Westin vs. El Conquistador

[Ellen Shapiro]

If you hypothetically had a brother stationed at Roosevelt Roads and were going to visit, would you choose the Westin or the Conquistador? Or someplace else? Access to good restaurants would be a primary consideration.

[Jason Perlow]

Well, if we are talking San Juan, and price is not a concern, my utter favorite is the Caribe Hilton.

Why? Its the only hotel with a private beach in San Juan.

And they make a killer Pina Colada.

[Miguel Gierbolini]

In San Juan, my favorites are Hotel San Juan and the Ritz Carlton.  Both are in Isla Verde which technically is Carolina.  In my opinion, the better restaurants are in San Juan so staying in either of those would place you closer to them than, say The Westin Rio Mar (in Rio Grande, 45 minutes from San Juan) or El Conquistador (in Fajardo like an hour or so away).  For my money, if you prefer a resort, go to the Dorado Beach Hyatt (in Dorado, 30-40 minutes from San Juan).  

By the way, Roosevelt Roads is in Ceiba, of these places the closest to it is El Conquistador.

[Damian]

Caribe Hilton is in the middle of renovations, Do not stay there any time soon.  Besides, the "El San Juan" and the Ritz are miles above the Hilton as Miguel points out.  The Caribe used to have a wonderful open air bar and a beautifully landscaped lawn/beach area...all of that, sadly, is no more.  The Pina coladas are still first-rate though!

For Rosie Roads, again, Miguel has it exactly right, the pracitcal choice is the Conquistador (great beach on Palomino island), food is decent but way overpriced.  There is not too much by way of cuisine out in Fajardo, but local spots can do fish and mofongos pretty well.

I also like the Hyatt Dorado Beach for resorts, but I go to Puerto Rico for San Juan, the mountains, and the Western beaches like Isabela and Rincon.  I go to other islands (Culebra, St. John, St. Barth) for crystal waters, and relaxed Caribbean rhythms.

to speak directly to your comparison request:

If you like golf, I prefer Rio Mar to Conquistador because Rio Mar has two solid courses.  Conquistador's course is also decent.  (Neither compare to Dorado).  For food, Conquistador wins, although Rio Mar is close to the food stands at Luquillo which have great street food like empanadillas.  Rio Mar is also close to El Yunque rainforest which is great for hikes.  Conquistador is closer to Rosie Roads.

   

[Rachel Perlow]

What happened to the Caribe's beach area?

[Damian]

It's been under renovation for a while now - not sure of the current status, but as of last November it was a complete mess. It used to be very nicely landscaped, a kind of oasis with a lovely lawn. The beach side is probably still OK, but the pool area is now kind of a blocky concrete looking thing - memories of Eastern Europe come to mind. Maybe I caught them right in the middle of renovations and it is now beautiful again, but when I saw it the whole outdoor area looked really unattractive. I'd be really disappointed if I had paid to stay there (we stayed at the Convento in Old San Juan).

[Miguel Gierbolini]

Hmmmm. I think renovations are complete and the beach area is still there, unchanged. There are several new restaurants including a Morton's and Madrid, San Juan, a Spanish place which seems to be one of San Juan's happening places but I have not visited it yet.

[Damian]

Are you sure the beach area is unchanged? That nice lawn is still there? Man, when I was there last, it was depressing because that once beautiful space seemed to be destroyed.

[Sweet Willie]

Caribe's beach is nothing special, really.

If I had to choose between the two you mentioned, I would choose Rio Mar.

Why?

While not as close to Roosevelt as El Conquistador, it is close enough, plus as mentioned above, staying at the Rio Mar allows decent/easy access to El Yunque (rainforest), Luquillo Beach (wonderful, just don't go on weekends when it is PACKED w/people), pretty close to San Juan and its restaurants/sights.

El Conquistador is not worth the $ IMO.