Let's be honest, if you are going to San Juan to actually see the place and not stay in your hotel the whole time, then you don't need lots of bells and whistles. Fortaleza Guest House was located RIGHT in the middle of the action in Old San Juan. Nothing fancy here, just a clean room with two beds and an air conditioner (no windows), for CHEAP. The shared bathrooms and kitchen area were also kept up quite nicely. My only caution, is that Israel, the manager is super nice, but you will need to know Spanish to make a reservation with him, or to ask where the supermarket is etc. Other than that, when you are only in the room to sleep, you really don't need more than this!!!

if you want to feel home..... that's the place! The location..... can't be better!, the warmnest of the people running the place makes you feel like you never want to leave. Being an old building the person who looks after the place doesn't stop cleaning it up! Great place for a free traveller... love it!

Last year my friend and I went to Puerto Rico for 6 days and we decided to stay in Fortaleza Guest House due to the fantastic location. We did not make any arrangements except for our flight so we were happy to hear there was still a room available for us. We asked for a room with a balcony at the front of the hotel and this was not a problem!

The first night I met one other single traveller who wanted to join us on our trip to the rainforest (with rental car) later that week. The next day another single traveler wanted to join us and there we had our car full :-) (besides sharing costs also nice company!). At night we went with (almost) the whole guesthouse to the pub and had some great nights in the shared living room and at a salsa club.

I guess it is also about the people you meet in the hostel, but for us the service was great and the shared bathrooms were perfectly fine (in my bathroom in SXM I didnt have a hot shower so I considered it even luxury!) The second last day it had rained badly and our bed was wet due to a leak.. We could have changed room, but we decided to push the bed into the (dry) corner and got our sheets changed immediately.

The next day we had to leave the guesthouse.. Unfortunately. I would definately go back!

Upon arrival, I met Tina, the owner, a truly nice woman. Israel, the manager, kept the place muy limpia (very clean). My bedroom shutters opened onto the balcony, which let a nice breeze into the room. Although, the street could get noisy at night, when I closed the shutters and turned on the fan, I had no problems with the noise and had a great night's sleep for the entire week of my stay. The other guests were some of the friendliest people, I have ever met. Tina's son, Ricky, manages the gift shop downstairs and seemed to be one of the most decent guys I have ever met. When I was leaving, Tina was kind enough to drive me to the airport, for much less than I would have paid for a taxi. I am retired and take a few vacations each year. If I am still in good health next year, I am planning on spending a month or more at Fortaleza Guest House. Thank you, Tina, Israel and Ricky for being the greatest hosts at any hotel I have had the pleasure to stay. I hope to speak with you soon to schedule a long stay next year, if not sooner.