Fairmont El San Juan Hotel 5 stars

Let me begin by saying that the pool and beach are lovely. The 82 degree sun of January is an excellent place to be. That being said, my wife and I purchased an "all inclusive" package thru JetBlue which included breakfast every morning. We arrived on a Wednesday at noon. Our room wasn't ready (as expected) so we changed and went to the pool. First thing I noticed was how hard it was to get any service at the pool. We did NOT get an (overpriced) cabana, so it seemed like we didn't warrant any priority. After chasing down a waitress, who acted like she was doing me favor by taking my order, I ordered a cheeseburger (at$26) and my wife ordered a hamburger from the children's menu. While paying $26 for a cheeseburger was not totally unexpected at a resort, the pushback the waitress gave us about ordering off the children's menu was. What does a resort care WHERE I order their food from on the menu? BTW, the "kid's burger" was still $20 so I wasn't getting away with anything! When we got into our room that afternoon, we found NO hand towels or wash clothes. We called down and asked if we could get some and the hotel said they would drop them off. When we came back later in the evening to NO towels delivered, they fessed up that their hand towel and wash cloth delivery had not come. Perhaps late that evening they would arrive. While I am not a hospitality expert, this seems like a big deal that's very avoidable. A hotel without towels?!! Later in the evening, they apparently got their delivery and we were afforded towels. Unfortunately, we never saw another wash cloth or hand towel the rest of our trip. Additionally, one day cleaning staff didn't even take the dirty washcloths out of our shower when they cleaned... Lastly, we received our final surprise during checkout when we found we owed $60/day in "resort fees" and $6.60/day in taxes on that resort fee! I feel JetBlue probably also has a hand in this chicanery but the Fairmont is complicit because I am sure they know. If they don't, it is incumbent on them to address this issue which leaves a bad taste in the mouth of an exiting guest. So our 4 day "all-inclusive" package included an additional $266.40 at the end. The staff just shrugged their shoulders when confronted. I have also included some photos that show some details that need to get taken care of. For all of the expense and extra "fees and taxes", there is no excuse for stains, gouges or wear in the hotel. As a final word of advice, the package including the breakfast was worth it, as breakfast was $95/day. i

I checked in and immediately noticed all of the peeling paint on the guest floors. There was a stain on my bed sheet, horrible view, no water bottle or ice in the room. No turn down service. If you want to go to the beach, they warn you of sand lice. On top of the loud house music by the pool. Never again.

We travel down to Isla Verde every few years in the winter. We have stayed at other luxury hotels on the strip and at the El San Juan in the past. The location, 5 minutes from the airport, yet you would never know it, plus the gorgeous beach and the proximity to old San Juan, make it a perfect getaway from the cold northeast. This trip was our first visit since the Fairmont purchased the hotel, and we were excited. Unfortunately, the service was really poor, eclipsing our appreciation of all the upgrades, which were lovely (and the property was already a gorgeous resort before Fairmont). We arrived before check in time, which we understand. We changed clothes in the lobby bathroom, checked our bags and headed to the pool. It was about 1:00, and we were starving. Unfortunately, even though we were at the main pool with the bar, no waiter approached, although they ran by us. Appears they take single orders and complete them, rather than gathering several orders on one pass. I went to the bar and got a drink and a food menu, which finally caught their interest. Day 2 we settled at the pool by the villas and never saw a waiter. We got our own drinks from the bar. Day 3 we went out and purchased alcohol and made our own drinks. By far the most offensive experience was Day 2 breakfast. We came up to a door from the pool area. There were a bunch of tables, both set and bare, and employees in gray and black. We stood, ignored, for a ridiculously long period of time before my husband said we should just sit. Literally, the second we sat, a woman in black leapt on us. “You cant sit there. Go to the front.” We had been standing, literally 10 feet from this woman, completely ignored for at least 10 minutes. When we went to “the front” (located inside), the hostess asked us to wait a moment, then flagged down, of all people, the same woman in black. After huffing at our request to have an ocean view, she sat us at the table next to the one where we first sat and told us to go ahead to the buffet. A waiter would be by. We actually laughed at how long it took to get lukewarm, weak coffee from the one of two waiters servicing the entire dining room, while others, apparently management, walked around. The waiter told us there was no menu, and the buffet was all they offered. I had wanted a bloody mary, but by then I just wanted to eat my eggs and fruit and get out of there. We skipped the omelet station, with the long line and one chef, and helped ourselves to cold scrambled eggs from the chafing dishes. Just to top off the experience, we received a $76 bill for two buffets, not including the taxes and tip. We checked out at 11:30 (had requested late check out, which they approved). I wanted to leave this feedback in person, but there was only one woman on the front desk, and several groups waiting in line, so we checked out electronically and left. I know businesses are struggling to find enough staff, and, especially on vacation, we are a pretty mellow couple. We don’t mind waiting. But, we don’t want to be treated like we are just another pair of tourists whose business is replaceable by the next couple in line. We can get that anywhere.

We booked an Ocean View Double Queen room and have the paperwork in hand to prove it. Upon arriving at the Fairmont El San Juan Hotel we were given the room keys to a room with a Partial Ocean View Double Queen room overlooking the pool and gym. When checking with the front desk after seeing the room, they notified me that none of their rooms are ocean view as the hotel was not built with ocean view rooms. I notified the front desk that they should update their advertising as that is considered false advertising and they rolled their eyes and said have a good night. Other than the check in process and not receiving the room we had booked from the pictures online, the overall experience was good. The pools were relaxing, and the gym was nice. We did not eat on the property because we wanted to experience authentic Puerto Rican cuisine.

The room wasn’t ready when we arrived 2 hours later than check in. The breakfast was very bad, sausage very bad. The pool was nice