I have stayed at this hotel a number of times, and at their guest houses too. It is decorated wonderfully with tons of original art work. Everything is clean and all the linens are white (very important to me for cleanliness reasons). They have a couple of balconies and a rooftop with a hot tub. The staff is nice and laid back and willing to help accommodate you in one of their other properties if Da' House is full. I try to stay at this hotel every time I visit Old San Juan.

The prices are pretty good too, $80 - $130 depending on the size of the room.

I had stumbled across a NYT article describing this hotel after spending hours researching every over-priced room within ten miles of Old San Juan. I was stunned to find a hotel with ridiculously reasonable prices smack in the middle of Old Town.

Da House is a beautiful hotel in an absolutely perfect location for walking/exploring one of the most colorful "old" cities you will ever visit. The staff are all very friendly and the hotel is kept clean. The rooms are simply lovely. We booked a 4th floor room (#404). The windows opened wide to a spectacular view over rooftops toward San Cristobal, the Capitol, and the sea.

Now, this is a "bohemain" hotel in every sense of the word. If you like interesting people and interesting sites without the typical traveler "attitude" you get in resorts ... this is the place for you.

HOWEVER, and UNDERSTAND ... The hotel sits directly above the Neuyorican Cafe, a busy restaraunt, and across the narrow alley from a hole-in-the-wall food/beer joint that is constantly occupied by locals during the day and deluged by students at night (cheapest beer in the city). Once the clock strikes 10pm, the noise ratchets up to a decibel level that is other worldly. There is simply no words to convey HOW LOUD IT REALLY IS ... and, please note ... I had done my research and made sure to bring ear plugs. Again, we were on the fourth floor on an outside room. It is possible that the inner rooms, not overlooking the alley may have been quieter. The noise is so overwhelming that you can "feel" the music through the floor, the bed, and the pillows. The music doesn't abate until 4am - EVERY night of the week. If street performers with drums and trumpets decide to add to the festivities in the alley, the decibel level increases to a point that renders ear plugs completely ineffective.

Add to this the constant noise of the city and you have a very colorful stay. We absolutely loved it. Bring ear plugs, sleeping pills, and enough cash to get yourself loaded every night and you will sleep through the chaos.

Food. The location is unbelievable and rests within a five minute walk from dozens of excellent restaurants. I travel for food first and enjoyed the best meal I have ever eaten anywhere at a restaurant located at the opposite end of the alley called Marmalade. Aquaviva is excellent. Cafe Berlin is must for a fabulous Sunday brunch. And, be sure to stop by Maria's for a terrifically simple taco, pina colada, and visit with the proprietor.

Old San Juan is wonderful and Da House can't be beat for price, comfort, and a spectacular rooftop view at night from the hot tub. Just bring ear plugs and try to get a room on the 4th floor. 5 stars if not for the noise.

My husband and I had most bizarre and disturbing experience at this “hotel”! Our particular problem occurred during the middle of our stay when we came back to the hotel and found all of our stuff was gone, room cleaned, no sign we had been there. When we asked at the front desk what was going on, we were told everything from checkout was at noon (we were staying another 2 nights!) to it was our fault because we booked the room (wtf! and that was from the manager!). After quite a bit of chaos and tears on my part (we had only come back to the hotel to change and head back out) they finally figured out what happened. When we originally checked in we were given a different room than the one we booked because the bathroom was broken – they decided to take it upon themselves to move our stuff to the original room. I’ve never heard of such a thing! We were never told nor asked if this was okay. Who’s ever heard of such of a thing! Beware!

We heard about the Da House from a friend who read a postive review in the New York Times. Our room was great -- clean, sparse, which was fine. We did run into the same noise problems other reviewers noted. We were on the alley too. We actually had to get ear plugs... Night two, I went to the bar/restaurant and asked the employees to turn it down. There were only two people in the bar and they were both employees. They actually turned it down! When we returned to stay on our way home, we were in an interior room and the noise level had dropped so it was fine. There is a nice rooftop hot tub and sitting area. Each floor has a little patio at one end. The lobby has free internet connection. The staff was really, really nice and helpful. We needed to make some flight arrangements and they took care of it for us. I think staying in Old San Juan is great. It's in the middle of all the activities and historical sites. We felt totally safe walking around in the evening. We will definetly stay in Da House next time.