TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands SJU layover options ?

What resorts in Isle Verde do you recommend when you have a long flight delay at the airport ? I recall seeing a thread about this a while back.

If you want beachfront hotels look at:
Ritz Carlton
Intercontinental
El San Juan
Courtyard by Marriott

Always liked the beachfront restaurant at the Intercontinental.....ain't cheap, but a nice setting, and quick cab from the airport.

InterContinental was the one I was looking for...thanks for the info !

What are you looking for?
Convenience: aiprort hotel
Close/ beach: Isla Verde
Condado ( short cab): lots of choice: boutique- try Acacia or At Wind Chimes; if not Concado Palms has great location/ price. If $ no issue : Vanderbilt, Hilton
Old town: El Conviento, Casablanca.

We arrive at 3pm and don't leave till next morning. Already have room at airport hotel. what should we do for the time in SJU?

Easiest is just to go to Isla Verde for beach and strip of restaurants etc.
If beach not your plan as you are going to get that in BVI then can go to old town.... Leave either early or later to avoid traffic. Cab fare should be fixed ... About $ 20 or so. Old town is great....

If you are arriving that late I highly recommend Old SJU if you haven't been before. Great old little city with plenty to see. Also there are a bunch of great restaurants to choose from.

You must be young.

Having arisen at 4:30 am, and after two flights, we arrived at SJU sometime before 4 pm. Another 45 minutes or so to get our bags, follow the porter to the hotel, check in and get settled. About 5 pm we took a taxi to the Metropole for a nice Cuban/Puerto Rican meal (on ilon time). A few hours later it was back to the hotel to watch the news and turn in. Then up at 5 am to have breakfast, check out of the hotel, check our bags in with Seaborne, get through Security and do a little duty-free shopping before the 8 am flight.

The check-in with Seaborne took a while, because we had to prove we had paid for the bags. We were early to the gate and the plane was late, so we did wait, but not that long. Bottom line: there may be less free time than it appears. YMMV.

Has anyone ever stayed at the Hotel La Playa in the same area? A couple of people in our party are spending the night there in a couple weeks before heading to Tortola the next morning. I am getting excited to head back down!

Do dinner at Baqua

We haven't been to the El San Juan in a few years but the lobby bars & casino were always lovely with a great atmosphere. As I recall you have to have a hotel ID to use their beach & pool but if you're looking for entertainment it was a good option.

I don't recommend the hotel, but the patio bar and grill (Playita) is very lively and the drinks are made with fresh ingredients. Only caveat: I haven't been for 4 or 5 years, and things change.

Beware of leaving/exiting some of the hotel/casinos from the back/beach side. We were at the El San Juan eating lunch there with a few other couples > my wife and I walked through the pool area > past an attendant (gate Nazi) and onto the beach. We only stayed out there for 30 seconds and then attempted to re-enter the complex through the same gate. We were asked to display our "room key" which we didn't have (non-hotel residents) > we then had to walk "a long way", I mean a "long way", down the beach in order to find a public entrance back to the street. ( I guess I should have wore my blazer)