Fairmont El San Juan Hotel 5 stars

Great entertainment. Great lobby. BUT rooms and pool area need maintenance. Moldy room. Switched rooms and still mildew smell and mold growing off wood closet . Moldy smell in elevator. Some AC not working well. Hotel needs TLC. Bring back Hilton!

We went as a small family with a child over Thanksgiving. We absolutely misjudged the hotel, and should have made a different choice. First, the music is absolutely pounding everywhere: in the lobby, at the beach, at the pools, and in the restaurants. We thought the beach might be a better choice for us, but the guests who sat next to us settled in, set up a speaker, blasted their own music while they drank vodka directly from a liter bottle they brought in their own duffel, and put their heads under a towel to smoke weed (or something) from a glass pipe. We asked the staff what our options were for moving elsewhere, or for getting some help asking the other guests to turn their music down, and they said that the music playing guests could do what they want, and if we wanted to move, we should have let them know earlier, when there were more seating options. We found a spot ourselves. We later texted with the front desk, and got the same response. The restaurants were fine, but the staff seemed confused about how to wait tables. Invariably, we would sit down and 20 minutes later, someone would ask if we had a menu, and when we said we didn’t, they would wander off. As an example, after being seated for the Thanksgiving dinner, we waited the usual 20 minutes, and eventually went to the maitre d station to ask if we could order wine, because we never saw any waitstaff. The buffet itself was nice, but there were no serving utensils. We got a late check out, and the hotel offered us the opportunity to shower in locker rooms, which was nice. However, when we got there, all the showers were broken and out of service. I wouldn’t choose this hotel if you are looking to relax or have good service.

We discovered on our first night, around 10pm, that our room was situated over the night club. We endured the loud thumping bass until 4am. We were NOT told about this when we checked in.Thankfully we were moved the next day, or we would have left the hotel, it was so awful. After that, all was wonderful. The hotel lobby is gorgeous. The room we had was clean, comfortable and spacious. The pool and beach are beautiful. The staff, Saul, Gabriel, and Stephanie at the front desk, were great. The staff at the pool and beach, friendly and helpful.

Beautiful place, not all rooms have balconies but are equipped with fast elevators to get up and down efficiently. Staff is warm and welcoming. Great bartenders and staff.

We had a brief stay there. But everything couldn't have been better. The staff to their best to make everything right and the weather cooperated. So we have nothing to complain about and hope to get back