We were a bit concerned when we chose the Hotel Milano in San Juan. Although "chose" might be the wrong term as all other Hotels were booked out and we had no other choice. Admittedly, we were slightly concerned as there were many negative reviews. For this reason we were expecting an old, bad place. Not so! It is clean and the staff is mostly friendly. We were pleasantly surprised. Futhermore, the location is exceptional: literally in the middle of old San Juan. Do not expect flashy rooms with a magnficient view though: our room had very small windows with a view to brick wall (note that almost all rooms share the same dull view), but its reviews on tripadvisor are way below what it deserves. The only negative aspect is that at night, and especially during weekends, the nearby clubs are quite noisy and you can hear the music. Nothing major - especially if you have earplugs. All in all I would definitely recommend it and I think it deserves a rating of four, especially if consider its location and its extremely good price.

We found the hotel on the WEB. It was clear from reviews at tripadvisor that the owner was an interesting person and that the hotel would likely be to our taste. We were not disappointed on either. We stayed two nights in November, 2007, prior to a cruise. The hotel was very accessible and centrally located in the old town, with ready access to a wide variety of restaurants. We found the old town to be a safe area for evening strolls, and of course great for sightseeing. Our room was spacious and in the front – while others had complained of noise, we heard none, perhaps because it was November. Quiet all night. The bed was comfortable; the plumbing and air conditioning worked well. Altogether, this was a perfect location for anyone prior to, or just after, a cruise as the boats were just a short distance away. The owner proved to be quite personable and quite interesting to talk with. He was ready to spend time with his guests and to provide advice when requested. We would happily stay there again and we would definitely recommend this hotel to our best friends.

Just spent the last two nights of a 10-day Puerto Rico vacation at Hotel Milano. Owner Juan San Emeterio was clearly the highpoint of not only our stay there, but of our entire vacation. He is gracious, attentive, generous, and utterly delightful. Our room was clean, quiet, simple; bed was very comfortable. I would definitely return, but would not stay in the same room due to its only two extremely tiny windows. (To the hotel's credit, the clerk who took the booking mentioned "small windows" in the only room he said was free; but these were unimaginably tiny - perhaps 10 inches square - high up just below the ceiling. Other guests mentioned their windows were fine.) Only other room problem we encountered was that there was no way to control the AC until we asked, but then we were given one of (only) two existing remotes from the front desk, which worked fine.
We loved being able to have continental breakfast outside on the rooftop, although encroaching development is fast shrinking the view of the city. The evening restaurant grill is no longer in operation, but there are so many great restaurants worth exploring within even just a block of the hotel that we had no shortage of great dining experiences. Juan also gave us excellent recommendations, so each of our meals in Old San Juan were really great. The hotel location is superb for walking around Old San Juan. And when we wanted to go outside the city, Juan facilitated trips to the produce market, the Santurce Art Museum (beautiful!),etc., including to the airport when we departed. I can't wait to return to San Juan, to bask in the warmth of the city as well as the warmth that emanates from Juan San Emeterio and Hotel Milano.

This hotel is aged and the rooms small. The staff is not helpful at all, although the man at the breakfast room (truly a continental breakfast, if you can even call it that and the food is lousy) was nice. Guests are not a priority here - I felt like they just wanted my money. The hotel staff, especially the front desk, is not attentive at all and border on rude. The rooms are dismal and feel like they haven't been changed for 50 years, but not in a good way. You can do better.