Chicks That Trip™ - Lobby Bar Confessions™: Hotel Spotlight: La Concha Renaissance Resort (A Marriott Property)

Hotel Spotlight: La Concha Renaissance Resort (A Marriott Property)
San Juan, Puerto Rico

I was recently in San Juan, Puerto Rico for an International Destination Expo/Conference. Despite the fact that I was occupied everyday with various networking events, speaker presentations and evening events; I was still able to sneak away and enjoy the island.

The La Concha Renaissance Resort is located in the Condado area of Puerto Rico, and is approximately 30 minutes (in good traffic) from the San Juan Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. The property is discretely ensconced on the "main drag" in Condado, situated on the most pristine, azure colored beach you can imagine.

Prior to visiting the property, I did cruise through Trip Advisors (which I rarely do), to check out some of the comments on the property. One of the main names that kept resonating within most of the comments was about the valet named Felix! I was able to meet him, and let me tell you, he was personable, helpful and always had a bright smile on his face, even though they were always busy in their car court. There was a wedding party, a conference, and other activities that kept the front desk and valets hopping; but I can tell you, they never missed a beat. All of the staff members were quick, efficient, and always willing to assist you (especially for those of us who always look like we are lost).

The lobby area is a wide, open space with various seating arrangements to accommodate individuals, small and large groups. Every evening, I would find myself on their outdoor patio in the Solera bar area enjoying a late night cocktail, and a bevy of people watching opportunities; especially since the lobby area turned into a quasi night club at night.

I stayed in both a double queen room, as well as a single king room during my stay. It is great to be able to experience several types of rooms during a visit, so that you can compare size, configurations and general space of the rooms. Both the double room and the king size rooms had ample space. Each room had a large desk area, comfortable chairs, large HD television and ample closet space, as well as a nice sized bar area. The bathrooms were clean and well laid out. There were no bathtubs in either of the rooms I stayed in; however, the shower was easily big enough for two people, ummm, not that I know that from experience! The bath products they provided were Aveda, and they replenished them on a daily basis, and I never ran out of towels.

The La Concha has a nice selection of restaurants from their Komakai Sushi Bar, Voga Italian Grill, Solera poolside restaurant, Sidewalk Café, and their signature restaurant Perla, located in the large Conch Shell facing the beach. I was constantly on the go, and had evening events to attend, so I was only able to have two meals while I was on the property. I split a burger and fries with my business partner, That Chick Dawni, and my last morning there, I also ate at the breakfast buffet they provided every morning, located at Voga. The buffet was an affordable $20, with a large selection of pastries, meats, potatoes, cereals (hot & cold), juices, fruits and an omelet bar too. I felt the price was good, considering the varied selection of items they had to chose from.

The property is a solid 3 - 4* property. I would recommend this resort to anyone traveling to the San Juan area that likes to be within walking distance of a lot of nightlife, restaurants, bars, high end shopping since the property is located mere steps from Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci, and countless other small boutiques, and a place that simply never seems to sleep! Oh, and I forgot to mention, there is even a Casino on the property!