Casa of Essence — Hotel in San Juan

I have a split impression of our stay here. The accommodation offers several 'apartments' and this review is for the 'Vintage' apartment. The other apartments share the same access issue mentioned below. The Vintage apartment is in the middle of the second floor and has no external windows (just high, barred, clelestory windows for natural light). It's an obvious conversion from a single residence to multiple accommodation and the conversion is quirky, to put it politely. The added bathroom/lavatory has NO external ventilation at all, which makes the atmosphere in the apartment interesting at times. Two split-system air conditioners dehumidify and cool the apartment, it contains a functional kitchenette and is well appointed for furniture and entertainments, so no complaints on that score. The location is very good for getting into Old San Juan with luggage and for exploring OSJ in general. HOWEVER, it is, frankly, dangerous. There is only one exit from the building - via the front door/stairwell. This door is secured by an electric gate that (in a power failure) cannot be opened from the inside without a key. The key is not provided when you arrive, nor are you given any instructions on fire/emergency exit procedures. Nor are there fire sprinklers or similar 'accommodation building code' safety provisions. We discovered this the hard way, as PR had a serious earthquake while we stayed that damaged its power infrastructure. We woke up with the earthquake but it wasn't strong in SJ itself. However, we discovered that we were locked in, due to no power, and had no means of egress. As travellers, we also did not have local mobile phone services, and no fixed-line phone is provided. If, luckily, the apartment's wifi had not continued to work without power (for a while) we would have been trapped without any means of communicating with the outside world. I'm a pragmatic person, so would've found a way out (via the closed business offices on the same floor most likely) but it would've required breaking down doors and jumping from the second floor. Needless to say, after obtaining the key to the electric gate - which required calling the US-based owner via Zoiper over wifi and getting her instructions to find and access a lock-box - we decided not to stay another night. The ongoing power outage was also a factor. The owner agreed to refund us for the shortened stay, and has done so without fuss. However, until this accommodation has the above short-comings remedied, I cannot recommend anyone takes the risk of...

Quaint is probably the first word to come to mind, but #casaofessence is more than that. It’s whimsical, a little unconventional and somewhat avant-garde.|Located in the centre of Old San Juan, Casa is right at the gateway to all the stunning buildings nearby. Plus it’s a short walk to many of the old buildings, cathedrals, castles and historical sites.|When you arrive of COA (Casa of Essence), there is no lobby or check in desk. You’ll need to call Crystal who is the owner of this family run business to get in as it’s contactless checkin using codes. If you haven’t already received, she’ll send you all the codes to use the building. |Remember that crime continues to be an issue, albeit it has improved over the years. |So to enter there is a locked gate on the street front, then an internal locked gate both of which have codes to punch in to enter. Then you can use the old elevator to take you to take you to your room. Remember, here floor 1 is what we call the ground floor in Australia. |My partner had liaised several times with Crystal and she totally delivered on what we were after within the budget we had. |Our room had a queen bed with the softest sheets and comfiest pillows. The air conditioning was a welcome relief from the humidity outside. An overhead fan often means you can turn off the A/C.|Bathroom was well appointed, with a spacious shower and complementary toiletries. The decor is eclectic with a mix of old and new furnishings, all of which have a purpose. |Little fridge and coffee machine much appreciated. Plenty of storage if you’re someone who likes to unpack at your hotel. |The big screen TV which is brilliant to watch from bed, and has 100’s of channels to choose from. We were even able to log into YouTube and catch up on news. |Next door is a supermarket and well stocked liquor store. Plenty of places to eat within 200m and an abundance of touristy shops for those last minute gifts. |We found COA a haven to return to after visiting all the sites, but also, a snugly place to rest and chill without noisy neighbours or street noise.|Good value for money.||#thewanderingreviewer #casaofessence #oldsanjuan...

DO NOT BE FOOLED by the RATINGS. This property is very old and smells like it too. The strong smell of old antique moldines as you enter is overwhelming. Bases in the reviews there seems to be different rooms here and unfortunately the one we got was roach infested. They were everywhere. The walls were cracking, mold build up behind paint, snot in shower wall, shower curtain orange mildew alongside the bottom. Very noisy if facing street, BUT worse of all, as we returned from dinner and laid down (never opening balcony doors) our apartment hit swarmed with termites. They were everywhere, landing in our heads, on bed, everywhere! We had emailed Crystal the first night about he roaches etc and no response. The last day we called about the termites and she has a property person come up and spray the entire room with raid. My son was unable to sleep in living room sofa bed bc of this toxicity in the air. We sealed the bottoms of doors to avoid more of these critters sweeping in overnight. We squeezed into a this full queen size bed and plan to make it through this horrible night as we leave the next morning. —-stay away from The Crystal room as...