Ciqala Luxury Suites

This is a mid-​size, clean and well located hotel. All staff are super friendly and bilingual. From here you can get to Old San Juan in 5 min, to Panamerican Port in 3 min, Isla Verde in 10 and the airport in 15 min.
The breakfast is well made, specially the omelette, while the menu is small (if you stay long you will have to repeat things…)
I recommend this place.

I just love this boutique hotel. Service is excellent, a 10 minute walk to the conversation center and the Sheraton (which is twice the price), best free cooked breakfast, and super friendly staff. This will be my hotel in Puerto Rico!

This place was amazing to stay at. I loved it cause it wasn’t too resort tourist style but definitely luxury and comfortable and convenient the receptionist will call cabs if you need, there’s a 24 hr convenience site that sells liquor all night, an employee named Frank help me a lot too the restaurant that’s to he right of the hotel is amazing too huge portions I highly recommend this place

I had originally given this hotel a better review.
But got home to discover that I had left my favorite bikini in the hotel shower on accident.
I called immediately the day after 12÷18÷15. I also emailed them from Unilocal.Never got a call back or a follow up e mail.
I checked out on 12÷17÷15 room 501
I know for certain that that is where I left it. There was no other place
that I took the bikini off. After the first call and email that I left that both went unanswered,
I called again and the person on the phone said they would check on it and get back to me if someone found it. Not a wonder that no one contacted me about it again.
This tells me that
1. Someone from the staff took it and did not say anything about it.
or
2. If they found it, once again, the staff did not bother calling me back about it.
Either this is a case of theft and dishonesty or it’s a case of not caring about their guests enough to call them back about something important to them.
I realize that it was my mistake to leave my garment there, but I think a better hotel, or better people would have tried to help more than they did. This is called going above and beyond for guests. But don’t expect to get it here.

The property is tucked in a residential area with pleasant staff and an accommodating manager.
Our king studio room was more than comfortable. Jacuzzi tub, full kitchen (including dishes/​pots/​etc), couch bed with separating screen and cozy bedding. The facility itself has wonderful views, free wifi, complimentary tapas and cocktail Monday — Thursday evening and is within walking distance of many restaurants and a local beach.
The ‘pool’ is more sized like an oversized hot tub, but the roof top location more than makes up for the lack of size! The panoramic city, mountain and ocean view is completely breath taking! And Ciqala has one of the fanciest complimentary, made to order breakfasts I have experienced.
The fitness room is also quaint, but enough to get a cardio workout in. The hallways can also be a little noisy, but the guests we visited with were quite respectful. There is also some construction, but I do not fault them for making further improvements.
There is also a pleasant appearing underground garage that we waved at, but did not use.
I would return here in a heartbeat as I only expect Orvando (spelling?) and the management to do better things in the future!

Best hotel ever! The room was big and clean! Big bed, spacious living room, loved the bathroom, and it had a mini kitchen complete with stove, and microwave. The staff was very friendly and helpful! The rooftop pool is awesome with a spectacular view!!! The also have free breakfast every morning cooked to your liking. Close to the beach and lots of good local food in the area! I’d stay here again if I go back.

Beautiful huge room, incredibly friendly and helpful staff, just a walk or cab ride to food and sights. I wish I could stay longer.

This is a very nice hotel. It is not right off the beach and is located in a residential area which made it a little hard to find but it is still close to old san juan and condado beach. They offer a shuttle to the beach but it they only leave at 10 am and return at 3 pm so you have to plan to be there all day. When we stayed there breakfast was included and parking was free. The breakfast was great, they had several American options that you can order off a menu as well as some continental breakfast menu items such as yogurt, juices, coffee and toast. The rooms were very clean and modern. The room we stayed in was not as fancy as the pictures in their web site but maybe that’s because we stayed in a standard room. Nice rooftop pool with great views and a bar to have drinks before heading out. Good value and the staff is very friendly and helpful.

My fiancé and I stayed here for a week. We rented the presidential suite with 3 bedrooms, a huge kitchen, living room and even a laundry room. The staff was very attentive and he breakfast was very good with lots of choices to pick from. I wish that this hotel was in Isla Verde next to the beach but other than that very nice clean hotel.

We booked this hotel after a cruise for one night before our flight home the next day and it was over the top wonderful! It was very clean, well stocked, great space in our one bedroom suite and a great breakfast the next morning. We were within walking distance to several restaurants, a grocery store and even a drug store. I would highly recommend this place. I know we will be back. The staff was very helpful and the rooftop bar and pool was great. The view was awesome! 5 stars all the way.

This place is great. Well worth every penny! Save some $$$ by booking on
(a recommendation by the front desk attendant). We stayed in one of their presidential suites last night, and are thrilled with our choice! We spent about $ 190 for the night for a room that is approx. 1400 sq ft. Crazy, right?! There’s not much to do that’s within walking distance (except for a restaurant called La Jaquila Baya that I would highly recommend). With a killer rooftop bar and pool, you won’t even care. The hotel staff is amazing and treated us to a complimentary bottle of wine when they found out that we’re on our honeymoon. Breakfast is also complimentary and made to order (simple but delicious). We would definitely come back!

I love Ciqala Luxury Suites! Here’s why:
1.) It was easy to get to from the airport & close to Old San Juan, the beach, & other attraction. And there’s a 24hr convenience store right next door.
2.) Free, secure parking garage (parking is very tight but it wasn’t an issue).
3.) Sandra was amazing from the beginning! She was very welcoming, friendly, helpful, & funny… she had us feeling like family! YOU ROCK, SANDRA!
4.) The suite was modern & beautiful. We absolutely loved the kitchen & master bathroom (spa tub with a television).
5.) Free breakfast every morning was delicious. Omelettes, waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, cereal, coffee, orange juice, & so much more (bacon, sausage, muffins, yogurt, etc.)
6.) Lounge area on the rooftop near the pool was cool.
7.) There is only two suites per floor. (Privacy & minimal noise from neighbors).
8.) You get credit when you don’t have your room cleaned (which was great because I never use housekeeping while staying at a hotel on vacation). With the credit we reviewed we were able to eat snacks, water, juice from the minibar.
9.) There was free WIFI & the cable had Baby First TV (our baby’s favorite).
10.) Best shower head EVER!
11.) Everyone there was so friendly and willing to help.
So why only 4-​stars? I must be honest, there were a few minor things that could have made it 5-​stars:
1.) The doorknob to our suite was lose & wobbly.
2.) Although, the suite was nice it didn’t feel warm, the décor seemed cheap & cold.
3.) The television in the living room didn’t work thus Sandra came up right away to fix it but that required her to take something from the TV in the 2^nd bedroom (so that TV was inoperable our entire stay).
4.) The room wasn’t white glove clean. The first day I kept finding other people’s hair. Mine is VERY dark & curly but there were blond straight strands in the sink & floor.
5.) The washer in our suite was out of order. BUT when we contacted the front desk they offered to wash our clothes (which I thought was world-​class service).
6.) The free tapas was rice & beans one night & it was the worst (very dry & flavorless) so we never went back to use of coupons.
7.) The pool is really cool & a great place to relax or just hang out but it’s not big enough for an adult to swim in. But who wants to swim in the pool when you have the beach near by?
Overall, great experience! I appreciated the intimate feel of this boutique-​like hotel. World-​class service! We will definitely be staying here again when we return to Puerto Rico!
BTW, they also offer excursion packages that they will arrange for you. They can even make arrangements for transportation to the beach. So awesome! But we rented a vehicle & enjoyed exploring ourselves.

We really enjoyed the Ciqala. We are not large hotel chain people and prefer to find a smaller more interesting place to stay. The view from the roof was incredible. We walked to Old San Juan one afternoon and it took about 30 minutes. If abandoned buildings bother you I wouldn’t recommend the walk.
The Ciqala recommended many good restaurants. But as we were kind of tired of eating out we opted for the food stand in the convenience store parking lot right next door. I have to say the food was very good and it was nice to take advantage of the kitchenette in the room.
The Ciqala is top notch. I also appreciated the prices of the mini bar were extremely reasonable! I think a Coke was $ 1. Plus free parking, breakfast and wifi makes the Ciqala a great value.
I will definitely return!

Wonderful amazing ladies at this resort! At check in and at the brand new rooftop pool everyone has been so sweet and helpful. The room in wonderful, like an apartment rather than a hotel room. Large king bed, pull out couch, breakfast bar area, large bathroom, stove top, microwave and fridge. Within walking distance to several enjoyable restaurants although I would be wary at nighttime. Love it!

Amazing hotel. It really does feel like home away from home. The customer service is outstanding. There is absolutely no negatives to even write about.
They were adding a rooftop pool and there was construction. However I only heard the construction as I was leaving in the afternoon and I was staying on the sixth floor. Do not let the construction deter you from coming!
I look forward to returning the next time I visit Puerto Rico.

This is paradise. CIQALA is amazing, when they say luxury they are not kidding. We arrived early off a
cruise. On a Sunday morning with all of our luggage,
they held our luggage while we wandered the area. We Had lunch at a wonderful restaurant that they recommended. And when we got back our room was ready, and our luggage was already in our rooms. We went back out and went down to old San juan. Found a gem of a bistro and had dessert. They make you cook to order breakfast every morning. You get beer or wine between 6 & 8 every evening. Tuesday night you get free dinner that they cook and serve to you. I ran out of clean cloths and when I asked if they had laundry on site they gave me a bag told me to fill it and they would wash it for me. THEY DID!!! I love this place. I will be back.
They people are so wonderful and helpful, friendly, I feel so welcome here. You’d be crazy NOT to stay here.
Thank you so much for making our vacation days unforgettable. All you ladies and gentlemen working.

Positives:
*Free breakfast
*Free wifi (fast connection 17Mbps download/​10Mbps upload),
*Free drinks (only 2 options — beer or wine; no soda, no juice or no water) and snacks (chips and salsa, peanuts, and pita chips with dip) nightly during happy hour and free dinner on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
*Very friendly staff. Natalie is awesome — very welcoming and helpful. She was well spoken and energetic. Sandra was great also. She made her rounds during breakfast to make sure everyone’s stay was okay.
*Free secured parking for guests with a car.
*24/​7 convenience store right next door (similar to a 7 – 11) — prices are marked up significantly though. A small water bottle costs $ 1.09. It’s only $ 1 from the hotel’s minibar — walk 3 blocks to Pueblo supermarket for a larger selection with better prices. *The hotel has an option where they will give you a $ 5 minibar credit for each day you don’t have your room cleaned. Pretty cool because they have a decent selection of drinks and snacks of which many are only $ 1. You just have to put up a do not clean sign by 11 PM the night before.
Negatives:
*CONSTRUCTION in effect!!! EXTREMELY LOUD construction noise from above. We were on the 2^nd floor. They were working on the rooftop pool (7^th level) which is scheduled to be completed in August 2014. Construction hours are 9 – 4 PM M-​F and 10 – 5 PM on Sat/​Sun. The grinding/​drilling is almost constant the last morning we were there. The noise level is worst closest to the elevator. It was actually quite annoying. If you don’t plan on being in your room during those hours then everything should be fine.
*The balcony in the presidential suite is locked and can not be used. They should clean the balcony door windows too.
*The TV speakers in the living room is horrible.
*Location is not the greatest if you don’t have a car. Although the bus stop is nearby and a large grocery store (Pueblo) is about 3 blocks away (5 minute walk). You can take a bus to Old San Juan for $ 0.75 per person. The neighborhood is not as bad as some reviewers have mentioned. There are some buildings in the area that appears to be run down, but there are some nice gated residential buildings as well. Pretty much all the buildings have security gates and fences.
Other notes:
The main entrance is always locked and you have to get buzzed in and out of the lobby. You can access your room by taking the stairs as well. Just go up the car ramp and enter the stairwell door. This way, you can go straight to your room without having to get buzzed in. The door has a sign stating that it’s for emergency exit only, but a staff member said that you can use it instead of taking the elevator.
Overall, I would recommend this place if you don’t mind being a little bit way from all the tourist attractions. The rooms are very spacious. The staff makes you feel at home. It’s like a bed and breakfast with a hotel feel. Once they finish with all the constructions and the rooftop pool, this will be a really nice place to stay in San Juan.
Taxi fare from the airport to this hotel was $ 15 plus $ 1 for each luggage plus gratuity. The amount that was charged was a flat rate. The rate sheet did not have this hotel on it. We told our taxi driver the address, but he still went the wrong way. He got off the freeway too early because he confused it for another hotel. Not a big deal because the area is not that big. Just don’t expect a driver to automatically know where this hotel is located.

After a long and arduous flight, there was nothing more I wanted to do at 11pm but get to our room, unwind and sleep! It was a $ 20 cab ride from the airport to the hotel that is located in an unassuming quiet neighborhood. One complaint/​suggestion– install a ramp at the front entrance. You have to drag/​carry suitcases up some stairs. Check in process is easy, suites are huge, clean, comfy bed and with all the necessary amenities one/​couple/​etc could ask for…
However, it was still around a humid 78 degrees at 11ish pm and our hotel room temp was 75. For most this may sound comfortable, but this 40 something gal likes the temp around 68. There was no way I was going to sleep with it that warm and opening the window was not an option! I turned down the thermostat as low as it would go yet the temp wasn’t cooling down. Frustrated, my boyfriend did some «investigative» work and then called the desk. The young gal who checked us in came up to our room (wished I had her name).
Long story short, the hotel was full, the AC coils were frozen and was barely emitting air, she totally understood my pain ! Haha! When i asked if they had a fan, surprisingly they did! She brought me a standing fan that made my night of sleep more bearable. She offered us free reign of the mini bar items– which was extensively stocked with sodas, liquor and snacks, but we only took a small bottled water. Ultimately, they comped the room. A generous and unexpected gesture.
Her/​the hotel’s customer service is outstanding and I really appreciated her compassion and making a concerted effort to care! True hotel hospitality! Anthony from Hotel Impossible would be proud :)
Thanks again!

My 600^th Review on Unilocal!
I got a good deal on this hotel for their presidential one bedroom suite for 2 nights. I was sold when I saw free parking, free wi-​fi, jetted tub with TV, and free breakfast.
This is a newly established hotel and the building and the interior is very modern and clean. They have garage parking so your vehicle would be secure.
Our room is very spacious living/​dining/​kitchen, laundry room, bedroom, two bathroom (one came with a jetted bathtub with TV), and a closet with drawers. We had a total of three TVs and the kitchen and bathroom had granite counter tops. They give you bath robes too.
They also have free breakfast, which is very very yummy. On Monday and Thursday, they have dinner with wine and beers. But the portion is not really big for dinner so do not go super hungry and you might wanna go out for some dessert.
There are minor complains 1) They overcharged us for the mini bar. I didn’t really feel like calling to fix it since it was only a small change amount.
2) They don’t provide detergent and dryer sheets… they are for extra charges. Surprisingly, even coffee and sugar packets also. I don’t know how it is in Puerto Rico but that really does not work for American people.
Overall, it was a great stay and I would stay at Ciqala again when I am back in PR next time.

This place is AWESOME!!! They don’t have rooms, they have SUITES! Huge Suites! And they are really nice! Flat screen tv’s overlooking the Jacuzzi tubs, Separate showers, full kitchens w/​granite countertops, etc. In addition, they also have FREE breakfast made to order DAILY and they have home-​cooked authentic Puerto Rican dinners a couple of nights a week. And right off of the kitchen, dining area, there is a balcony with a few tables where you can sit and catch the breeze while relaxing having a cup of coffee. On top of that, they have a Walmart that’s about a 2 minute drive and FREE GARAGE parking. (The last time I stayed in Puerto Rico, I stayed at a beachfront hotel that charged me about $ 35/​day «resort fee» which essentially covered parking, so saving a couple hundred bucks on parking was a great bonus). And free Wi-​Fi.
And the staff was simply AMAZING!!! They really know how to make you feel at home.
The best part — They are REALLY affordable! Now, the downside is that they are NOT beachfront (which is probably WHY they are so affordable). They are located in an neighborhood where there’s really nothing too touristy in walking distance, so if you stay here, you’ll probably need a rental car. But in the event that you stay here and you decide not to opt for a rental car, they do have a free shuttle that will take you to the beach.
I must say that there is something about being beachfront and being able to open your balcony doors and hear the sounds of the ocean, or being able to walk out of your room/​suite and be laying on the beach in 3 minutes flat… or laying out on the beach past dark and being safe to walk back up to your room/​suite at 9 or 10 PM… and this is some thing the Ciqala does NOT offer.
Overall, the Ciqala is still a great budget-​friendly boutique hotel with suites that offer luxury that most beach front hotels, just do not have. The suites are much less expensive than the hotels on the beach, they are more spacious, and you’ll save money not having to pay for parking/​resort fees. You’ll also save with taking advantage of the free breakfast there, and get a chance to eat authentic Puerto Rican dinners.
Ultimately it depends on what is really important to you. If it was my first time in Puerto Rico, I’d definitely want to stay beachfront. But being that it was not my first time there, I was totally pleased with the time spent there. I’d go back!