Don Rafa Boutique Hotel & Residences — Hotel in San Juan

I came to Puerto Rico to celebrate my Birthday in January and did alot of research on this property before making my reservation. I had a three day stay before we headed to our cruise from the San Juan port. This Boutique Hotel is beautifully designed for the dark rich decadent feel. It's has an intimate vibe and alluring appeal. This Establishment is not on the first floor but on the second so it's either a quick walk up a few stairs or you can take the elevator. Doors are always locked and to gain access you can use your room key or ring the bell to get back in. We arrived too early for check in so the Bellman was able to store luggage while we went to get something to eat. Miramar is a thriving foodie neighborhood with dozens of restaurants to choose from all walking distance. There is also a restaurant on property but it was booked for a wedding that day. So we never got to eat there.

Upon checking into our room we were given accommodations on the second floor. This room is located next to the game and smoke room entrances. The room was beautifully decorated and felt truly content until we went to shower for dinner. *shower had a broken socket tile in the shower by the shelf *shower head was rusty and water sprayed all over. Pressure was nonexistent *hair on the floor that was not my color

We didn't want to complain so we just left it and went to dinner. Once back in the room getting ready for bed. As I'm pulling the sheets down to get in the bed the mattress slips back from the wall and there is a dried dead bug with wings that's been there for some time due to the level of how old it was. I've work in Hospitality for 20+ years I understand staff forgetting something at times but this was just poor cleaning. That really bothered me and something I couldn't Ignore so I made a trip to the front desk to speak to management. Marco was on duty I showed him pictures of the issues and wanted to give the hotel the opportunity to rectify the situation. I was told to stop by the desk the next morning for new room due to inconvenience. That night I slept on the mini sofa my partner on the bed. Unfortunately I could not sleep in that room it was so noisy you heard every slam of each door on that floor. People talking when there outside smoking staff going by it wasn't a pleasant first night. We were seriously cranky coming down for breakfast with the lack of sleep that was included with our stay.

*Lobby breakfast tables were completely full with dirty plates and no where to sit. *There was a lack of food selection to choose from (Mini bagels, toast, cereal) *no Utensils and when you did ask for some it took about 25 minutes. They went in the back curtain and disappeared.

In the photo provided of the lobby Breakfast area you can see empty plates completely full of garbage on each table. Once back in the room to pack our things for the room change we were switched to Penthouse 1. This is a two bedroom suite with a wrap around balcony full kitchen and walk in closets. I was given a bottle of champagne a beautiful Birthday Card that was definitely a nice gesture. Was really happy with my upgrade definitely made up for the previous night.

There is a pool located on the rooftop but it's more like a dipping pond to get cool from the sun. There is no bar access from the roof. Unless you are purchasing from the restaurant and the restaurant was never open when I was at the pool. If you need a drink the bar is located in the lobby. If you want a night cap please check with the front desk about the time the bar closes. When I wanted a drink one night before 8:30pm bar was already closed.

I’m very thankful for Marco for his service in trying to rectify the situation in a timely matter the upgrade was...

As far as location, this was great and worked out well for our group. A quick walk away from a supermarket; we were also able to walk into the nightlife area near the casinos and enjoy that as well. We were also able to walk to the beaches and even walked to old San Juan one day even though that was a bit farther. We felt very secure and safe in the area; the building was locked and you needed your key to enter/exit. There was also a ramp for wheelchair accessibility which I thought was very considerate.

All of the hotel staff were very attentive, nice, and detail-oriented. I received a text asking for my arrival time to ensure our room would be ready, and each day I would also receive a text asking about housekeeping. This place really does seem to value your opinion and knows that communication goes a long way.

There is one elevator so depending on the business level, you may be waiting a bit. There is a nice staircase that you can take though if it is busy. We stayed Monday through Saturday and the first couple nights weren’t busy at all.

Our room (the two bedroom apartment) was very spacious and worked out well for our group of 3. Some highlights of the apartment were the paper towels and utensils provided in the kitchen, and the stove had a good overhead fan as well which was definitely needed the night we cooked burgers. There were complimentary bottles of wattle and coffee pods, and a spacious dining table for a whole family to enjoy a meal at. The apartment was modern, clean, the marble floors were nice, and the windows opened all the way which was also a good feature as there was a parade and it was cool to see it from our window. The beds were very comfortable and there were blackout and regular curtains in there was well. We also loved the fact that were was a washer and dryer in our apartment as well.

We enjoyed the rooftop pool (please note that it’s 2-3 feet deep) for relaxing in during the nighttime and the vibe on the rooftop is very relaxing and cozy. There is also a lounge area which was very comfortable to sit and hang out in as well.

Some things that could be improved on was the lack of storage. Not much space for anything in the bathroom and there was a closet in the bedroom, but minimal hangers and no dresser. We weren’t able to use the hair dryer as it kept shutting off on us, and the living room area was also lacking a coffee table. There are no TVs in the bedrooms, and spotty WiFi at times. There was one lamp in our room that had a different style of plug so it didn’t actually plug into the outlet, so we could only use one of our side bed lamps. I also was not able to plug my cell phone charger blog in at the same time as the lamp as it didn’t fit.

Overall, this place was an absolutely amazing place to stay at and I believe it would be a great fit for...

The hotel is in a very convenient location. Easy to be picked up and dropped off by Ubers/taxis. It's close to many Beaches, restaurants and attractions, many are walkable. Easy to get to and from the airport from the hotel.

Gabby, the bartender is phenomenal and has a unique and well curated sense of creation with her drinks. She made an incredible drink based off one of the menu items, not sure what she put in it but it was so fabulous, I ordered 2 and one for my mom.

Overall, every staff encounter was warm and personable. Everyone was happy to help and made our stay all the more special, adding the feeling of a more personal touch.

The hotel design, art work and plantscapes are vibrant and inviting. Such a classy environment and welcoming after a long day of travel.

Our only criticisms would be how loud the room/hotel can get. You can hear all the street noise, while it's not loud all the time, it can get loud at certain times. Occasionally you can hear chairs moving in the rooms adjacent. You can hear people talking in the hallway as well, as the stairwell is rather echoey.

Additionally, the rooms were not light very well. While you could get some decent natural lighting, it wasn't effective near the full length mirror or bathroom mirror. The bathroom was small with minimal storage, so doing makeup and hair there is a bit tedious. The full length mirror was ideal as you had several outlets near for your hair tools. There were maybe 4 lights in the room, but it was not very bright or close enough to the mirror to see well... especially at night. Adding a lamp near the mirror would really improve the lighting in the room tremendously. Especially as it's near the small desk... making it more useable

The curtains in the room however, were phenomenal. True black out curtains making it great for the nighttime when you don't want the street lights shimming into the room.

The final criticism would be that perhaps it would be more appreciated if the waste bin in the bathroom had a lid. Given the fact you can not flush toilet paper.

The bed was very comfortable and felt luxurious. Loved the mini fridge/freezer and the couch. The room felt very spacious and had ample storage and luggage space.

There are hotel cats, we personally loved this ..but I know this is not for everyone. However, wild cats are apart of San Juan and are everywhere. The cats appeared to be well taken care of.

The pool is not for swimming but more for lounging..I personally appreciated this. As the hotel is friendly for families and kids, it does not specifically cater to children in the public spaces.

Overall we really enjoyed our stay would recommend to friends and family they stay...