Don't even think about staying here if you value your sleep.

The noise levels throughout the night were TORTURE. Hall light streamed into the room through a window above the door- so I was left to try and sleep with bright lights and noise every night.

Phone in the room didn't work and water was never hot, just lukewarm, and rooms don't have windows...but these were the least of my concerns.

I've stayed in hostels in rooms with 15 drunk people with less noise... this hotel does have a fantastic location and the breakfast is fine and rooms tidy. Is it worth it? You couldn't pay me to stay here again. In short, AWFUL.

We stayed at the Howard Johnson Inn Plaza de Armas for one night (last weekend) prior to leaving on a cruise. We basically needed a place to sleep and shower, so we weren't concerned about amenities. What we loved about this hotel was the fact that our two kids could have separate beds. Our spacious room had a king, a single, and a futon. Perfect arrangement for our family. We also had a fridge and a microwave. Everything was clean and the bathroom was clean and spacious, as well. We were at the top of the (very narrow) staircase on the second floor, so we didn't really bother using the elevator, which appeared to be so slow that it was almost stopped.

I don't think we would've found the hotel on our own, so I'm glad the taxi driver knew where it was. As previous reviewers have noted, it's just a little storefront tucked in between two other stores. It's tall and skinny. We arrived early and were unable to check in. Though it seemed as though we waited forever (we had to remember that we were now on "caribbean time"), the guy at the front desk was very helpful. He stored our luggage and gave us some recommendations for lunch while we waited for our room to be ready. When we returned an hour later, our room was ready and we were able to check in.

The location is great for getting anywhere in Old San Juan. We walked to El Morro and then around the rest of the city. When we got back to the hotel several hours later, we were thrilled to find a Pizza Hut right around the corner. We weren't that hungry... just needed to eat and get some sleep. That brings me to our only real complaint about the hotel. Our room faced the street and there seemed to be a lot of traffic until the wee hours of the morning. In San Juan, as in most Caribbean places we've been, this includes a lot of horn honking. While this didn't seem to affect our two kids, my husband and I had a less than stellar night's sleep.

The complimentary breakfast was simple, but adequate. The water pressure in the shower was great. And once again, the hotel stored our luggage while we wandered around as we had to check out before we could go to the cruise ship. We were credited the fee for the room safe as we didn't use it. And with the AAA rate, the room was more than reasonable for being in the center of Old San Juan. We would definitely stay there again.

If you're looking for an upscale, resort-type place, this isn't the hotel for you. However, if you're looking for a clean, convenient place to stay in Old San Juan, definitely put this Howard Johnson on your short list!

The Howard Johnson in Plaza de Armas was a nice place to stay for a couple of days in Old San Juan. The price was very reasonable and the staff was very helpful. This is a remodeled, older hotel, so rooms are small, without windows, but the bed was very comfortable and the room was very clean. I think it was a good value for the price and you can't beat the location. The continental breakfast is pretty sparse (bread, a few apples and bananas, coffee, and juice), but it was a decent way to start the day. The elevator is one of the old, small, creaky ones that you pull a gate across, so it is a good idea to ask fro a room on a lower floor so you don't have to use the elevator.

The picture shown on this site is not the HoJo Plaza de Arms. It's actually a very discreet entrance between a cigar shop and a souvineer shop that is easy to miss.

This is a great hotel for staying overnight before or after a cruise. We needed a room with 4 beds to accomodate two children, ages 6 and 10. I was a little nervous after reading the comments on the cockroaches (and there are lots of them in PR!), but there was not a single cockroach in sight.. We knew that we were arriving late and leaving by noon, so we were willing to take the chance.
We were arriving Christmas Day, so I did not have high expectations on service, figuring everyone was off. The desk manager was very helpful pointing to a place for a 10 pm snack for us and kids. We had a room facing the street with two window/balconies on the second floor (room 206 I think, labled "home office" on the door). Yes, the elevator is old (the kind you have to close the cage and door for it to move), but we were on the 2nd floor, so we didn't need it much. The room was not the most quiet, but the air conditioner makes enough noise to drown out most of the street noise. I wake at the slightest sound, and only a couple of honks early in the morning were enough to wake me. It was a huge room, with lots of space for our 4 large suitcases.
It's clearly an older building, but honestly, the most noticable part was the worn/scuffed tiles in the hallway. Once in our room, there were new, clean tiles, a clean bath, and lots of space. There was a king, a twin, and a sofa that folded down into a twin. I have to warn you that the sofa looked to be about 5 ft long with wide padded arms (about 12 inches each), so when the back folds down, it worked for my tall 6 year old, but at 5' 7", I would have been hanging ontothe arms which were not entirely flat with the bed.. There were no sheets ready when we arrived, but the front desk quickly located them, and I made up the bed myself.
Almost across the street from this hotel is a plaza square, which had a lovely espresso/bakery kiosk, which was open on Christmas day evening. We slept through the breakfast provided by the hotel, but there is a fast food joint within 1/2 block that was perfectly adequate for breakfast. There is also a Wendy's in the same block.
We loved that it was a 10 min walk to the old fortress of San Juan, and the front desk gave us a walking map and good directions. The waterfront is also in easy walking distance, but we did not have time. The cab ride to the cruise terminal was about 10 min.
All in all, it was a great price compared to the other options for 4 of us, but I'm not sure I would have put an adult in the sofa bed. One last note: I booked directly though the hotel, and when I went to confirm, they thought we had 3 persons instead of 4. They were able to confirm us a room for 4, but I was under the impressions that I was getting a King Plus room, which was a king and two twins, We ended up with a king, twin and small sofa bed, which worked for us but not if our children had been bigger. Still, a good value for the money!