CasaBlanca Hotel — Hotel in San Juan

This is my second time staying at the Casablanca in old san juan. It is a lovely boutique hotel with 24 hour front desk service. The hotel has two rooftop areas. One side has the concreate bathtubs and the other side has Jacuzzi's.

The breakfast that they offer is not included in the price but well worth the cost. The food and service were excellent. The hotel does not offer dinner services so please be mindful of that. The hotel does have two vending machines towards the back by the sliding doors. One machine is for beverages and the other is for snacks. Items cost anywhere from $1.50 to $1.75.

My only cons to this hotel are the following: There was no coffee maker in my room, before the pandemic there was one. I should note the hotel does offer coffee in the lobby, but I didn't see any creamer available only cups, sugar, and stirrers. I'm not complaining because it is better then nothing at all. There is no fridge in the hotel but I believe they have a community fridge under the coffee maker. There were no ice buckets available to keep drinks cold, which was another con.

The staff at the hotel are beyond helpful. We arrived hours earlier then the scheduled 4pm check in time and had our luggage stored at the hotel. We took the opportunity to walk around the area and grab lunch. I would suggest calling the hotel in advance if you do arrive earlier then your designated check in time. The room was located in the back of the hotel which seemed to be located on a quiet street which was nice. We had two balconies for the room. I did notice this balcony was much more narrow then the balconies located at the front of the hotel. The balconies on the back are shared with an adjacent room but barely have enough room to fit a small table and two chairs which again are shared by two rooms.

The hotel room has a lovely chandelier above the queen size bed. There was only one chair, an armoire, and a small cabinet with hooks to hang your shirts. The bathroom sink was located outside of the bathroom. The room did offer mini soap, and lotion. The Shampoo, body wash, and conditioner were in bottles attached to the wall in the shower. The scent of the items was nothing to brag home about but it got the job done. If you are selective with bath and body items I would suggest taking your own items.

Housekeeping did a phenomenal job keeping the room stocked with fresh clean towels, and ensuring the space was refreshed every morning. I would only suggest if it is possible to add in sweeping the floors. I noticed a stray false eyelash on the floor that was never picked up. I don't use false lashes so I would assume it belonged to the guest prior to my arrival. The water pressure was fair but it was inconvenient having a shower head that you could not move around. There were no issues with the temperature of the water. The bed/pillows were not soft but bearable. If you like super soft and plush pillows you will not find that here. I would suggest bringing in your own to allow for more comfort. The AC worked wonderfully and kept the room nice and cool. Overall it is a beautiful hotel, with wonderful,...

The CasaBlanca Hotel is the epitome of the phrase "Location Location Location", Because If not for the location no one would stay here. You will enter the cozy lobby and think to yourself "What a quaint and unique boutique hotel!" and maybe even subconsciously pat yourself on the back for being so open-minded to stay in such a culturally accurate establishment. All the while being completely unaware of how spoiled you have become, the next few nights will give you a firm appreciation for even the most rundown roadside motel 6.

Once I checked in and got to my room on the north tower 5th floor, I noticed my bathroom skylight. Now, most people would think that a bathroom skylight would be a luxurious feature, but not at The CasaBanca. My bathroom skylight at the CasaBlanca was cracked, full of a green algae-like substance and my personal favorite part is skylight is accessible via the rooftop public space. That's right, the bathroom skylight is on the floor of the rooftop lounge! Wondering if strangers can see me while I shower and sit on the toilet is not something even your most open-minded travelers want. Additionally, there was a back mildew or mold substance growing on the ceiling of the bathroom. I alerted the front desk about this issue and Carla was unable to move me until the next day due to the hotel being sold out. Carla and another employee did try to clean the black goo off the ceiling but with no success. I read some complaints about Carla on here but she was by far the most helpful of the hotel staff that I encountered, so thanks for doing your best Carla.

Later that night...BANG! BANG BANG! fireworks in the street at 1am and there's nothing between me and the outdoors but a thin sheet of single-pained glass. Wide awake now I noticed that it was very bright in my room. The public space and hallway lighting was seeping through my windows and from the cracks in the door and doorway. It was late enough now that I felt relatively comfortable entering my voyeuristic shower. I fiddled with the shower knobs until I was greeted with a blast of water coming from the shower head. The water being emitted was shot out at a 90-degree angle getting water all over the bathroom. Because that's what people want... a nice wide spray angle in a 3-foot wide shower. I really wish I took a picture of this shower head, I've never seen such a poor design.

The next day Carla was able to move me to a room with a less voyeuristic bathroom and it even had a normal showerhead!

Things you must know before booking: This is an old building, you will hear your neighbors and some of the outdoors. You are paying for the location and not much else. Avoid the 5th-floor north room with the skylight unless you're into that...

You get what you pay for! If you’re looking for a luxury hotel please look somewhere else. However, if you only need a place to sleep and shower this is a convenient spot but it’s not as nice as you see the pictures. The staff is amazing, very helpful, kind, and accommodating. Unfortunately I could not use the patio amenities because it was under construction. The first room I was in was a bit run down, and was also next to the elevator which was VERY noisy. I explained the situation to the staff and they quickly changed my room which I appreciated. Unfortunately not all rooms have windows, but like I said if you’re looking to do some exploring around the island and only need a place to sleep at night this is a good spot to check out. Additionally, towards the end of my stay they were able to hold my luggage until my flight at 10pm (check out was at 11am). Overall, my stay wasn’t as great as I hoped it would be, however, you get what you pay for and luckily the kindness and helpfulness of the staff outweighed the lack of care that’s actually put into maintaining the integrity of the hotel.

PROS: VERY convenient location. Perfect to walk around San Juan and Old San Juan. Everything is pretty much walking distance, restaurants, the seaport area, beaches, etc. if you’re looking to Uber around it will range from $3-$15 Helpful and accommodating staff -restaurant and bar in the hotel (didn’t try it though) patio (however the amenities on the patio were unavailable during my stay) basic hotel toiletry is provided (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, towels, etc.) Available WiFi

CONS: As soon as you walk in, it smells almost like mold. I’m assuming most hotels in the area are like this because of the constant humidity in the area. Walls are VERY thin, hopefully your neighbors are quiet mattresses are not comfortable, very stiff tv does not work No windows in all rooms, but this would probably be a similar case to other hotels in this areas as the buildings are narrow. Questionable elevator, the elevator will take a very long time if there’s too many people on it. First room was not clean (please see the attached pictures) They sell tap water in their own branded water bottles for $2, please do yourself a favor and walk to Walgreens around the corner and purchase a large smart water for $1.68 patio was nice, but the hot tub and tubs(?) were not available due to construction/renovations (which I’ve heard has been going on for a while) so if that’s a deal breaker for you I would suggest to email the hotel asking if it will be ready for your booking (they will most likely not pick up your phone call). No one picks up the customer service/...