we were staying in old san juan for one night after a weekend of rainforest and beaches so this was pretty ideal. clean, affordable, and well located. the ac is noisy, but works like a charm, especially for us canadians not used to the heat and humidity. the hotels decor is modern, but already feels a little dated, but overall it was visually more impressive than a lot of other $100 hotels ive stayed at.

our room, a queen special or something like that, was rather small, but all we really needed. there is a small slotted window above the door that lets in a bit of light, but i would by no means call it bright, even when we slept in to 10am because the power had gone off at some point in the night!

obviously this was less than ideal as it was our only day in old san juan and we were looking to make the most of our day, but secretely inside i think i needed the extra hours of sleep after a long night of rum drinking (el convento for a nice patio, nuyorican cafe for amazing live music)

all in all a decent place to sleep for a few days of exploring old san juan...

We spent 2 nights here before going to a smaller island. We wanted to explore Old San Juan & the forts. The location of this hotel is great. The staff was very accomodating. Our room was quite large. We had a king suite in the front overlooking the plaza. It was noisy at night but didn't keep us up with the air on. The staff put a twin mattress in the room the 2nd night for our daughter. The lobby decor needs updating as well as the front of the hotel. Other than that it was great. It was a good place to sleep & centrally located so we could stop back there during the day while exploring.

I found the Howard Johnson Inn at Plaza de Armas to be exactly as expected, based on these reviews. It was very clean and my singe-bed room was surprisingly large - although it had no window. I had no problems with noise. My room was impressively clean and well taken care of. The staff at the front desk was efficient and business-like. . . not particularly friendly. The free breakfast was simply a nicer continental breakfast -- nothing hot. The location was EXCELLENT. I paid only $100 for my room and was satisfied because I was there for only 5-6 hours of sleep. I would be reluctant to pay $160+ to stay because this hotel is simply a clean place to sleep and to be in the middle of the action. I believe there are other, nicer, more authentic and unique, places to stay in Old San Juan once you reach the $180+ range.

There are a couple of reserved parking spots right in front of the hotel for loading and unloading. Otherwise, parking is very difficult on the streets around the hotel. However, once you drop off your luggage, there are several parking garages within close proximity (approx. 5 blocks). DONT try to carry your luggage from the car garages -- the sidewalks and streets are cobble-stone, are VERY narrow and are filled with lots of people.

Don't even think about staying here if you value your sleep.

The noise levels throughout the night were TORTURE. Hall light streamed into the room through a window above the door- so I was left to try and sleep with bright lights and noise every night.

Phone in the room didn't work and water was never hot, just lukewarm, and rooms don't have windows...but these were the least of my concerns.

I've stayed in hostels in rooms with 15 drunk people with less noise... this hotel does have a fantastic location and the breakfast is fine and rooms tidy. Is it worth it? You couldn't pay me to stay here again. In short, AWFUL.