San Juan Questions

[Anonymous]

My extended family will be taking a trip to San Juan this Spring, staying at the El San Juan Hotel and Casino. I've never been and have a few questions. We will be traveling with our baby, who will be 8 months.

1. Should we rent a car? Is the area walkable, such that we'll be fine with ergo/stroller? Or should we plan to drive around. I assume with a car seat that taxis are not really a possibility.
2. If you've stayed at the El San Juan, have you used the crib? Should we just bring our pack n play?
3. Any other special requests that we should make of the hotel?

Thanks in advance. This will be our first big trip with the baby and questions keep popping up.

[Anonymous]

I just got a back from staying at the hotel next to El San Juan (the Intercontinental). Rent a car. It's not walkable to much and taxis are expensive. (Though there's no parking in the old town area either.) We always buy an airplane seat for the baby, which also makes carting the carseat around easier.

I have found that the better hotels tend to have terrible refrigerators. The Intercontinental is not as nice as the San Juan, but is pretty nice. I had to ask four times before I got a functioning refrigerator. Which meant that I was constantly re-icing the milk I'd been pumping. I secretly hope the dripping water damaged the surface of the dresser.

[Anonymous]

I travel quite often to San Juan, but haven't stayed in the ESJ hotel. However, particularly because of the area where it is located, you should rent a car. (Area is great for the beach, but not near many of the restaurants and such.) We've travelled a lot w/ our baby and have always used the crib that the hotel provides-- never had a problem. You may want to bring your own sheet, however I always forget and never regretted it. I second the PP's suggestion to ask for a fridge.