Fortaleza Suites — Hotel in San Juan

Very detailed review of the presidential suite.

First, a note on the location. This is a busy area. This is the section of old San Juan that is lovely but does seem to be quite a bit more touristy than other sections of old San Juan. Lots of tourist souvenir shops, and cigar shops and tons and tons and tons of vape shops. There are quite a few annoying vendors, including the people right in the hotel, who are trying to hand you free samples of things. Just walk by if that’s not your thing. It does get annoying that every time we go in and out of the hotel, there are people (that I think are associated with the boutique that is in the hotel; it seems to be some sort of spa or a hair place) foisting samples on you and bothering you. They’re nice. They’re beautifully dressed. They’re trying to sell some sort of product. But it’s really annoying.

I was so pleasantly surprised at how livable the presidential suite was for my family of four (We are two adults and two older teenagers). The other reviews that I have seen do not have a lot of detail about the suite, and the photos don’t seem to match my experience, so I am going to try to provide observations, tips, and photos here so future guests can make the most out of their stay at the presidential suite at the Forteleza.

Observation 1: the kitchen and dining areas are huge. The kitchen is very large and is beautifully laid down and very very modern. I think a couple of reviews have noted that it would be nice if there were more pots and pans; there are indeed a lot of empty cabinets! Add more cooking implements and an espresso maker, some large serving bowls and platters, bakeware and a mixer etc and this could really be a place people could stay long-term. Again, quite modern and beautiful and large! The dining room is also much larger than my dining room at home, and the table could seat 8 easily. This dining room reminds me of my grandmother’s dining room, you could actually host a Thanksgiving feast in there. Again, huge space featuring a big, beautiful wooden table. Now, let’s move onto the smaller spaces… the living area (with the couches and television) is, by contrast, a bit small. It’s oddly laid out. It was hard to figure out a way for us to comfortably watch television. So we just played charades and enjoyed other family moments. We also played cards at the huge dining room table.

Observation 2. Both downstairs bedrooms are fine, not huge, but fine. Tip: Bring your clothes on hangers, because the closets are small, and there is no chest of drawers, So the only option is to hang your clothes up. There are a couple of hangers provided, but that’s not enough! As some have noted, the third bedroom upstairs is a loft bedroom and is more suitable for people who are shorter. I was fine and did not have to duck at all, and I am five feet one. Some people said it was only suitable for children, but frankly, my teenagers are a lot larger than I am, and my daughter is five foot 11 inches and found it cozy. She did duck when she went into the loft, but when she was sleeping, she found it really delightful. There is a cute little seating area up there as well two chairs and a table. Tip/warning: The steps leading to the loft room are very very slippery. Do not wear sock feet to go up and down the steps and please hold the banister!

Observation 3. The air-conditioning worked beautifully throughout the entire house. We were very comfortable and the temperatures outside reached almost 90 every day.

Observation 4:,The balcony faces the street, and it is lovely to sit outside and enjoy your morning cup of coffee. Or evening rum punch. You can access the balcony through the living room or through the “master” that faces the street. But do note that the suite next to yours also has a balcony that is right next to yours. So if they are smoking or being loud, it’s like you’re sharing a balcony. Tip: The balcony faces the street and suffers from great deal of street noise. This is a busy area, so...

An old building in the hearth of Old San Juan within walking distance of many restaurants and pubs. We stayed in the presidential suite (room number 10) for two nights. This suite has three bedrooms, but strangely enough only one bathroom. The third bedroom is upstairs and has a very low ceiling, so anyone over 5 feet can’t stand straight there without bumping their head, so basically this is room for children up to twelve or thirteen years. So the suite is suitable for maximum four adults and two children. The kitchen is well equipped for self catering. This suite was $300 a night. Dependable WiFi. Good beds, although old and sometimes a bit creaky, but we slept well. If you are a light sleeper, the advise would be to bring earplugs, because this is an old building with poor insulation, so inside and outside noises can be heard. There is a understandable request to stay quiet during the night. But the street outside is lively, especially during the weekends. A few tips for making this review a five star one. 1. The tiles of the floor were not clean enough upon arrival. The remains of food and hairs stuck to my socks and since they were long hairs, those certainly weren’t mine, so must have been of a previous occupant. 2. In the bathroom there is not enough space to hang used towels. 3. Some members of staff at the front desk could be trained to answer when they are greeted by a passing guest. I tried it both in English and Spanish, but did not get a reply. 4. There is a large fridge in the kitchen. If you sell a suite as a presidential suite for $300 a night, it would be nice if there is a free bottle of water in it upon arrival. Tap water is relatively safe to drink in San Juan, but does have a funny taste. A $1 bottle of water to welcome a guest will not cut deep into the profit margin. 5. A water kettle for making tea in the kitchen would be nice. There is a kitchen downstairs were you can make coffee and tea with a vending machine providing snacks and drinks, but then you have to use the stairs when staying of the second floor. But apart for the cleaning, these are minor points. Overall we were satisfied with our stay in the Fortaleza suites and would...

This was our first visit to Puerto Rico and goodness are we grateful that we picked the Fortaleza Suites as our hotel for the 2 nights we were in Old San Juan. First of all, the town itself is absolutely beautiful, walkable, full of stunning architecture, delicious food, historic landmarks, and great shops. Fortaleza Suites is right in the middle of it all, giving us the perfect starting point for anything we wanted to do in town. The location was just perfect. This was especially evident from our room's balcony, which overlooked Calle de la Fortaleza.

The room we had was a very big suite, which offered plenty of space for our family of three to spread out. Our kid wanted to read in the bedroom while I sat in the family room plotting out where we would walk next while my wife was in the kitchen pouring a glass of wine. Then later we all gathered in the same family room to play cards at the table.

The staff was incredible. It was drizzling out when we arrived with our luggage, earlier than our room was available. The person at the desk helped us store our luggage safely for the day. We were about to walk outside to tour the city when she said that it might rain more and would we like to borrow an umbrella? How kind and helpful! And most importantly, the umbrella kept the rain away.

A few critiques:

1. The AC unit in the bedroom was quite loud. About every hour it would kick into high gear for a few minutes, which was very startling while sleeping.

2. Room service was also lacking. We were asked if we wanted our room made up while we were out and we said yes. When we got back, the towels were replaced (although we had them hanging on the racks), but the washcloths were not, and our beds were not made.

Two minor issues don't take away from an extraordinary experience at all

Fortaleza Suites is the hotel to pick if you are visiting the beautiful town of...