We recently stayed at Villa Harencia and were pleasantly suprised. It was beautifully decorated with eclectic furnishings. Our room and bed were very comfortable and had a large bathroom with a double shower. The staff were very frirndly and helpful. I would definitely stay here again!! The only downside was the lack of hot water, but the staff readily offered another room or to shower in anothet room, which is what I chose to do. Well worth the money and perfect location.

We stayed here at the end of our trip and it's definitely a great choice for a short stay in Old San Juan. The building has been gorgeously renovated and makes a wonderful first impression - once you get inside. (I unfortunately agree with the earlier poster about the front door. We showed up around 8pm on a Saturday night and couldn't get in because the front door was locked and the doorbell didn't work. Fortunately they answered the phone right away.) The rooms are small but super comfortable, the location is great but on a quiet side street, and everything was very clean and well maintained. They keep breakfast out all morning and since it's a small hotel you can basically wander in and out of the dining room at your leisure and never get in anyone else's way.

As others have noted the hotel has its flaws if you look for them, but if you're only passing through it's not going to be a problem. I've stayed in El Convento before and Villa Herencia was a great alternative. I'd definitely recommend it and I'd happily stay there again.

My daughter and I stayed here for 24 hours prior to a cruise vacation. The hotel is located half a block from the Governor's mansion, and practically next door to the elegant (and expensive!) El Convento Hotel. It's only a few steps to a lovely little sculpture-filled park and the Cathedral - or a few steps in the other direction takes you to another small park with an impressive scupture and a gorgeous view of the harbor. It was an easy walk to anything in Old San Juan; the hotel is located about midway between the central plaza and El Morro fort in a very pleasant and quiet mainly residential neighborhood.
The staff could not possibly have been nicer or more accomodating, and our beautifully-decorated room was lovely, large, and furnished with lots of seating. The bathroom was huge and featured a two-person shower with double waterfall showerheads. One of the things I especially liked about the hotel was its intimate small size, and the feel of being in an authentic and elegant Spanish-style home rather than just another hotel.
My only complaint was with the complimentary breakfast, from which most of the food seemed to be gone by the time we arrived in the dining room about 9AM. Several people came in after us so we weren't particularly stragglers. Perhaps there had been guests ahead of us who ate more than expected.
If I return to San Juan I will definitely stay in this hotel again.

This is not your 5-star hotel where they carry your bags and things are over the top. This IS the place for a charming courtyard, fountain, terrace and EXCELLENT staff. The staff offered us several different maps to get around Old San Juan and even offered their card so that we could call if we got lost or had questions.
The rooms were a bit small, but very romantic and fun. We had not even checked out and were already highly recommending this place to family, friends, and our travel agent. It's a 1-minute walk to the Catedral de San Juan and maybe 5 minutes to the San Juan gate. Everything in Old San Juan is easily walkable from this gem. The taxi drivers may not know how to get immediately there from the airport, but it is well worth the stay. I LOVED Villa Herencia while on my honeymoon!