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Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel Review: Governors Suite Upgrade

a sign on a wall

I had an overnight in San Juan on the way back from the Iditarod in March and since my flight didn’t leave Puerto Rico until afternoon I decided to spend the night in the old town rather than at the airport. I’d tried out the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino on a previous stay and wanted to be closer to downtown on this trip, so settled on the Sheraton Old San Juan hotel.

a sign on a wall

My flight got in late and by the time I caught a cab and made it to the hotel it was after 10. Check in was quick and I found out as a Platinum I’d been upgraded to the Governors Suite!

It was impressive, but also a little tired looking. The double doors opened into a large foyer and mini sitting area.

a room with a table and chairs

The bedroom with balcony and bathroom were immediately to the left.

a hotel room with a bed and a desk

a bathroom with a white shower curtain and a sink

Around the corner to the right was a sizable dining room that seats 8.

a room with a table and chairs

Around the corner to the left was the living room with comfortable seating, a desk, and multiple balconies, including a corner looking out on one of the old forts.

a room with a television and chairs

a room with a couch and a table

a city at night with trees and buildings
Night time view from the Governors Suite
a view of a city from a window
Daytime view from the corner balcony

I loved it, but if I had paid for the suite rather than upgraded I might have been a little disappointed by the outdated furniture. But as a recognition of status, it was awesome.

On my floor there was a fridge, not turned on, which had bottles of free water. A nice touch!

a glass cabinet with water bottles on it

The in-hotel restaurants had closed by the time I had settled in and I didn’t feel like walking a couple of blocks to the nearest restaurants. Instead I’m afraid I walked one block to the nearby CVS which sells bubbly, beer, and various sandwiches, cheeses, and snacks. A good option if you’re looking for an inexpensive late night snack.

The next morning I got up early for breakfast and to explore the rest of the hotel before heading out to walk Old San Juan. The hotel was crowded due to Spring Break and a cruise ship being in town, which I think impacted my stay accordingly, so set your expectations accordingly.

a elevator door with yellow signs

For instance, the elevators took forever (sometimes 5 minutes), partly because only one was in service half the time and also because there was a stream of college students going to and from the outdoor pool.

Given the elevator traffic I was surprised most of the seats were empty. The pool was small, but wow, what a view.

a pool with chairs and umbrellas

a cruise ship in the water

Decent size, and very empty gym.

a group of treadmills in a room

a room with exercise equipment and a woman standing in front of a mirror

The breakfast buffet was a bit of a disappointment. Plenty of cold options, but rather indifferent service and the omelette person apparently was on break most of the time I was there. The hot options seemed to have been sitting in the warming pan for awhile.

a counter with food on it

a room with couches and a chandelier

With the exception of breakfast, all the staff were great though and couldn’t beat the location in the Old Town. Would definitely stay there again, though I’d suggest choosing points over breakfast.

a building with flags on the side

Check rates at this hotel:   SPG.com  |   Booking.com   |   Orbitz   |   Expedia  |   Priceline

More from this trip

The San Juan Airport Doesn’t Want You to Find the Hotel
Snow for the Iditarod
BBQ & Fat Birds in Anchorage

Seeing the Northern Lights in Alaska
Experiencing the Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks
Is Anchorage to Fairbanks One of the Most Scenic Flights Ever?

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4 Comments

  1. Nice review! We were in San Juan a few years ago but stayed at the Hyatt House which is in Condado. I’d have liked to stay closer to Old San Juan since it was like 20 dollar taxi (or a pretty good walk which ended up being a little creepier than I’d have liked)

    1. Thanks! I was considering the Hyatt but wondered if it would be the best walking conditions going solo.

  2. We’ve been at the Sheraton Old San Juan about 6 months ago after a cruise. It was perfect for us since we wanted to spend a few days there in the downtown area.

    No breakfast buffet or lounge access as far as I know. We just had access to the same mini fridge next to the elevator with free water.

    Have to agree that the room we had was also a bit outdated but it had a nice view facing the cruise ships.

    Sad to report that we also had very long wait times for the elevators and they like to close one during busy hours leaving only one working elevator. This doesn’t look good for the hotel since it seems to be an ongoing problem and there are a lot of guests in the hotel during those few days also.

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