My wife and I stayed here for one night prior to our cruise. We chose it because it was close to the harbor, only 5 minutes by taxi.
First the good things about it. The staff was very friendly and helpful. When we inquired about eateries within walking distance the bellman recommended Los Cafe Pinos. We ate there and the food was very good and the prices reasonable. It is a neighborhood restaurant not a tourist place. One warning though, if you don't speak Spanish communicating with the waitress can be a problem. The room at the hotel was clean and comfortable and fine for a night. We had no problems with check-in but checkout was very slow. It was Easter weekend and lots of pre-cruise guests trying to checkout but they only had one clerk on duty.

The negatives were few in our experience. The hotel lost power briefly was was corrected . Our room was nonsmoking but every time the air came on it brought the smell of cigarette smoke into the room. The restaurants are very pricey. We attempted to eat breakfast before checkout but walked out without it. The hostess ignored the line and chatted with a group of locals at their table. A couple leaving told us that service was nonexistent and plan to be there at least two hours.

My husband and I were there for 5 days/4 nights. Check in was a breeze. Room was very spacious and clean, but still cold even though the thermostat was on warm. After a couple of days there, the maid service showed up, while we were still in the room and we let her come in to do her job. Right before our very eyes, she picked up our glasses and rinsed them out in the bathroom. We were shocked and asked her for clean glasses, but she didn't speak english. No apologies were given. With the price we paid to stay there, we expected better. The valet parking was very good and informative. You will need to rent a car or take a taxi to see tourist areas. There are several places to eat in the area. Next time I will definitely pay a little more for a better hotel close to the beach and in a better area where you can feel safe walking at night. We would have been better off staying in Condado or Isla Verde. Also upon checkout, we ended up being charged for our full stay, even though 1 night was susposed to be free, we used our Marriott Points when booking and the hotel couldn't do anything about it, even though we showed them in writing. They said they never received anything from their home office.

Stayed 1 night in this hotel the day before (a Saturday) our cruise on the Royal Caribbean. This hotel was ok, but did have a share of problems.

The CONS
1) EXPECT long wait for your room! Check-in time to this hotel is 3pm. We arrived at this hotel around 4pm and our room was not ready yet. We had booked 2 rooms. 1 for my husband and I (3rd floor). The other room for my in-laws (11th floor). It nearly took 1 hour before we were given our room key which was not good considering we just got in from a 5 hour flight and had to wait at the SJU airport an hour for our luggage to come out of baggage claim...which is another story.

2) The lights in the room are very dim so you'll have a hard time seeing things in the dark, if you needed to.

3) My in-laws room's (11th floor) air conditioning was not working properly. It was way too cold in the room and the thermostat control was set to the warm side.

4) There is only 1 elevator. The time we stayed, it was out of order, so we had to use the service elevator while it was being fixed

5) Far from the beach. If you want to be close to the beach, it's not in walking distance, you'll need to take a taxi or public bus.


The PROs
1) If you just need an overnight stay just for a cruise close (1 mile) to the PAN American Pier where Royal Caribbean ships are docked, the hotel is not bad.
2) The hotel workers were very friendly and informative. They allowed us to keep our luggage in their storage after we checked out. That gave us the ability to see Old San Juan and the Morro Fort
3) Taxis are always available
4) Room was very clean with good decor and comfortable bed
5) Close to Papa John's, Subway, Movie theatre, Dominos, and local puerto rican restaurant. There also is a small bistro at the hotel.

So all in all if the wait to get our room was faster, I would have rated this higher. If you want to stay more than 1 day, I wouldn't recommend it. If we go back to San Juan, we probably would try closer to Isla Verde.

To begin the staff was very nice and friendly. They allowed us to leave our luggage after check out while we went shopping before our cruise was to leave out that evening, I cannot say enough about the staff. As for the hotel, it was OK. The bed was comfortable and the room itself was pretty clean. I liked the bathroom until I looked up and saw where part of the ceiling looked to have been leaking alot and the tub has some issues with some mold. I think it is because this building was an old building that had been renovated. I could see where when the painters painted, they just painted over the hinges, etc in the room. I noticed this inside and outside the room. As for the area, it was pretty dead. I think that is because iti was more or less a business district and we were there on the weekend. I will say the room was very quiet. If you are looking for a view, there really isn't one. If I had to do it again and considering how expensive this Courtyard was, I would rather pay the extra money and book at the Marriott in the Condado.