Affordable, spotless and friendly staff! What more could you ask for? The free continental breakfast was just a muffin and juice but that was the only downside to the hotel. There are plenty affordable places to eat in very near walking distance and the area is great!

Loved it!

The Howard Johnson hotel is an older hotel, located in the heart of Isla Verde offering good value for money. [My travelling companion stayed at the same hotel 10 years ago. Little has changed although the rooms have been refurbished.]

The hotel is on the south side of Av. Isla Verde. Access to the beach is by walkway located approx. every 200 metres along Av. Isla Verde. The nearest access was about 8 minutes walk from the hotel. [The closest access, 3 minutes from the hotel, was closed due to road works whilst we were there.]

Rooms on the north side of the hotel have limited beach views between the apartment blocks; those on the south side face inland across the nearby Expressway[26].

Our room on the 6th floor was quiet, large and spacious and well appointed. Ours included twin double beds. It included a fridge, coffee maker, cable TV [with local, USA & BBC] and free wifi internet access. The room was clean and mould free, unlike comments about other San Juan hotels. An extra towel was provided for swimming. The hotel had a small swimming pool, as well as an adjacent Pizza restaurant. Whilst we overlooked the expressway, noise was not a problem.

Complimentary continental breakfast, consisted of reconstituted orange juice, appalling coffee and a choice of toast, croissant or muffin. We decided to give breakfast a miss after the first day.

A large supermarket is located on Av. Isla Verde about 10 minute walk west of the hotel.
If you take a taxi from the airport, be sure to stipulate Howard Johnson Hotel, Isla Verde to the taxi dispatchers as there is also a Howard Johnson hotel in Old San Juan. The price quoted at the airport was $19 but in fact should have been only $10. Our taxi driver advised us that the price quoted on our travel docket was incorrect.

The local bus from the airport [coins only] passes directly in front of the hotel, however weekend services appeared to be non-existent.

Although it was the peak season and check-in time usually 3pm, occupancy was low and we were able to check-in at 11am.

I booked one night online via their website and got a very good AAA rate of $136 that included taxes and fees (for a tiny room without windows). When I got there I was offered a room upgrade for only $11 more, so took the option. I ended up with an ocean view room for a rate considerably lower than anything else in the area, and this also came with a (very limited) continental breakfast and free wireless Internet. The staff was very friendly and helpful in suiggesting something to do on the one day I had there alone. They also permitted me to have a late check-out by 2 hours. Nothing luxurious, but the hotel is clean and comfortable and fit what I was looking for for one night. One drawback is the noisy construction going on outside, but not a big deal. A very good value for the area.

This hotel is only ten minutes or so from the airport, so we stayed there on the last night of our trip to Puerto Rico so we could have an easy trip to return the rental car and catch our flight out the next day.

On the pro side, this hotel is close to the airport and close to the public beach, which has a sidewalk which grants access about 4 or 5 blocks away. The beach is very nice and clean. It was also very easy to pick up a taxi to take us to Old San Juan rather than trying to fight the mid-day traffic. The cost of the taxi was $19-20 for two people. I don't know if it would cost more or less if there were different numbere of people being transported. The cab drivers were very nice. One went out of his way to point out the trolley stands and emphasized it was a free way to get around the old city.

On the con side, this hotel has seen better days. The room we stayed in on the 3rd floor was worn. Our bathroom was very tiny and the tub, which had been previously retrofitted, had the layer that recovered the bottom of the tub peeling off. A rubber mat had been cemented to the bottom of the tub!

The free continental breakfast was only juice, coffee and some toast or a croissant. We had decent tasting crepes for only $8.00.

The pool closed at 7:00 p.m., so we never had a chance to use it. To be fair, almost everything seems to close early in Puerto Rico.

While this place was not terrible, this will not be my first choice when planning a return trip to Puerto Rico.