Rosalina Ocean Park

The staff were polite and welcoming. When they saw us, they acknowledged us and answered our questions. I also liked the location, since bars, restaurants, and Walgreens were all walkable. Parking seemed limited to 5 spots in front of the building, first come, first served. Still, I wouldn’t stay again. The closet smelled musty as soon as we opened it. I’m not a fan of memory foam beds, if that’s what it was, and I found this one uncomfortable. One windy, rainy night, neither my fiancé nor I could sleep because a wooden door kept banging open and shut. We later spotted a rock beside it, and I thought I might use it to block the door if it happened again. My fiancé messaged them about the noise through Booking.com, but there was no reply. We asked about room cleaning and were told they only clean after checkout. They did give us fresh towels when we asked, but we had to handle our own trash. I don’t mind doing that, but I’m not used to it at places I’ve stayed before.

The hotel looked lovely when I opened the room at 2am after a late flight, and everything seemed great overnight. From around 8 in the morning, though, groups gathered right outside my room at tables and chairs, talking and laughing loudly. This is supposed to be a quiet boutique hotel for relaxing getaways, but there was no chance to relax or sleep in. Why put a lounge area directly outside a guest room? I was told the front desk was staffed from 8am until 2am, but at 10:30 in the morning my daughter started a shower and the water shut off completely. There was no water in the sink either. I went to find someone, but the front desk door was locked and there wasn’t an employee anywhere on the property. Fortunately we were checking out to catch a cruise, but if we’d booked longer, I would’ve had to seek a refund and go somewhere else. I paid $207, and a hotel that can’t provide water for a shower doesn’t deserve that price.

The location in Santurce was the only good part of the stay. The room looked different from how it was presented before booking, so be careful. The pool was dirty, with hair in it, and there was hair on the comforter when we arrived. Water pressure was low. On our second night, rain came through the window seams, pooled on the floor, and soaked our luggage. There are no dressers, just a small freestanding closet in the bathroom. We also somehow burned through 2 phone chargers using the wall outlet. We saw two roaches on the bedroom wall. When I contacted the front desk, the person seemed surprised, then said it was common in PR. They sent a nice young man with a broom and told me to use it during the night to scare them away. Disgusting, and they didn’t offer us another room. The next day, no one was in the front office when we tried for late checkout, delaying our plans for the final day. Do yourself a favor and try somewhere else. The Weekender and the Dreaminn are about 3 blocks away, so check those first.

I was a little nervous about choosing this hotel, but I’d stay again. It was a nice place for a couple of days before our cruise, with restaurants and the beach both walkable. Uber cost $8 to Old San Juan and $10 from the airport. I’d definitely recommend it.