We stayed here for 5 nights to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. We were upgraded from a city view to a garden view room, which was on the 6th floor so you could see the ocean too. The room was a good size with a flat screen TV, separate couch/sitting area, fridge , plenty of counter space in the bathroom, and a small balcony. The bed was really comfortable. The AC unit like most everywhere I've stayed kicked on an off all night. There was no noise by the pool at night (I had been concerned about this) and very quiet in the halls, no noise from other rooms.

Check in-our room wasn't ready until after 3, which was a pain b/c we got there at 10:30, not the hotel's fault by any stretch and they did offer us the hospitality suite if we wanted to change.

One recommendation I would have would be for the hotel to invest in a couple of inexpensive chairs to fit on the balconies, it would really increase the experience to be able sit outside with coffee in the AM, or 'apre beach' to watch the sunset.

The hotel surprised us with a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries with a lovely note from Irene, the guest relations manager whom I corresponded with prior to our visit. That was a really nice touch.

The beach was great. I think the umbrellas should just be included in the cost of the room. For us they were a must as we are not used to the hot hot sun. Sometimes they would run out of towels if you went down late afternoon. But no rush to get chairs etc. The pool area was beautiful, we didn't use the pools though, as we like the beach better. The beach could get windy sometimes to the point of being sandblasted. The water was beautifully warm, and no seaweed.

The beach was clean and it was great to have the little cafe/bar right there, though expensive!! Sticker shock even though I was warned. It gives one pause to ordering a bunch of frozen drinks all day!

Nice mellow bar with friendly staff. We only ate at the cafe (an OK pizza), and Al Fredo for an appetizer of prosciutto and melon. Breakfast was really only the expensive buffet, we sat at the bar for a couple of coffees that ran $10.

If you get "off campus" we ate at Metropol twice, great down home Cuban/Puerto Rican food. Mi Casita for breakfast once, OK, but not great service from our waitress who insisted on giving us American coffee when we wanted it Puerto Rican style. We also ate Mexican at Lupi's, it was OK.

Taxi's as others have said expensive, $25 w/tip to Old San Juan.
Did not use the spa. Gambled a bit, small casino, but you can get a $5 blackjack table and not as "intimidating" as some of the larger casinos if you're not a big gambler.

I guess if I'm not sounding overly enthused it is because I discovered I really like smaller hotels. We also didn't rent a car, so while everything you really need is right at the hotel, it can cost a small fortune. For a family vacation I don't see how it could be affordable if you only stayed "on campus".

The area outside the hotel is urban. We walked around a bit to check out some of the other hotels. The Walgreens only had two aisles open, the supermarket seemed like it was ready to close down too. The "mall" is definitely not a mall, just a few stores-not that we were looking for a mall, but in case someone is!

Overall I found it a perfectly acceptable nice place to stay, nice lobby area, gorgeous pools, beach, restaurants, spa, casino, bar. A pretty mellow 'scene', unlike the El San Juan which was very glitzy. But I would stay in a different area next time. Oh and the planes nearby were no problem.

I initially booked my vacation to stay at the El San Juan, and after reading the horrible reviews, I decided to switch over to the Intercontinental. I was so relieved I did that.

My friend and I got there at around 10am, we were checked in, and we hung out by the pool for about an hour and a half. They called me on my cell and we got a city view room on the top floor wiht a balcony, and the view really isn't as bad as it sounds. The room was extremely spacious, with enough closet space and a generous bathroom, big enough for two girls to get ready for the night and not be in each other's way. There were plenty of clean towels always on hand, the cleaning people were great and cleaned our room every day. My only complaint is that the water pressure wasn't that great, but maybe I'm just used to my shower at home. The room was basic but modern, and the beds are really comfortable, maybe a little too soft for me, but thats just my opinion.

There is a Walgreens down the block, we stocked up on waters and chips to snack on at night, and there is plenty of space in the room's refridgerator for big bottles of water and stuff. It was perfect, actually.

The pool area was very clean and very beautiful. We stayed on the beach every day though because it's just my preference. I liked the breeze on the beach and I rented an umbrella for &10 a day (which is worth every penny). The sun is extremely brutal in PR and both my friend and I who never burned got red, so make sure to wear sunscreen!

The little cafe on the beach of the hotel was good, it was nothing to really write home about, but the prices were definitely very reasonable, and they make great drinks! The pina coladas and their Jungle Fever drink were always by myside. They have a waitress walking around the beach to bring you drinks and what not. Coming from the NYC area, these drinks are definitely reasonably priced.

As for food, to me, nothing was terribly overpriced. The first night we went to the El San Juan to the Palm restaurant. That to me, was just overpriced Italian food, even though it was really good, it's just like home cooking to me so the prices were a little high. The second night we went to Ruth's Chris steakhouse in the hotel - PHENOMENAL!!! The steaks are pricey (but typical for steakhouses in the NorhtEast), but my friend and I saw a special they were having - $99 for two people, and we each got a salad, choice of meat (we chose the petite filets and they were to die for!! Like butter!) a side dish and dessert. Dessert wasn't so great, but then again, we were soooooo stuffed with our meal Id on't think our stomachs could have fit the dessert anyway.
The last night we went to the hibachi restaurant in the hotel. Not my favorite place, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised at how tasty the food was. Plus we met this great couple that was on their honeymoon. She is a native of PR and told us about some places to go out for drinks and whatnot.

We did go into Old San Juan one day. I love Old San Juan, way better than San Juan, and we heard that the night life out there is great, we just never made it out at night. The cab fare is $20 each way, but def worth it considering all the traffic and the congestion, that driving there yourself would not be fun. We went to the restaurant where they invented the Pina Colada, Barrachina or something like that. It's around the corner fromt he Burberry outlet, and it was AMAZING. so were the Pina coladas! I would def go back there.

We didn't get to really experience the true nightlife as we were there during the week, and we were told by all the locals that nothing really got going until Thursday. We went over to the bar at the El San Juan, and I felt out of place, like I was too young to be there (I'm 26). Also, the drinks weren't made that great, and the staff at the El San Juan weren't as attentive or friendly, although I do believe that the pool area at the El San Juan was a little nicer and more modern, with more modern music playing. But as far as the rooms and the rest of the service, I can't say.

You should def check out the Water Club. It's a 8-10 minute walk from the hotel, and it has a really cool rooftop lounge. Its def worth checking out.

The concierge was very helpful and they have a list of excursions to take if you feel the need. We didn't, but looking back, I wish we had. We did go jetskiing, which was really fun. They're stationed on the beach right outside the El San Juan. 30 minutes was $70, which is a lot, but it was sooo fun.

Some people complained about the seaweed - some days the water was chopier than others, but the seaweed tends to gather right on the shore, if you walk into the water a little further its completely gone and very clean.

Overall my experience at the Intercontinental was great. I def would go back to PR, just not to San Juan.

I just got back from Puerto Rico, San Juan with my boyfirend and an aother couple and we had a great time! Intercontinental was a great resort. We loved how tropical the resort was, others hotels I looked at didn't have anything tropical. The room we stayed in was on the 14th floor, ocean view (1420)! The view was so beautiful, the ocean, palms trees, pool and everything! The pool area was great, the staff was great and attentive and very nice. My only suggestion is in Puerto Rico things are expensive, the first day we arrived we got lunch in the hotel grill outside by the pool, and we ordered four sandwiches and four drinks and it cost us $100.00, and taxi are about $25 each way to go to Old San Juan. So if your on a budget, go to places to eat outside the hotel. There are plenty of places to go and eat that are good and around the corner. We went on great tourists trips like, snorkling, going to the rain forest, going to old san juan and went to Flamenco beach. Flamenco beach is was voted one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. I loved everything about the resort and Puerto Rico. Don't listen to bad reviews!!

We stayed overnight at the Intercontinental Hotel on our way home to St. Croix. We were very pleased with the accommodations. The bed was extremely comfortable. We enjoyed the breakfast buffet. The service was extra friendly and efficient. The location is great if you need to stay in Isla Verde. The grounds are very pretty and well maintained.