Hotels near Botanical Garden, San Juan

Don Rafa Boutique Hotel was absolutely beautiful, and the staff went beyond simply being helpful—they delivered an exceptional customer experience from beginning to end. My kids were completely enamored with the game room and rooftop pool, which made the hotel feel just as much like part of the vacation as the destination itself. Our stay was truly magical, and the location made the trip even better. The hotel is close to several fantastic restaurants, including La Pradera, Casita Miramar, and Ceviche Market. Every one of them was, as my kids would say, “straight bussin’”—in other words, amazingly delicious! What makes Don Rafa especially memorable is its history. The property was once the home of a titan of industry and has now been transformed into an eclectic, beautifully designed boutique hotel. The architecture, artwork, furnishings, and thoughtful details give the hotel a distinctive personality that cannot be replicated by a typical chain hotel. Don Rafa is more than a place to sleep—it is an experience. The combination of history, design, hospitality, family-friendly amenities, and a fantastic location made our stay unforgettable. This is a truly special hotel that should not be missed.

The location itself was not bad, but for paying this much for a hotel of this caliber, having to pay for parking that is not dedicated to the hotel itself was a little bit of a nuisance. The staff at the front were friendly. They helped us get check in to our room on the seventh floor, and they had a great attitude and service skills. The room itself was fairly clean. The only reason I took one point off out of five is due to the fact that there was some bunched up hair behind the towel in the shower. Other than that, the room was nice and quite comfortable. Our stay overnight was uneventful, with no noise or interruptions. Everything was conveniently located on our floor and we were situated far from the elevator as requested. My biggest complaints are the staff at the bar/breakfast lounge and the amenities provided. There were a little to no amenities. All we were given was an $18 voucher for food or drinks and a $9 voucher for drinks only, both redeemable at the bar/breakfast lounge. This was a little bit annoying as there was not even a continental breakfast as found at cheaper hotels than this one. In addition, the food voucher barely covered the price of any of the selections, and the drink voucher was only usable for one drink, even if we tried to get two drinks within the $9 value. If we did try to get two drinks of $4.50, they would say that the voucher was only good for one drink up to $9 (which is not specified on the details of the voucher). To make things worse. The vouchers were treated more as coupons, so we still had to pay taxes on the price of the whole meal and drinks for the two vouchers that already did not provide enough for a small breakfast for two. Overall, the amenities provided were the bare minimum for a hotel of this price: Gym Pool Basic room service Blow dryer Clothes steamer Limited cable TV Ice machine Wi-Fi Guest laundry Bar The penny-pinching of this hotel was next level. From the lackluster vouchers to the nonexistent complementary breakfast, I was shocked at how little they provided at such a high price. If I had known this was going to be the case, I would have rather paid the extra money to stay at the Sheraton hotel right across the street.  Overall, our stay overnight was still pleasant and comfortable. But we were unimpressed with the services and amenities provided for the price we paid. I would only recommend this place if you were looking for a “fancy/high class” place to stay overnight and are not interested in paying extra for other amenities. Even still, if you’re looking for a cheap place to stay that is comfortable, I’m sure you could find something significantly cheaper than this that still manages to provide the same amenities, if not more. 

This is a refurbished Sheraton hotel. Everything is nearly refurbished, not lifts - dire!! Reception is on the 2nd floor which is bizarre and not sure why. The restaurant is pretentious and expensive, plenty of better dining options nearby. Room was nice but not worth the price paid. Not sure what boutique means but if it's fancy cushions and a limited coffee machine you're after, this applies. Hotel is in a weird triangular shape and hard to navigate(loads of dead ends). PR is not cheap, and this hotel is in a great harbour location in old San Juan, however in my opinion very overpriced. Breakfast was OK but spoilt by unnecessary staff grovelling with coffees and orange juice. If I can pick up a plate, I could help myself to the above. Signing a piece of paper to say we are having breakfast, when we have been checked in, 2 or 3 forms/lists checked and then shown to our table is OTT and unnecessary. Unlike to return or recommend.

Check in process requires a pin code to enter the room. However my pin code did not work so front desk attendant needed to come up with me to change the pin from his phone. After that it worked. There are no elevators in this hotel, I was on the second floor and the attendant offered to help me bring up my suitcase. The room itself is very small. Barely enough space for the bed. There is a door that opens up to the room next door. It is very thin since I could easily hear the person next door moving her bags and coughing. Two pairs of earplugs and two eye masks were provided in the room. Air conditioner worked. Unlike the listing, there was no window in this room. The towels were very dirty. One of them had dozens of dark spots on them, the other had red marks. Also, the last guest left a bottle of shampoo behind the shower curtain which was not removed. This means that cleaning is not very thorough since it would easily been seen if the shower curtain was moved. Fixtures and furniture in the room are quite basic. In the shower it looks like they did not even install a shower enclosure so the water simply sprays on the painted wall. Overall I would not stay here again but depending on the price you might be willing to live with the cleanliness and noise issues.

Great location. A number of restaurants around. The beach is across the street, valet parking $30 per day. Full breakfast with a variety of scrambled eggs and beacons. Free coffee and complementary biscuits throughout the day at the lobby as well as refreshing ice cold lemon (fruit) water. I really recommend it for a beach vacation. There is a Walgreens around the corner for a cheaper than in bar liquors

This hotel was very nicely located and had a fair amount of parking if you rent a car. There are 2 coffee shop’s very close that is super nice for the morning if you’re planning on walking into old San Juan. There is no hair dryer or lotion in the bathroom as well as not Many spots to hang used towels or bathing suits. Our main issue is that the shower head in the bathroom was broken the whole stay the water trickled out of the top shower head. We alerted the hotel staff who assured it would be fixed the second day of the trip but when we checked in they said they weren’t sure if it was fixed (it wasn’t). The water would go from hot to cold very dramatically without touching the handle. It was impossible to get a comfortable shower after being on the beach and in the heat all day you were either scorched or frozen. The small handheld nozzle did work. The room was clean and the AC worked great but did have a leak onto the floor under it. I just wish in the 2 nights we stayed we were able to get a nice shower. Other reviews of staff not being present are accurate they come in later in the day but are available via text but when they were there they were helpful. The hotel offered late check out as compensation but when we tried the key card after 11 (we were offered 2pm check out) the card did not work

Excellent place to stay very close to all the shops and all the different tourist attractions although we are from the island originally, we currently live in the U.S. We were very pleased on how accommodating the service was, and how I aesthetic the view of the whole place was. I would definitely stay here again. Highly recommended.

Although the room is not big and the price is not cheap in the peak season, the sanitation, environment, service facilities, etc. are very good. There are two 24-hour supermarkets opposite the hotel, and the beach is not far away. The hotel's coffee shop and restaurant are also very good

Great, convenient location if U want to explore Santurce/Miramar by just walking. 4 blocks away is Ciudadela which has a 24 hr Pueblo, Planet Fitness, & Mercado La Carreta cafe. Directly across for Ciudadela is a food truck food court called Lote 23 (very tasty, interesting mix). Also don't miss Abracadaba brunch & local coffee spot 787 Coffee. Also couple of good Mex restaurants on Ave José de Diego. U can use this same road to walk to Condado beach 🏖️ area, approx 15 minutes. There are also electric 🛴 on the sidewalks for rent. Right next to hotel just down hill is La Casona (beautiful garden restaurant & fine dining). Just across street from this,on Avenida Juncos, is Burrillos Santurce; a really tasty & very good prices casual Mex 🌯 spot (order at counter & sit). 3 min walk.... Even though location is excellent, the hotel itself is definitely budget. No significant amenities, small rooms & even smaller bathrooms. Water pressure on low side. Rooms have flat panels & cable (didn't use though). AC as much nicer, quiet split type units, worked very well. Small rooms also much easier & quicker to cool. Kinda old, outdated & funky (but also a lot of character), but if U just need a functional place to crash, the room prices are very very good! $65-80/night vs $400 ?!? Also has 1 self serve laundry wash n dry machines. In lobby is a small cafe-type seating area. Free wifi, but kinda slow. Depending on room location, there can be noise issues. Rooms directly above the Asia di Lima restaurant's exhaust fan (on Calle San Jorge side) should keep windows closed btwn 4-11pm to minimize cooking exhaust odors. Anyway... would definitely stay here again; especially if the room rates ate below $80/day. And don't really need a lot of fluff; not on vacation to hang out in tiny room or hotel property. If U want the resort experience... Caribé Hilton, Vanderbilt, La Concha, or Sonesta or El San Juan in Isla Verde... but you're paying $300-800/night !! If U stay here, don't be shy! Get out & walk around as much as possible... you'll be surprised by all the off-the-beaten path cool stuff you'll find. A much more authentic 🇵🇷 experience!

The room service is not good, the floor with coffee splash is not cleaned while the bath towels replaced. The laundry is a headache, no coins available and I waited for 40 minutes but the person responsible for the coin exchange is nowhere, and finally the manager  exchanged some coins for me somewhere else. The location is good and easily go to to the old San Juan and airport, many restaurants nearby and gift store options.