You could consider San Juan, Puerto Rico as a gateway both for cruisers and people wanting to explore the island’s natural parks. It can also be a jumping off point to visit other Caribbean islands by plane. I always recommend arriving at the port of departure at least 1 day in advance as you never know what could go wrong and cause a delay and the ship won’t wait. So where can you stay in San Juan on hotel points…………….and how can you get these points for free?
CLUB CARLSON – RADISSON AMBASSADOR PLAZA HOTEL & CASINO SAN JUAN
A free night here runs 38,000 points, but get the Club Carlson Visa and get your second night here free! Yes, that’s right, 2 nights will run credit card holders 38,000 points all up!
Radisson Ambassador Plaza San Juan Hotel & Casino
PRIORITY CLUB
There are 3 Priority Club hotels in Puerto Rico starting with the San Juan Intercontinental at 50,000 points with 2 other hotels around the island – Holiday Inn Ponce & Tropical Casino for 20,000 points and Holiday Inn Mayaguez & Tropical Casino for 15,000 points. The Priority Club Visa will get you one night at the IC or several nights at either of the Holiday Inns.
San Juan Intercontinental
STARWOOD PREFERRED GUEST
SPG offers 5 properties in Puerto Rico ranging from the Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel and Casino for 7000 points through to the stunning St Regis Bahia Beach Resort for a whopping 30,000 points. The SPG Amex will get you 10,000 points after first spend and another 15,000 points once you spend $5000 in 6 months. If you are lucky, you may find one of these hotels for a bargain cash & points award!
St Regis, Puerto Rico
MARRIOTT
Marriott offers 6 hotels in Puerto Rico so there is something to suit all budgets. If you are new to Marriott (send me a request for a referral to get some extra points after your first stay), you can get the Marriott Rewards Visa. This will give you voucher for a free night at a category 1-4 hotel and 50,000 points. You can use your voucher at either the category 3 Courtyard Aguadilla (30,000 points) or category 4 Courtyard San Juan Miramar (40,000 points). If you’re flush with Marriott points, you may prefer the Ritz Carlton for 75,000 points or the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino for 60,000 points.
Courtyard San Juan Miramar
HILTON
Hilton has several options for credit cards so it’s best to check them out on the Hilton HHonors website. In a nutshell, you will end up with somewhere between 40,000 to 60,000 points and/or 2 free weekend night certificates. Let’s assume you go for the easiest credit card for 40,000 points. Out of the 10 properties in San Juan, your best bet would be the Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza which costs 40,000 points. You do have other choices at this point level but the Conrad seem like the nicest choice.
Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza
As you can see, Puerto Rico has many great options for a short visit which can be obtained for points, and you can use credit card sign ups on all of them! So whether you are off on a cruise such as the Parrot Lovers Cruise or starting a land-based adventure to see some of the beautiful parrots and other birds, Puerto Rico has much to offer!
Wondering how to get here? See my blog on getting to Puerto Rico using miles!