Best Kid-Friendly Hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Marriott’s top-tier hotel in San Juan is an easy five-minute drive from the airport along Isla Verde beach. The 416 rooms and suites are a tad generic, but contemporary and upscale. Most guests spend their time on the sand, or at the lively outdoor pool where attentive service is a focus. The hotel attracts a mix of post-cruise goers, conference attendees, leisure guests on long weekend getaways, and families (the Ritz Kids program is available with full day activities with a daily rate). Wi-Fi, tennis, and fitness-center access are free, unless you count the 18 percent luxury resort fee added to the bill.

The upscale, 910-room Caribe Hilton is a lively mega-resort with stunning views of Puerto Rico's Atlantic Coast between Old San Juan and Condado. Yes, it can be crowded and busy, but the cruisers, families, business travelers, and honeymooners that flock here don't seem to mind. The hotel's 17 acres include tropical gardens, multiple restaurants, a kids' club, and a gorgeous pool with a shallow area. There is also a summertime children's camp, and mini-golf. The manmade beach isn't the best, and can be packed, but rooms are modern and comfy, with Hilton's excellent beds, and many have furnished balconies with ocean views.

The 264-room Condado Lagoon Villas at the Caribe Hilton is the tranquil sibling of its mega-resort sister: The clean, bright rooms are more spacious and the small pool is less crowded. Suites come complete with large bathrooms (many featuring soaking tubs and separate walk-in showers), big balconies and kitchenettes (in some cases with stoves), which can help compensate for the lack of nearby off-premise dining. It shares the sprawling grounds and private manmade beach of the Caribe Hilton, but the beaches are more impressive in Condado and Isla Verde.

Embassy Suites San Juan is a three-and-a-half-pearl hotel located in San Juan’s fashionable Isla Verde neighborhood. The hotel is within a six-minute walk of Isla Verde Beach, along with nightlife and entertainment options. Its 299 suites are large and cheerful, offering separate sitting areas with sofa beds and kitchenettes with microwaves. The decor throughout the rooms and common areas is generic and indicative of the chain, but the pool area (with a whirlpool and a kids’ pool) is attractive and the free breakfast (featuring hot and cold items like made-to-order eggs), free happy-hour snacks and cocktails, and free Wi-Fi are all excellent perks.

Situated right on the beach in Condado, the Marriott Resort & Casino is a step above some other hotels in the neighborhood: The grounds and the hotel -- including the pools, the tennis courts, and the spa -- are well-kept, and the upscale rooms feature mini-fridges, flat-screen TVs, balconies, and large bathrooms with granite vanities. Though there is a casino on-site, the hotel also caters to families, with amenities such as a game room, laundry facilities, and a pool with a waterslide. But some have complained of hearing noise from the casino in the rooms on the lower floors, and fees for extras such as Wi-Fi and beach chairs are annoying.

TRYP by Wyndham Isla Verde is a splashy modern hotel located in its namesake Isla Verde, a short walk from restaurants, bars, casinos, and Isla Verde Beach. A numbed of its 115 room have themes, like the Media Room, which includes a Samsung Blu Ray/DVD player, a sound bar with wireless subwoofer, and 3D glasses, and the Family Room, which features bunk beds and special check-in gifts for kids. The outdoor pool, restaurant, and other facilities are all bright and appealing.

Hyatt House San Juan is a three-pearl hotel located in the city’s Miramar district near the Puerto Rico Convention Center. Its 126 sleek and inviting guest rooms offer kitchenettes with microwaves and mini-fridges; suites have full kitchens and separate sitting areas. Features include a free breakfast buffet with hot and cold items (including made-to-order omelets), an appealing outdoor pool surrounded by shady greenery and sun loungers, and some light on-site dining options. There are also on-site laundry facilities and a 24-hour grab-and-go market, plus free Wi-Fi and free grocery shopping service. One downfall is that the closest beach, Condado Beach, is a 25-minute walk away.

This contemporary, homey property in residential San Juan is ideal for travelers who don’t mind being removed from the touristy shoreline, though a free beach shuttle is provided. Spacious, bright, and airy units range from Studios with kitchenettes to Three-Bedroom Suites with stainless steel kitchens, dining areas, laundry facilities. In addition to the free breakfast served daily in the SP Lounge, the hotel has a rooftop bar and small infinity pool overlooking San Juan. Weekly food and drink events keep things sociable. Parents with kids in tow can borrow cribs and playpens; babysitting services can also be arranged. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the property.

This mid-range hotel is nothing like the nearby luxury properties in ritzy Isla Verde, but it's a block from a sandy beach, and has 222 bright rooms, some with pool views and small balconies. The contemporary decor is plain and muted, but all rooms come with iPod docks and flat-screen TVs. Property highlights include the two solid restaurants and wine bar with daily tastings, a nice pool area with a water play feature for kids, and an airy fitness center overlooking the rooftop terrace.