Sam K.
Yelp
I travel a lot for work, and I've hung my flag with Hilton because in general they have the most properties where my travel happens, along with being loyal to the points program. I am a Hilton Diamond member, and usually qualify to be one by no later than April each year...so that gives you an idea of how much I travel. One of the perks of this is that when it's vacation time, I can use my Hilton points to travel.
When we checked in, I asked for an upgrade since that's part of the perks of being a Diamond member. The only thing available was a king suite without an ocean view, but we settled for a double with ocean view. There was nothing ocean view about it. It was a nice lagoon view...but you could not see the ocean. That night, we noticed there wasn't a single light on in the building with ocean views, so I question if they even checked, they were quick to say no. Keep in mind that the Lagoon Villas are technically part of the Caribe Hilton, but they are off the beaten path. The room key machine was down, so the security guard walked us up to the room and let us in. We get breakfast vouchers as Diamond members, and those weren't ready either...but said they would put them under our door that night. The keys arrived quickly, and the breakfast vouchers for one of us arrived that night. I had to pick our other vouchers up at the front desk.
The first night, we noticed that the music was loud from the restaurant downstairs, but after being exhausted from a long day of travel we didn't care so much and thought we could live with it. We had drinks at the Pina Colada bar that night along with appetizers. The bartender was nice, but the food was pretty gross.....drinks were strong though so that's a plus.
The next morning we had breakfast at Il Giardino La Trattoria, where the continental breakfast was set up. It was an absolute embarrassment for a Hilton property to put out the food it did. Stale bread, over ripened fruit, and hands down the worst coffee I've ever had. They didn't even have yogurt, and when I asked about that the server threw some serious attitude. I've had better breakfast at a truck stop Hampton Inn off I-81 out in the middle of nowhere. We left and went to Starbucks which was next door....which was packed..and waited 20 minutes for an Americano.
We rented a car the next day, and drove around the rainforest. (FYI-- Don't rent from the Enterprise at Hilton--ridiculously expensive. Call Dollar Rent- A Car...it's close and they will pick you up at Hilton. I got a Kia Soul for literally 1/3rd of the price of Enterprise...and it was brand new.) We were exhausted when we got back, but that familiar thump from the restaurant kept us awake until midnight.
The next day was a chill day by the pool...Starbucks was packed again, so we waited. We had lunch at the pool bar....it as $85 for a couple of sandwiches and probably the worst margaritas I've ever had. (FYI Hilton-- If you going to charge $45 for a pitcher of margaritas, at least make the mix from scratch instead of using that gross premade mix that gives you acid reflux). That night, the music was out of control...so i called the hotel manager. They said we could move to the main Caribe Hilton tower the next day, which I agreed to.
The day we moved, I asked for a bellman to come pick up the luggage. The front desk said he would be there in 10-15 minutes..an hour later I called and they said he was on his way. 30 minutes later, still a no show, so we hoofed it on our own. It's a hike to the main hotel. We noticed a bellman smoking in the employee area as we walked by....he had the luggage cart and everything...so I guess I know why it was taking so long.
The main hotel's view was much nicer and it was quiet. The only complaint was that someone was smoking pot on our floor, and it really stank up the hallway...not really much Hilton can do about that. The room was not a suite either, which is what I paid for in the Lagoon Villa-- but at this point we really didn't care. The rest of the stay was relatively uneventful.
So...a few things here in my reflection of this stay. Opt for the main towers instead of the Lagoon Villas. Go get yourself an original Pina Colada so you can say you did, but avoid any restaurant at the property otherwise. Take an UBER (UBER is $5 vs $16 for a taxi, but you have to walk off property to catch one) to Old San Juan and get much better food for half the price. Or--If I ever go back to Puerto Rico, I'll look for a different property altogether.
After years of being a loyal Hilton customer, this stay....along with a few other recent negative experiences I've had, have really made me rethink the brand. They seem to be having an identity crisis, and the Diamond perks is more about marketing than actual benefits. IHG and Marriott are looking much more attractive than they used to.