Service wise it was better then the Radisson in Melbourne Florida. San Juan had bell man and concierge in the lobby to help out. Our room had a view of the street and we kept hearing a banging noise from (maybe) the water pipes. We were able to tolerate it but it could definitely drive many guests crazy. There are also balcony rooms on the other side that overlook the parking lot and we wish we had gotten one of those.

Entertainment wise it was great. The casino is there. They do deal Blackjack a little bit weird here. They had a lounge with Salsa music both nights that we were there. If you like to dance with an older crowd, this is the place.

Take the elevator ride to the rooftop pool it is pretty cool. No good views from this hotel. It is blocked from the beach by other buildings.

The restaurant was overpriced and not much better then a sports bar. Wander a block down the street to much better restaurants.

I have stayed here a few times for business/pleasure combo.. Not my first choice. Location is decent but a bit further down the Ashford strip than I like to be ( towards the lagoon and first few blocks there are better: Condado Plaza/Marriott,etc).. A lot of Airline Crews stay here (which tells you its budget minded) and you will see a lot of them. Room was a little vintage, but comfortable. Not great views in comparison with other properties.. Three of us were literally locked in the Hot Tub on the roof at 'closing' of the pool. The Security Guard SAW us, walked past us, said nothing, and locked the doors back to the elevators. The only way to get back in to the hotel was to go thru a Wedding Reception room (in progress with a wedding recep) and exit the other side, in our bathing suits and towels!.. Then, the security man there didn't want us to do it and disturb the reception and held us at bay in the corridor for almost an hour!! We eventually pushed him aside and went thru the reception anyway. Absolutely ridiculous and unprofessional. Otherwise, an okay, safe property.

I can't believe Radisson puts its name on this hotel. Most of the reception people are barely cordial and gave us wrong directions twice, though the telephone operators are very kind and helpful. The rooms are very dirty, wtih stained carpeting. The bathroom floors do not look as if they are washed but only swept. Towels are rough and cheap. There is good entertainment in the casino bar, but in that tiny place, the music is cranked up so loud that it hurts your ears. The place is set up very disjointedly, one elevator was out of service the whole week, the restaurant is down in a basement without windows, etc. Messages were delivered wrong. The water has a terrible chemical smell. Shower leaked and barely put out water. There was always a loud clanking in the wall whenever we used the water. This is definitely not up to Radisson standards, and I have stayed at several places in San Juan that were much nicer than this.

I just got back from a week long stay at the Radisson San Juan. I had read some bad reviews here and was slightly nervous about my pick but overall the hotel was just what I expected it to be!

The taxi from the airport was $16. We checked in at the lower lobby without a problem. We had read that we could check in upstairs at the Ambassador Club but it wasn’t busy so we didn’t have to worry about that.

We had a one bedroom suite in the Ambassador Club. The living room had a seating area, desk, TV, sink, and small fridge. The bedroom had a sleep number bed and another TV. The bathroom was a decent size. We never had turn down service with chocolates or the robes that are advertised but I didn’t bother asking for these services. From our balcony we could see the ocean in a couple spots and actually could see the ocean from our bed. The décor was not fancy at all but all I was looking for was a somewhat roomy place to stay in close to Old San Juan with a refrigerator. The hotel was pretty clean.

The nightly happy hour is from 5:30-8:30 with some appetizers – cheese, veggies, small sandwiches and a hot breaded ham and cheese something. The drinks are on an honor system so you pour them yourselves and record what you drink. The manager’s special is on Thursday from 5-8pm (the book in the room says it’s on Wednesday). Free drinks and about twice as much food including a pasta dish and salmon pieces. This was the one time we saw the Ambassador Club crowded! We just came back from the beach and were the most down dressed people there!

The continental breakfast in the Ambassador Club included cold cereal, fresh fruit, cooked oatmeal, bagels, and muffins. There’s a coffee machine with good cappuccinos and lattes! The deal I booked on Radisson’s website included two eggs cooked any way and choice of breakfast meat. The two desk clerks I talked to didn’t know what I was talking about. I probably could have talked to a manager but instead I called my travel agent and she straightened everything out for us. Somehow it got us access to the full buffet (which cost $13) in the Grill which was pretty good. It annoyed me that the deal that was advertised was difficult to get. Remember to PRINT out a copy for your records – and to prove to the hotel workers what you are supposed to get!

The pool at the roof level was pretty cool! We took towels from the pool area with us to the beach multiple days. The lounge bar had people in it most every night. There was live entertainment every evening. Apparently this is where locals come for a casino and entertainment.

There isn’t a concierge in the hotel which disappointed me. The operator, Mannie, was helpful with restaurant ideas and provided a map with many restaurants and other businesses listed on it. There was also a tour desk which was manned by a Sunshine tour representative. We booked a tour through the rep to the BioBay in Fajardo. We were transported to Fajardo in a 15 person van and kayaked thru mangroves to a lagoon. Here the little critters in the water glow when disturbed! Very cool!

The thing I liked the best about this hotel was it’s LOCATION!!! The Condado area was a great place to be for a week. We tried three different beaches within walking distance of this hotel and each one was better than the next. The small beach which is the closest was the first one we hit. Pretty rocky and very small. The next beach we went to was about a mile walk away on Ashford Ave, the Condado Bridge Beach. There were rocks blocking the waves from the beach and made the beach very calm. There was a bit of seaweed farther into the bay but a great beach with plenty of water to play in. We rented beach chairs for $4 each and had a great afternoon here. The last beach we went to was by the Marriott. We accessed the beach on the street just past the Marriott. It was a nice long beach with fun waves. Rented beach chairs here for $3 each. This was the best beach of the three we went to.

The restaurants in Condado were also great! We went to Yerba Buena (good mojitos), and Mmmo’s Argentinan Grill (try the combo that includes eight types of meats – and the sangria was great!), and Danny’s International Café (good pizza). We also went to Bangkok Bombay (a Thai & Indian place), and Ikakos (great seafood). My favorite restaurant was Bebo’s. It’s a place where the locals go and looks like a big cafeteria. The Mofongo here was awesome! Mofongo is mashed plantain with seafood or chicken mixed in. All these restaurants were no more than a 10 minute walk away from the Radisson. There is also a Burger King, Subway and Starbucks close by for those that want familiar food. We couldn’t find too much nightlife in this area but Old San Juan is only a $12 cab ride away and it sounded like there was tons of nightlife there.

Condado is a mostly residential location. There are more condos than hotel rooms in this area. It was great eating outside a restaurant and seeing people walking their dogs, going for a run (lots of runners), or taking the baby for a walk. There were only a couple of panhandlers and they weren’t bothersome at all. I felt very safe walking along Ashford Ave all day and night.

I am most definitely going back to San Juan and plan to stay in the Condado area. I might stay in the Radisson if a good deal is being offered.

All in all the Radisson is a decent, basic hotel. It was clean, the people working were nice enough, the hotel bar had entertainment every night, the breakfast was OK and the pool was cool. The Radisson is NOT a resort! Do NOT expect bend over backwards treatment. Do NOT expect fancy rooms. If your expectations are a basic hotel room in a great area with close access to the beach then you’ll be fine here!