San Juan Marriott Resort And Stellaris Casino

“The Best”

Marriott Resort San Juan Stellaris Casino. What's the name of this resort? The room TV, a board near the casino, and Google, all show different variations for the brand. None-the-less, let me share my stay and how impressed I am with Marriott. I read some not so nice reviews, all throughout PR ho... more

Marriott Resort San Juan Stellaris Casino. What's the name of this resort? The room TV, a board near the casino, and Google, all show different variations for the brand. None-the-less, let me share my stay and how impressed I am with Marriott. I read some not so nice reviews, all throughout PR however, Everyone that I encountered, was so pleasant and helpful, a true delight; on the same level as Chic Fil A. I booked my stay via Marriott reservation rep and got some perks; breakfast buffet was on them every day, a $150 hotel bucks (what I call it) to be spent anywhere but in the casino, and a couple bucks, to use on the casino tables. B/c of my Marriott status, I rec’d a discounted parking rate and other resort perks. So, let’s start with the valets, they were all awesome; I don’t recall having to wait an extremely long time for my car. The rate is I think $27 but I paid $17. Also, there is self-parking available (I don’t recall the cost). Side note: Enterprise Rental Car Co is onsite. The bellmen, they were great. There is a security guard at the main entrance, by the pool, and the beach entrance to the resort; I appreciate that level of safety. I read that front desks staff were either rude and wouldn’t let folks check in until 4pm and no earlier. My check-in experience was totally opposite. I arrive around 2pm and Keyshla Reyes, checked me into my Cabana bldg. ocean view room, don’t recall which version. She shared all pertinent information for my stay and answered all my questions. The experience was such a treat, I had to thank the mgr on duty Francis Bestard. The Cabana bldg. is 9fl and I got a room on the 9th fl; the view was awesome, over the 2-pool complex and ocean. I believe every room at the resort has a balcony. I wished there was a way that the 9th fl could be adult only, when the numbers aren’t full capacity. Anyways, this floor was good in that, the pool music/events weren’t too loud, but I suspect, that the rooms on the 2nd fl heard everything all day.  The elevators aren’t clearly marked in the cabana bldg.; there isn’t Up/Down buttons, just one button, where does G take you, is G below LL or the other way around, where's the pool, spa, gym? Something weird was that they stop on floors, where no one is waiting to get on, crazy. 😜 This was okay once you figured it out and definitely not a deal breaker. Something that was off putting was that the carpet in the hallway smelled moldy, I think it was b/c I checked in the middle of the week and there was not a lot of traffic; later in the week the smell dissipated. The room was standard layout (I was in an accessible room b/c my room wasn’t ready when I checked in, at my request). However, there are some things that I must share about the room and hopefully some updates are scheduled for the near future. The bed (hard as a brick) and pillows (flat) need to be updated, several things should be included eg a bathroom hook for the hand towel & a bathroom fan, considering it doesn't take much for mold to set in. The room started rattling like construction work was going on. I first thought it was the AC return but figured out it came from the shower area. Being on the 9th floor, I didn’t know what was above the room. So, I called the front desk, the rep wasn’t aware of any construction going on but sent maintenance to the room. He came, listened to the recording, and provided engineering was working above the room; that was only for a short amount of time, that one day. The casino was a nice size, with slot machines and a few tables. I don’t think it was as big as one on a cruise ship; it took my money. The masseuse, Carlos, delivered an awesome/relaxing massage. However, I didn't like that I had to pass those working out on weights, to get to the massage sanctuary; wish there was an internal passage via the locker rooms. I didn’t ask if the spa falls under Marriotts purview or contracted out or not but I think the check-in process could be completed prior to the appointment. Onto the food/great folks… The Pizzeria/Gelato spot, outside the resort but connected, was just okay for me. I should have said light cheese, but they were nice to accommodate me by removing vegetables from a pizza, instead of charging 5$ for the veggies I wanted.  That breakfast buffet, right across from the front desk area and bar, the hostess was so sweet; I am mad I didn’t get her name. OMGoodness, the first day, it was delicious & provided an extensive variety, marriott doesn’t want guests venturing out LOL. Glad it was on them, b/c I think the bill was expensive. The 2nd visit wasn't as good as the day before. For me, the omelet station was manned by a different person, and it wasn't the best. The roasted potatoes were salty and kind of crunchy. The fruit selection wasn't as robust however, Ale provided excellent customer service. The 3rd visit was delic; decided to try the scrambled eggs instead of an omelet, they had roasted potato wedges w/ peppers and onions, & the fruit selection was robust again. I met Miquel Rivera in the upstairs Gingambo. He shared with me many go-to non-touristy food/sites to visit. His vibe was awesome. Ate Gingambo for lunch a couple of days. Met Marlene Delgado, the best, the right person, she is personable, approachable, knowledgeable, provided great customer service and appears to love what she does; such a genuinely sweet person. Lunch was delicious, crab/shrimp something (cake). She asked Chef if he/she could sauté vegetables, this is not on the menu but accommodated; truly appreciative for this. But the other times I ate there, the cake thing wasn’t cooked that same, but oh well I kept going back. Met Vilma and Javid at the front desk, a couple of great folks, very helpful. Had a drink at the lobby bar, mixologist, Andres Gonsalves, was bomb ass.  Thank you, Aunt Jenny for taking the time out of your busy day to chat with me. I can’t wait to come back and see how everyone is doing.

less

“Great Hotel, Sun and Cruise Ships”

What we enjoyed: - We stayed in Rm 2108 on the Penthouse Floor, had a tremendous Ocean View and had free entertainment as the cruise ships slipped in and docked. Great view of the ocean every morning and throughout the day. Really nice long balcony although it fell short when it came to the fu... more

What we enjoyed: - We stayed in Rm 2108 on the Penthouse Floor, had a tremendous Ocean View and had free entertainment as the cruise ships slipped in and docked. Great view of the ocean every morning and throughout the day. Really nice long balcony although it fell short when it came to the furniture. We wished the hotel had provided more outdoor furniture which would have allowed us to spend more time outside on the balcony. - Ignore some of the photos on the MARRIOTT website! Some of the photos don’t reflect the actual rooms or the gym! When I arrived I worried that some of the hotel rooms were not going to be upgraded or that the gym was going to be subpar based on some of the photos. In fact, the hotel room was upgraded and great and the gym sported all new equipment. Was totally pleased and glad I stayed here. Gym access and equipment are a major part of any stay for me and this hotel hit it out of the park in that regard. AND the Executive Suite was a great size and modern. - We HEART SHEILA (Housekeeper)! She was our housekeeper throughout our stay, did a great job every day and kept our room well stocked which we sincerely appreciated. We did not get to see here on the last day but we’re hoping she received the nice tip we left for her. - Rented a pool cabana on two of the five days when we were here. Great investment. Good service at the cabanas, all of the folks were super attentive. Seemed like a splurge at the outset but the reality is we enjoyed it the two days we did it. Plenty of quiet time, we walked down to the beach and/or the pool when we wanted to and were otherwise separated and had a little quiet time for ourselves. Worth the price for the quiet time! - Buffet breakfast was a great start to most of our mornings! Best part was the bottomless champagne mimosas! Food was good, lots of options. - Good location, very close to restaurants with great local food! We walked across the street one night and had a great meal. No need to go very far. Starbucks was a pain in the ass, don’t bother stopping in during the early morning, but otherwise CVS and Walgreens nearby, you can access whatever you need on a daily basis. Try “Ropa Vieja” across the street, food was great and affordable and they had an extensive wine list. - We were impressed by the super-attentive service all around! It may have taken a moment to get started/may have started slow, but once the staff got going they were thoughtful, remembered who we were, remembered our drinks, refreshed us without us having to ask.

less

“Outstanding staff. Hotel could have been better for price.”

SERVICE: 5 Stars. The hotel service was incredible when we worked with the front desk, the bellman, security, and valet. Just outstanding. Also Marriot Corporate was AMAZING. We had some challenges with booking before our stay and they made it all stress free. I was expecting the rest of ou... more

SERVICE: 5 Stars. The hotel service was incredible when we worked with the front desk, the bellman, security, and valet. Just outstanding. Also Marriot Corporate was AMAZING. We had some challenges with booking before our stay and they made it all stress free. I was expecting the rest of our stay to be a little different considering the cost of the rooms per night. -I don't feel like I felt the full value of it. We had two rooms, and the concierge/front desk, did their best to get our rooms as close as possible, since the hotel was packed. They actually had a nicer room for one of us, but we opted for the second room that was closer to ours (which opened to the pool) and we could reach each other by the stairs. The rooms were a good size, relatively clean. -It would be nice if from the rooms that open to the pool level, you could use your key card to get in to your room from the outside. Small thing. The ocean was too rough to swim in, wish I had known that before. Red flags were up. Only my youngest enjoyed the pool. My older ones thought it was too babyish. The two pools are really meant for little kids, they are not very deep at all, and really not enough space given the number of guests at the hotel. The water slide is incredibly fun, but it closes at 6pm which feels too early. If you have young children that need supervision on the slide, you have to stand to watch, because there is usually no seating left in that area because of the pool bar and hot tub (adults cluster there). The outside area didn't feel as clean as I would have liked, but I can't imagine how the hotel can keep it that pristine considering how many people were there. There was no place to dine at the hotel other than the pool bar when we went. -We had the breakfast buffet (which was pricey - but some room types include breakfast and I think I remember young children might eat free?). The buffet was not that great. The food was not warm, it just wasn't the quality I expected at all. -Not that much variety either - except maybe for the juices. It didn't feel like a $50-$75 breakfast per plate, whatever we paid. So that was really disappointing and we could not order a la carte... The casino was loud and well attended. Casinos are not my thing. They do bring in a certain kind of attendance, so something to be aware of. -Not that we ever felt unsafe per se. And the staff does look to make sure that only guests are in the guest areas. -But there was a night where we heard a security pounding on room door near ours. Saying "security" for @5-10 minutes (we had our littlest asleep with us). -It made me feel good and sad at the same time. -Like the hotel security were on top of any issue which is what you want to feel safe and making sure others are safe, but a bummer that we probably were in the mix of more hotel guests that might need that...and us wanting to feel good and safe on our stay. The only things the kids really liked were the pool table and table tennis outside. And my youngest liked the slide. -I wish there had been more places to lounge and sit and more of a concierge set up, but that might not be this kind of hotel. -I felt like it was either we go to our room, the pool, or leave the premises. -so we didn't spend that much time at the hotel, which was a bummer because we paid at least $800 per room. At the end of it, the best impression left with me was the staff. Helpful, kind, caring, thoughtful...they are the hotel.

less