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Palacio Provincial San Juan, Curio Collection by Hilton
133 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Nestled in the heart of Old San Juan, the Palacio Provincial San Juan, Curio Collection by Hilton has earned praise for its prime location, making it a popular choice for visitors keen to explore the area on foot. The hotel's ambiance, characterized by chic decor and a modern yet tropical aesthetic, delights guests, though some feel the experience doesn't justify the high costs.
While the staff's friendliness is frequently commended, there have been some service hiccups. The cleanliness of the hotel and the allure of the rooftop amenities receive high marks, although additional fees for amenities have been noted by guests.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Modern
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Outstanding
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We just spent two nights at this delightful elegant hotel in the center of Old San Juan. We arrived by cab and our checkin process was fast and easy. The staff was efficient and friendly. Our room was spotless, well-kept and extremely comfortable. We enjoyed the high ceilings with exposed wood beams and the huge doors that opened to look over the side street. They have a respect and embrace of the history of the location seamlessly mixed with modern amenities and convenience. We had ample linens and pillows, plenty of hot water and a very comfortable bed. We only ate one breakfast at the bar/grill. The food was good and not overly pricey. I would not have been shocked that an omelette would cost $20 or more in such a classy hotel- it did not, I had a full breakfast with all the fixings for much less. We enjoyed the dual courtyards in the center of the building and the roof-top, vanishing edge pool was clean warm and beautiful. We were within easy walking distance to all the historic sites, food and drink and entertainment. We did not rent, nor need a car in Old San Juan. I would go so far to discourage getting a car as it appeared that trying to find a place to park would be impossible on the tiny stone streets. The best word I can use to describe the Palacio Provincial is effortless”. It was just so easy to be there and use that hotel as our home base for exploring. We didn’t fully appreciate the stay until we had relocated to elsewhere on the island for the remainder of our week vacation. The Hotel Palacio Provincial had spoiled us.
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Date of stay: March 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Don’t bother with a rental car if your are just exploring the Old City
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Everything my wife and I wanted to see and do in Old San Juan was within easy walking distance so this hotel is really in an ideal location. We liked the look and feel of the property especially the grand staircase and covered veranda area in front of the rooms. The open air nature of the property really highlights the warm temperatures and encourages you to sit outside and enjoy the environment. We found our room to be comfortable and clean. The bathroom was modern and the shower was large with good water pressure. The room could use more light and the bathroom lighting is equally dim. All the employees were encountered were very helpful and friendly. Make sure to ask for restaurant/bar recommendations. The front desk also arranged for a taxi to take us back to the airport.
During our two night stay, our bathroom towels consisted only of large bath sized towels and while we asked about smaller hand towels, none ever appeared. Also the shower door leaked a large amount of water on the bathroom floor - - more annoying than a problem. The message light on our phone blinked from the moment we arrived and despite our efforts to retrieve/delete voicemails, the light continued to flash. I asked the very friendly gentleman at the front desk but he was not sure what to do and when we checked out, the message light was still flashing. These items were too minor to impact our stay and my wife and I would completely recommend this hotel. One word of advice - we enjoyed a couple of beers at the hotel restaurant/bar and were a bit shocked that each bottle of beer was $10 but at least it was cold !! We did not return to the bar/restaurant as there are a great number of nearby places to drink and dine.
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Date of stay: January 2023
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:We stayed mid-week but still heard very late night partiers in the streets so keep that in mind
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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My husband and I stayed at the Palacio Provincial for five nights to celebrate my birthday. The hotel is centrally located right off Plaza de Armas in Old San Juan and walking distance to all of the main sights and tons of restaurants in bars in OSJ. The staff was all very friendly and the property has a beautiful courtyard and outdoor bar/restaurant area that was only open two days of our six day stay.
We booked a Chancellor room with a king bed and had a room at the end of a hallway on the end of the building near the square. We had quite a bit of street noise - very early garbage collector, late night partying groups. As others noted, the walls are extremely thin and we could hear everything in the hallway, loud guests, cleaning staff and other noises. Earplugs were very helpful. We had french doors with windows in the room but the doors didn't open which was a little disappointing and the windows faced another building that was always filled with people so we kept the blackout curtains drawn.
Housekeeping did come daily and was very thorough. Staff was always more than willing to grab ice or fill any other requests. We used the rooftop pool a few times which was wonderful but the deck is in full sun and there are very limited shade options and no shade options for any of the lounge chairs. The sun was hot and it was very hard to sit up there for any period of time. There is a small fitness center on that floor and showers and restrooms. No bar but you could bring drinks up from the downstairs bar. We would have spent more time up there had there been more options for umbrellas and shade.
My husband worked with the desk staff to arrange a massage therapist to come on site for a massage for me for my birthday which was an easy process. They unfortunately did not have any private area to do the massage - our room was too small, the hotel was sold out and the only options were a glass walled library on full display or the shaded area of the pool deck. Front desk staff said it would be private but I ended up having a massage next to about eight people who were sitting poolside. I didn't mind that much and it was easy for me to tune it out but it was a little awkward on full display.
Overall, we enjoyed our stay but the thin walls and lack of sleep quality during our stay would cause me to look elsewhere. The property is beautiful, staff is very friendly and you can't beat the location.
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Date of stay: January 2022
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This hotel has some nice features, but for $650 per night it’s a huge disappointment. To their credit, the management did end up giving us a $427 credit, but we still can’t recommend this place.
We let the hotel know in advance that we’d be arriving at 2:00 am. When we finally straggled in, the young man at the front desk did not even greet us. I tried to be friendly and asked, “How are you doing?” He replied, “Tired.” That set the tone for the whole four night stay…guests are made to feel they’re an imposition.
Although the website doesn’t mention it, we were told we had to pay our entire $2700 bill at check in. This was bizarre, so we asked to see the room before paying.
There was a huge roaring generator going because the hotel had electrical problems. The first two rooms they tried to put us in were basically next to the generator and there was no way we could have slept. After essentially begging for a decent room (and adding a big tip) we got a quiet room. It was a “suite” with a small living area…the bedroom itself had no windows at all. And the lights in the bathroom flickered constantly. But the room was mercifully quiet and the bed was comfortable. We finally got to sleep at 4:00 am.
The next day (Thursday) the manager called to say we couldn’t stay in the room because someone had booked it for Friday. She tried to get us out of the room that day and then reluctantly agreed to let us stay in that room until Friday morning. She called later that day and tried again to get us to get out of the room because she was afraid we wouldn’t vacate by 11 am. Apparently my repeated promise wasn’t good enough.
When we got back Thursday evening, the room had not been cleaned. We were told (for the first time) that they don’t have housekeeping every day.
When we moved to our new room, we at least had windows. But the handle on the armoire was broken, the shower door gasket fell off, and the pillow case was filthy. When we left that room, we specifically asked for housekeeping and we were told it would be done later that morning. Big surprise…no housekeeping again. The one tiny little wastebasket was overflowing, we had no clean towels, and the bed wasn’t made.
The “continental breakfast” is bottled fruit flavor drinks and stale, oily pastries. No yogurt or fruit. Very good coffee, though.
When we left, no one apologized or even thanked us for our stay. Overall, a really poor experience.
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Date of stay: December 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pros: The hotel itself is stunningly beautiful and I couldn’t have asked for a better location. They have a stunning lounge room with computer access, a bar and restaurant a small gym and rooftop pool. It’s very beautiful and clean. The beds were super comfortable and the rooms were a good size. The drinks were good. When you check in they do try and make your experience extra sweet with some free ice cream cups (a cute touch but a little freezer burned). This was a pretty quiet hotel and we didn’t have any noise issues even though there was a protest down the street- couldn’t hear much.
Cons: When we got there, our room wasn’t clean and they told us they would call us when it was ready. We waited and waited and waited and finally just decided to check and clearly they forgot to call us because the room had been ready. That was annoying but they gave us two free drink tickets for the trouble.
When we got into our room it was super hot because the air conditioning was broken but they sent someone in right away who was able to fix the issue.
I think the biggest issues I had was that the maids will refuse to clean your room unless you tip them on a daily basis. I suppose I didn’t know that and wish it was posted somewhere because on many occasions I had to ask for fresh towels and for them to empty my trash. Once I started putting 5.00 on the bed they would clean.
Food was okay but not the best and not a great selection. They also don’t have a vending machine which sucks… no snacks or soda available and good luck finding a local walkable restaurant that serves food after 12am. I would recommend grabbing snacks for your hotel at the supermarket which is down the street. The hotel does have a fridge but you’d have to ask the front desk to warm up any food because they don’t have a microwave in the room.
Overall the hotel was beautiful and I would absolutely stay again knowing what I know now.
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I was excited to travel to San Juan and about the location of the hotel. And for a fact, the location is amazing! But unfortunately my experience was partially disappointing. Arriving to the hotel, entering the room, I found the mirror really dirty, it had not been cleaned in a long time, same as the sliding glass bathroom door. I notified the front desk about both right after check-in, but no action was taken, only the next day after I asked about it a second time. Small details like a not properly set time on the clock in the room, finding a hair rubber from previous guests in my bed or room keys that were not working several times in a row didn't make the experience any better. Two days later we went on a full day excursion, left the hotel for almost 9 hours, just to come back to a room that was not cleaned all day. Had to wait outside until the room was done, but not even any kind of compensation for the wait was offered, no coffee, drinks or anything else. Only when I asked specifically about what can be done to receive a better service, a free breakfast for the next day was offered. Finally, when we went to pay for our incidentals, we were not presented a folio and it was not even mentioned that the card on file was already charged. I would have expected to at least get a chance to review my final bill and decide if my friend and I can split the charges, but no service as such was offered at all. And on top of that, the front desk agent was arguing that no guest in years ever asked for their final folio and that they would just charge the guest's card on file in the morning of departure as standard procedure to put pressure on their guests for payment. If the guest saw their folio or not, wasn't important to them. Again, disappointing for the price we paid and expecting better service in a "Preferred" hotel.
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Date of stay: March 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It’s the rooftop pool for me! The whole property is just beautiful and has been well restored but the rooms are very modern (albeit small and dark… it’s old San Juan after all). The location of the property is ideal for exploring all of old San Juan on foot, and while the hotel was only serving breakfast when I visited, the food and service were both good. Keep in mind if you have a car, there is no on-site parking so you need to go a block away to a public lot next to a church. The only thing that I felt didn’t match the quality of the property was the bathroom, the sink was old and had some cracks and chips and the faucet was too strong that it made water splash all over the deck (I’ve read this has happened to other people in other reviews), so you have to turn it on very slow so it doesn’t make a mess. Minor problem if anything, it’s still a fabulous boutique property!
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Date of stay: October 2021Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Best not to have a car as parking and driving in old San Juan is very difficult.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My husband and I loved staying here! We had a great high ceilinged room with a wonderful bathroom. The hotel is immaculate. Housekeeping and front desk responsive - a simple call with any question or request, and it's taken care of. We enjoyed the quiet, beautiful hotel public areas. The outdoor dining room and lounge are lovely, bright, and serene. Ask for a quiet room when you book, second floor is perfect. The staff is so helpful and all are well informed about San Juan and Puerto Rico and are happy to make recommendations and assist guests in any way. The location is superb. So many restaurants only minutes away on foot, within walking distance via the beautiful and immaculate cobblestone streets of Old San Juan. We walked everywhere happily from our hotel, including historical and cultural points of interest in the city. We appreciated the help of staff members Andrea, Nelson, Claudia and Christian during our stay. Overall could not have been a more wonderful place to stay in Old San Juan!
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Date of stay: February 2022
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Second floor is great - ask for a quiet room
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We just returned from a fabulous week at the Palacio Provencial, and I am still missing it! From the check in experience in the middle of the night, with Jean P., walking into the gorgeous, historically invigorated interior it felt like a dream! The first room we were given was a smaller King Size room, it was cozy and well acquainted but a bit small. The next day we spoke with Andrea at the FD, who graciously moved us into a bigger king sized room overlooking the restaurant courtyard. The room was beautiful and had Juliet doors. It was perfect for the occasion.
As it was our wedding week, we felt that the staff really went above and beyond to help make our week special! Shout out to Andrea, Fernando, Jose, and all of the restaurant staff were wonderful! The grounds of the hotel are simply stunning, and we truly enjoyed relaxing in the common spaces, and even got married in the courtyard! The rooftop infinity pool is an urban oasis of calm and serenity! We enjoyed the pool and hot tub each day. The views at sunset are lovely. Overall a wonderful stay and we can't wait to go back to enjoy our one year anniversary next May!
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Date of stay: May 2021
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Corner rooms are great for sleeping!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My wife and I stayed here for two nights before heading to Vieques. Overall, we had a very nice experience. The good: the rooftop pool, overlooking the city, the bay, and the cathedral, was truly spectacular. The two courtyards were beautiful places to sit and read. All of our experiences with the staff were positive. The central location was great, we were able to explore all of the old city on foot. The meh: our room was nothing special, but it was totally functional. We didn't mind dark and cool after being out in the hot sun all day. The bad: the walls were paper thin; we could hear conversations in the rooms above and next door word-for-word like they were in our room. Luckily, our neighbors went to bed at a reasonable time, so we slept ok, but it was still not good. We had a bluetooth speaker and we played ocean sounds so that we could sleep. Still, overall, a decent stay in a great location.
The abiding memory though, is the pina colada that we had in the courtyard bar, it was one of the most amazing cocktails I've ever had. I'm not exaggerating when I call it life changing. I can't recommend it highly enough. I'm already daydreaming of coming back to Puerto Rico just to have another!
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Date of stay: March 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you ask for late checkout nicely and no one is coming into your room they will give you an hour. They’re very kind and do what they can.
Loved this beautiful hotel!!
¡Hola! The Beach Club is a partnership between the hotel and the Courtyard Isla Verde Beach Resort so that guests can go over to their property and enjoy their beach area, beach chairs, towels, bathrooms, and changing rooms. It is based upon availability, so please make sure to call the Front Desk in advance and let them know you will be using it, so they can set it up with their friends at the Courtyard. Transportation to their resort, however, is not included.
There are more places to choose from in the San Juan area.
PRICE RANGE
₹19,738 - ₹35,024 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
CaribbeanPuerto RicoSan Juan
NUMBER OF ROOMS
43
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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