Stay at the Comfort Inn San Juan (Abitta Boutique Hotel)

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Hola, friends! Today, I am going to share all my thoughts on our vacation stay at Comfort Inn San Juan to help you as you decide where to stay on your vacation to San Juan! We chose to stay in Condado while we were in San Juan. Why? No other reason than I found a good travel deal on Travel Zoo for The Comfort Inn San Juan – now also called Abitta Boutique Hotel San Juan.

To be honest with you, I didn’t do my due diligence to check out the area before taking my family on this vacation. You know – I didn’t check out all the different areas of San Juan to see which ones were the most appealing. Nor did I cross-check amenities of different hotels. I planned our trip somewhat last minute and just selected one of the best deals I could find.

Luckily, we really enjoyed the area and had an absolute blast during our trip! The girls keep asking “When are we going back to Puerto Rico?” So I guess that tells us all we need to know about how they felt about our trip!

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As I have explained in my other recent posts about taking kids to Condado Beach, we found the Condado area to be more adult-focused with lots of young single people, honeymoooners, bachelorette parties, etc.

Staying in Condado in San Juan – Abbita Boutique Hotel

We stayed in a budget-friendly hotel – The Comfort Inn San Juan which has now changed hands and rebranded. It is now the Abbita Boutique Hotel. I would give our hotel experience a “decent” rating for the price. It was an older hotel that had been updated in the last several years. The Abbita Boutique Hotel is nestled amongst other hotels and parking garages. So rather than a tropical jungle or island paradise type of feel, it is more of concrete jungle vibe on the outside.

But the inside is colorful and quirky with a side of sophistication.

The inside lobby of the hotel is small but cute with thoughtful details.

two little girls at Comfort Inn San Juan reading books mirroring the two girls in a large framed artwork behind them

Pros of Our Stay at The Comfort Inn San Juan

Keep in my mind our trip was right after the pandemic was calming down. Things may have been a certain way during our time there simply due to pandemic precautions. Certain details may be different today – especially now that the hotel is operating under Abitta Boutique Hotel.

Budget friendly accommodations (We paid much less to stay here than we would have at other hotels this close to the beach.)
Recently renovated in a colorful modern scheme
Very friendly staff
Hard-working housekeeping team
On-site dining/restaurant
Grab-and-go breakfast included in the booking (We couldn’t eat in the dining room because of the pandemic, I presume.)
Free Wi-Fi
Room is equipped with coffee maker, microwave, and small fridge
Felt safe and secure
Small but efficient gym
Swimming pool and hot tub
Short 5-7 minute walk to the beach
Beach chairs/umbrellas available for use of Comfort Inn San Juan guests (in a certain section of the beach)

The staff was super friendly. The staff members went out of their way to answer all of our questions we had about the area, about transportation, restaurants, etc.

Few people seemed to take advantage of the swimming pool – I guess because the beach is so close. It was nice to have the pool to ourselves.

I have noticed in recent pictures that the Abitta Boutique Hotel has really added some nice touches to this outdoor courtyard and pool area since we were here! Additions include a gorgeous floral mural on the side wall, added new sleek seating, and a gorgeous plant space! That is what I thought this space was missing the whole time we were there. It is very possible the pool space was in transition while we were there. That may be why it felt incomplete.

girls swimming in swimming pool at Comfort Inn San Juan

The few times other guests did come out, there was some adult behavior going on (cursing, adult humor, using a hookah machine, etc.). These are not typically things my daughters are exposed to. But again, we weren’t really staying in the most kid-friendly area of the island so I didn’t feel I could be upset about it. We simply got our things ready to go when we saw large groups of young adults coming outside. The others were paying guests and wanted to enjoy themselves, also.

Cons of The Comfort Inn San Juan

Small rooms
Small lobby
A humid/musty smell in the air (even with some air purifiers around)
Most parking is across the street and pricing is $20 per day
No drink machine or snack vending area
No sales of essential items (toothpaste, etc.)
The parking lot floods often (due to being close to the ocean and the high tide came in everyday – flooding out the parking lot).
The area surrounding the hotel is not visually appealing

As for the room size, if you are coming as a single person or with two people, the room will probably be okay for you. We had four people in a room with two queen beds. It was tight, but we made it work. In my opinion, room size isn’t a huge factor when you plan to spend most of your time on outings and excursions – as our family does.

Also, I did see that there are some suites available with a small sofa and a small table with two chairs. A family of four might benefit from a suite. But I do think they are more difficult to secure – especially if you wait to the last minute like I did!

I think an extra chair in the room would have made a big difference. I did find our Comfort Inn San Juan queen bed room very visually appealing with the fun colorful modern updates! I love a bold decor!

We arrived at 11 p.m. at night. I always take our hotel photos on arrival – before the room gets messy. The room is prettier when sunlight is streaming through!

Comfort Inn San Juan room with queen beds and bold artwork

The issue with the lack of vending machines was probably my biggest complaint. At the suggestion of the hotel clerk, I had to walk next door to a neighboring Holiday Inn Express San Juan in the dark after we arrived at the hotel after 11 p.m. to buy some juices and waters for our room. The Holiday Inn Express has a small gift shop with snacks, drinks, and essentials. There was an impressive variety there of goods. This hotel sells to anyone who comes in – you do not have to be a guest. So I just stocked up on some extra drinks and snacks and brought them back to our hotel and put them in our little room fridge. So it wasn’t a huge deal. I think there was one ice machine available.

My next biggest complaint is the flooded parking lot. I suppose there isn’t much that can be done. But the Uber drivers had a heck of a time trying to pick up and drop off guests. As a guest, you basically need to meet the Uber in the street with your luggage or things. The surrounding roads are super tight and the parking lot is a wash – literally!

Overall, we did enjoy our stay at Abbita Boutique Hotel in San Juan! For the budget price that we were able to stay there, we enjoyed ourselves and had a nice time!

Other Places to Stay in Condado Beach

Condado Palm Inn in Condado Beach

Condado Palm Inn is one of the many hotels in the Hilton Tapestry Collection. This hotel appears trendy with a close proximity to Condado Beach. On booking.com, this hotel gets nice reviews for being family friendly and having a good breakfast.

The Condado Plaza Hilton

The Condado Plaza Hilton boasts four swimming pools – making it a good place to spend time with kids! This is another Hilton hotel from a different collection. My husband and I feel that staying at Hilton allows you to have a certain expectation that you know will likely be met.

La Concha Resort

For a higher-end experience, the La Concha Renaissance San Juan Resort offers incredible views from the hotel rooms with its private balconies with floor-to-ceiling windows for optimal viewing of the ocean. This appears to be a very nice four-star hotel.

Condado Downtown Tantra Apartment

If you more about an apartment experience than a hotel, you might check into this one-bedroom Condado Downtown Tantra Apartment. This particular apartment offers views and proximity to both the downtown and the beach! The living room has multiple pull out sofas, and there is a small kitchen.

What You Need to Know About The Comfort Inn San Juan (Abitta Boutique Hotel)

Staying in Condado in San Juan – Abbita Boutique Hotel