El Colonial Hotel Open Bar Adults Only

My husband booked this hotel for our wedding anniversary trip. Unfortunately, this hotel did not meet our expectations or the previous written reviews. Traveler beware... Upon arrival we were greeted warmly from the front desk representative. Our room was on the second floor which was great because there are no elevators. There is a bar in the lobby, however they do not share what alcohol is being served. I declined. I did appreciate the bottles of water. In our room, the bed was broken. I also found it to be very small and uncomfortable. The floor was dirty and the light fixtures were dusty. The TV did not work work, but after my husband fiddled with it it was okay. They moved us to another room. There is no microwave to heat up leftovers. No irons, only a steamer. We were not prepared for the street noise and loud music from the restaurant next door which didn't stop until after midnight. You WILL hear every sound from outside. Roosters, trash trucks, construction etc . We did not sleep well at all. We ended up checking out early, because we just could not rest. It is within walking distance of many restaurants and the staff was nice, but it is not the place for rest and relaxation. Very disappointing.

I recently was in San Juan this week and I had a total different experience at a different hotel which I remembered this hotel that I stood at in 2025 service was great everyone from the bar to the hostess everyone’s really nice love is very cute. it didn’t have a elevator, which I had no issues with my biggest issue was the cleanliness of the room. I felt so uneasy on the cleanness when it came to the bed the bathroom the vents just not up to part for any hotel other than that the state was good

First time in Puerto Rico, no complaints at all about this spot! From the location to service to the complimentary bar, we had a great experience. We had balcony view and discovered the secret rooftop. Christian took care of us! Man that guy is amazing and makes you feel right at home. Very hospitable and welcoming. Thank you christian!

I want to be fair: the daytime staff were kind, and at various points they tried to be helpful. That said, I'm writing this review because almost nothing about this two-night stay went right, and the hotel has done nothing to make it right since. It started small, our first room's AC didn't work, so we were moved. But the replacement room's deadbolt was broken, and we didn't realize how much that mattered until 1:30 a.m. of the first night, when our door opened. Someone had let themselves in with an active keycard while we slept feet away. Only the latch chain stopped them. We went to the front desk to report it and ask a simple question: does that person still have a working key, and how is our room secure now? We never got an answer. The overnight employee turned defensive, and would only repeat that it was "taken care of" without any further elaboration. When we pressed, she became hostile, first threatening to kick us out, and then to call the police. So we retreated upstairs, out of fear that escalating with someone that volatile in the middle of the night posed an even greater risk. The whole encounter left us shaken, and between that and the lingering worry about our unsecured door, we barely slept, which took a toll on the plans we'd made for the next day. The next morning, the daytime staff were sympathetic. They apologized and promised to fix the lock and move us to a secure room while we were out. With no in-room safes and a door that still didn't lock, we had no secure place for our valuables, so those assurances mattered. We left for the day trusting the problem would be handled, but when we returned, nothing had changed. The lock was still broken, there was no new room, and we'd spent the whole day worrying about belongings we'd had no safe way to protect. From there it only got worse. By late afternoon this second room's AC had failed, and then our keycards stopped working entirely, locking us out of our own room. One by one, every basic thing a hotel is supposed to provide -- security, a working door, a working key, air conditioning, and a calm response to a safety concern -- had failed. This was day two now, and at this point staff told us our second night would be refunded if we relocated, so we cut our losses and paid out of pocket for another hotel (that they recommended!). Then, after we'd checked out, management reversed the refund and charged us anyway. We stayed there one awful night and were charged for two. Since then, we've contacted the hotel, its management company, and the booking platform. More than a week later, we've heard nothing, so now we're left disputing the charge ourselves. I don't expect a hotel to be perfect, especially in an older part of the city like Viejo San Juan. I do expect that when a stranger opens your door in the middle of the night, it will be taken seriously, and that a refund you were promised will actually be honored. This hotel delivered neither. We won't be back, and I'd think carefully before booking here.