: restaurants, shops, public park, etc. It’s just a 10-15 minute walk from either hotel you choose.
In our street, we have Walgreens, CVS, and a local convenience shop where prices are much cheaper than other shops. There are many breakfast options available around our hotel area, starting around 7 in the morning. We particularly enjoyed breakfast at Barista Squared Condado and Pannes, which is less than a 5-minute walk from La Concha Hotel.
There are lots more shops around, like Chocolate Bar, Mojito Lab, ….
In this area, including Old San Juan, Condado, Pinones, and the airport, you’ll never have trouble calling an Uber. So, if you stay in this area, I don’t think you need to rent a car unless you plan to go to Fajardo or another part of the main island.
Condado Beach has very strong waves, so we didn’t get a chance to play in the water at our hotel beach area (where we can walk through the hotel swimming pool but everyone else can walk past the park to the beach area). If it’s not raining, we can walk and take pictures along the beach area.
*The public park next to our hotel is where you can walk to the Condado beach.
There is a small walking bridge that everyone, not just hotel guests, can use for sea views.
The hotel will provide free beach chairs for hotel guests.
The hotel swimming pools are very nice and relaxing for us. I noticed that the hotel provided drinking water everywhere around the hotel area, which is good for staying hydrated. Our hotel room was called a Junior Suite with an ocean view. I liked the room a lot; it was spacious, comfy, and the AC wasn’t loud. The room service would leave at least 4-5 water bottles for us every day.
The hotel staff were very accommodating. We arrived at the hotel around 2 pm, and the room was ready with no extra charge for early check-in.
We also asked for an hour late check-out on the last day, which they accommodated. However, since we checked in on Sunday and checked out on Wednesday, those days might not have been too busy for extra requests.
As I mentioned, we couldn’t swim at Condado Beach, so we walked to another beach area that was great for swimming.
The beach called “Balneario El Escambron” was about a 20-25 minute walk from Condado, but it was a mistake! It was very hot to walk; we should have called an Uber, which is just a $5 ride Or we could have rented a bike or scooter, which are available pretty much everywhere in Condado (or Old San Juan).
There is a large parking lot (big park) in front of this beach. The water was nice, clear, and calm, making it a good spot for families. You just need to bring your own beach towel and mat.
For dinner during our stay in Condado – San Juan:
• On the first night, we took an Uber to eat at Pinones Beach.
• On the second night, we had a big fried pork chop at La Verguenza. The shop in Old San Juan became famous because it was featured on the Best Ever Food Review Show three months before our trip. However, when we went all the way there, they said this menu was only available at the Condado branch!
• On the third night, we had dinner at Cheesecake Factory in Plaza Las Americas (Shopping Mall). It was a bit weird, but we needed a little break from eating at random restaurants.
If we ever go back to Condado again, I will check out the Hilton Hotel in Condado. It’s not a beachfront hotel, but if it’s a better deal , good review or better price, I would stay there. It’s not too far to walk to the main area for Condado.
Alternatively, I would choose an Airbnb if it’s within walking distance of the Condado beach.
During our stay in Condado, we bought a tour package to El Yunque (rainforest), but the trip was canceled due to flooding.
So, the weather here is unpredictable; if it’s not too hot, it will be raining. Overall, during our 8-night trip in Puerto Rico, three of our tour packages were canceled due to heavy rain.
Interestingly, sometimes it turned out to be a beautiful day after the trip was canceled!
Read through and learn from our mistakes!
>> Trip Itinerary : Cost Break Down : Pros/Cons
– Condado Beach *You are here
– Old San Juan
– Pinones Beach
– Vieques Island
– FULL DAY IN VIEQUES ISLAND
– Fajardo at El Conquistador Resort
– Culebra Beach Day Tour by Catamaran from Fajardo
