We decided to fly down a day early in order to combat any potential weather problems So instead of flying down on Sunday for our cruise we caught a flight first thing Saturday morning, a decision that payed off really well. That particular weekend in the Philadelphia region we were battered with rain to the point where flights were postponed and canceled. In fact, our ship actually ended up not leaving San Juan until at least 3 hours later than it was supposed to leave.
Upon landing at the San Juan airport we quickly collected our bags and headed to the taxi stand. Those of you who never have been to the San Juan airport should note that you must head to the taxi stand in order to get a ride. I can’t count how many times I have seen people stand at the sidewalk only to see taxi after taxi bypass them.
We had booked a pre-cruise stay at the Caribe Hilton from priceline for roughly $90 which is a fairly good bargain during spring break. I stayed there many times and have always been satisfied with their establishment and knew this time would be no different. However, when we went to check in we were told that our room was in the Condado Villas section of the hotel which was a new addition. To make a long story short it isn’t in the main building but instead about a block away. The receptionist told us we could catch the shuttle or just walk, filled with a mixture of trepidation and excitement we decided to walk it. So, using the most horribly given directions ever we exited the hotel and walked to our section. It would have been so much easier if she had just told us that it wasn’t necessary to leave the building to reach our section. Eventually we got there and headed up to our room.
Immediately upon opening the door any fears I had were put to rest. The room was great and the view was amazing. Our room looked out over the lagoon and across the water was the Condado Plaza.
I didn’t take any pictures of the room (a big oversight, I know) but it was more like a suite than a room. A simple description of the layout would be, as you enter the room there is a section with a fridge, microwave and coffee maker. Straight ahead from that is a medium sized bathroom (nothing special but clean) and off to the left was the sleeping area. Our room came with 2 Queen sized beds, there was also a flat-screen television which seemed to be about 27 inches and of course our balcony. In other words pretty standard amenities.
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