How do I book directly?

Visit /properties, pick the studio or penthouse that fits your trip, click into its page, and use the calendar to select your dates. Payment is processed securely on our booking engine, with the same protection as an OTA but without the guest service fee.

What forms of payment do you accept?

Major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover). For long stays of 30 nights or more, message us about other options.

Is direct booking cheaper than Airbnb?

Yes. Airbnb adds a guest service fee on top of the nightly rate; booking direct on this site has none. How much you save depends on the dates and the unit, so compare the totals for your stay. We will not be beaten on price for the same dates.

What is your cancellation policy?

For direct bookings: full refund up to 14 days before check-in, 50% refund between 7 and 14 days before, no refund within 7 days. Bookings made through Airbnb, Booking.com or Vrbo follow each platform's own policy.

Do you charge a security deposit?

Yes. A refundable security deposit is pre-authorized on your card and released after check-out, assuming no damages. A damage waiver and rental agreement must also be completed before your door code is issued.

What time is check-in and check-out?

Check-in from 3:00 PM, check-out at 11:00 AM. Early check-in and late check-out are sometimes possible depending on the cleaning schedule. Ask us in advance and we will tell you honestly whether it works for your dates.

Is check-in self-service or in-person?

Self check-in with a door code. Your code and arrival instructions are sent between 3:00 and 4:00 PM on the day of arrival, once the damage waiver and rental agreement are completed. If you complete both on the day of arrival, send us a message so we can speed it up. Valid ID is required at reception for every guest.

What if my flight arrives late at night?

Not a problem. Self check-in works at any hour, so as long as your door code has been issued earlier in the day you can arrive whenever your flight lands.

There is no parking included with the units. Paid parking is available in the Paseo Caribe complex, subject to availability. Most guests skip the rental car altogether: Uber is inexpensive and parking in Condado is not.

How many guests does each unit fit?

Studios sleep between 2 and 4 depending on the unit, and the penthouse sleeps 6. Each unit page shows its exact capacity. We enforce guest counts, so please book for the real number of people travelling.

Are all units in the same building?

Yes. All units are in the gated Paseo Caribe complex in eastern Condado. Shared building amenities: outdoor pool, hot tub, gym, 24/7 security, gated access and elevator.

Do all units have ocean or lagoon views?

Yes. Every unit faces the lagoon, the ocean, or both. The specific exposure is listed on each unit page.

What is included in the kitchen?

It depends on the unit, so check the page for the one you are booking. The penthouse and studios 517, 518, 624 and 720 have a stovetop and a full set of cookware and dishes. Studios 516, 719 and 721 have a kitchenette without a stovetop: fridge, microwave and coffee maker, which covers breakfasts and reheating rather than real cooking. None of the units has an oven except the penthouse, and none has a kettle.

Yes, fast Wi-Fi is included free in every unit and is suitable for video calls, streaming and remote work.

Are the units air-conditioned?

Yes. The penthouse has central air conditioning; the studios have split-type units you control from the room.

Is there a washer and dryer?

Most units have an in-unit washer and dryer. Studio 624 has its own washer and uses a paid dryer in the building, and studio 516 uses the building laundry. The unit page tells you which. Laundry detergent is not provided.

Yes, a shared outdoor pool with lounge chairs, open daily from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

Yes, a shared hot tub in the pool area, free for all guests and available to building residents as well.

Yes, a shared fitness room in the building. Check the posted hours on arrival.

Is the building safe?

Yes. The complex has 24/7 security, gated entry and elevator access, and valid ID is required at reception for every guest. Eastern Condado is consistently rated among the safer parts of San Juan.

Yes, pets are welcome in all our units. Let us know at the time of booking so we can confirm the details.

No smoking inside the units or on the balconies.

How close is the beach?

Condado Beach is roughly a 15-minute walk, or a short Uber ride. Escambron, which has calmer water, is about 10 minutes by car.

How far is Old San Juan?

About 15 minutes by Uber, or roughly half an hour on foot along the waterfront path.

How far is the airport (SJU)?

About 15 minutes by Uber. There is no shuttle service; we recommend Uber over taxis for transparent pricing.

Do I need a rental car?

For a Condado-focused trip, no. Walk to restaurants and the waterfront, and use Uber for everything else. For day trips to El Yunque a rental car helps. Parking in Condado is expensive and not included with the units.

What is around the building within walking distance?

Ashford Avenue dining is about 2 minutes away, Ventana al Mar park about 3, and supermarkets and a pharmacy are within a few minutes.

Can you arrange airport pickup?

We do not arrange airport pickup. Uber from SJU to the complex takes about 15 minutes. If you prefer a pre-arranged transfer, our things-to-do page has options.

Do you offer concierge services?

Not in-house. For tours, activities and restaurant recommendations, see our things-to-do guide. For anything else, message Rosemary.

Can you help with a special occasion?

Yes, we can help arrange small touches for anniversaries, birthdays, proposals or honeymoons. Requests need to be made in advance and an additional fee applies.

I have a specific accessibility need. Can you help?

The building has elevators and most common areas are wheelchair accessible. Bathrooms in the units are standard, not roll-in showers. Tell us your needs in advance and we will tell you honestly whether we can accommodate them.

How many reviews do you have?

More than 560 reviews across the portfolio, with a 4.79 average. Rosemary is a Superhost with a 100% response rate, typically answering within the hour.

Are the reviews on this site real?

Yes. All guest reviews come from verified Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com stays. We do not write fake reviews or remove negative ones.

What if something goes wrong during my stay?

Message Rosemary on the WhatsApp number you receive at check-in. Responses are usually within the hour during waking hours, and there are emergency contacts for urgent issues such as a lockout or an AC failure.

Still have a question?

Message us on WhatsApp or through the contact form. Rosemary typically replies within an hour.

Is Condado Beach Safe? A Local Host's Swimming Guide

The Short Answer: Safe Beach, Strong Ocean

Condado Beach is safe to visit, relax on, and photograph at any hour of the day. The sand is clean, the area is lively, and you will find joggers, families, and hotel guests along the shore from sunrise onward. The neighborhood itself is one of the most walkable and tourist friendly in San Juan. If your question is about crime or walking around, I cover that in detail in my guide to whether Condado is safe, and the short version is yes, it is one of the safest areas in the city.

Swimming is a different conversation. Condado Beach faces the open Atlantic, and parts of it are known for strong rip currents and shore break, especially when winter swells arrive from the north. This is not a secret locals keep from visitors. It is simply the nature of a north facing city beach in Puerto Rico. The good news: once you know which spots are calm and which are not, you can have a wonderful, safe beach day here. Thousands of people do, every single week.

Why Condado Beach Gets a Reputation for Being Dangerous

When people ask why Condado Beach is called dangerous, the answer almost always comes down to rip currents. A rip current is a narrow channel of water flowing away from shore. It does not pull you under, but it can pull you out faster than you can swim in, and that is what exhausts swimmers who panic and fight it head on.

A few honest facts about this stretch of coast:

The surf changes with the season. From roughly October through March, north swells make the waves bigger and the currents stronger. Summer months are usually calmer, but conditions can change in a single day.

Lifeguard coverage is not consistent on Condado Beach. Unlike an official balneario (a government run public beach), most of this shoreline does not have a daily lifeguard on a stand. You are responsible for judging conditions, which is why I always tell guests to look at what the water is doing before they even put a towel down.

The shore break can be abrupt. In some sections the sand drops off quickly, so waves break hard right at the waterline. It is fun to watch and tricky to wade into when the swell is up.

None of this means you should skip the beach. It means you should choose your entry point the way locals do.

La Playita del Condado: The Calm Corner Locals Choose

Here is the tip that changes everything for my guests. At the far western end of Condado Beach, right beside the Dos Hermanos Bridge, there is a small protected cove known as La Playita del Condado. Because it sits tucked against the inlet that connects the ocean to the Condado Lagoon, the water there is far calmer than the open beach. On most days it feels more like a natural pool than the Atlantic.

This is where you will see local families with small children, paddleboarders launching, and swimmers who want salt water without the surf. If you are traveling with kids, are not a confident swimmer, or simply want a relaxed float, start at La Playita. It is a short, flat walk from our studios, and it is the answer I give whenever a guest asks me where they can swim safely in Condado. If you are travelling with kids and want this calm corner within a few minutes’ walk, our Modern Studio with two queen beds sleeps four and sits on the same side of the neighborhood.

Even Calmer: The Condado Lagoon and El Escambron

Condado is unusual in the best way: you get the ocean on one side and a flat, protected lagoon on the other. The Condado Lagoon is the calmest water in the neighborhood, and it is where guests go to kayak, paddleboard, and sometimes spot a manatee gliding by. If a rough surf day cancels your ocean plans, the lagoon saves the afternoon. I wrote a full guide to the Condado Lagoon with rental options and the best entry points. That flat water is the view from our Lagoon View Studio with pool access, so you can check the swimming conditions from the balcony before you decide where to spend the morning.

One more local option: Balneario El Escambron, about a mile west of Condado toward Old San Juan. It is an official public beach where a natural reef breaks the incoming waves, so the swimming area stays gentle. It is a favorite for snorkeling, and as a designated balneario it has facilities and, on most days, lifeguard presence. Between La Playita, the lagoon, and El Escambron, you have three calm water choices within a few minutes of your room.

If you'd rather stay out of the water altogether on a rough day, most of what makes Condado worth visiting is within a few blocks, we mapped it out in our guide to getting around Condado without a car. Families in particular tend to build the day around the calmer lagoon side, which is where we start in our family guide to San Juan with kids.

Beach Safety Tips I Give Every Guest

After three years of hosting travelers here, these are the rules I repeat most often:

Read the water before you swim. If you see whitewater churning, waves breaking hard on the sand, or very few people in the ocean, treat that as your signal to head to La Playita or the lagoon instead.

Respect red flags. Some hotels along the beach post warning flags. Red means stay out of the water, no matter how inviting it looks.

Know the rip current escape. If you ever feel yourself being carried out, do not swim straight against it. Stay calm, float, and swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the current, then angle back in.

Skip night swimming. The beach is lovely for an evening walk, but the ocean after dark is a no for me and for every experienced local I know.

Keep an eye on children at the waterline. Even on calm days, the shore break on the open beach can knock a small child off their feet. At La Playita this is much less of a concern.

Go with a buddy. Swimming alone on an unguarded beach is never the smart play, anywhere in the world.

So, Should You Stay Near Condado Beach?

Absolutely. I would not host here, raise my ratings here, or walk this shoreline almost daily if I did not love it. Condado gives you a real city beach lifestyle: coffee on Ashford Avenue, toes in the sand ten minutes later, a calm lagoon for paddling, and sunsets from the Dos Hermanos Bridge that stop traffic. The ocean asks for a little knowledge and a little humility, and in exchange you get one of the most beautiful coastal neighborhoods in the Caribbean. If you are coming as a group or celebrating something, the Oceanview Penthouse with hot tub looks out over both the ocean and the lagoon.

If you want to wake up next to the water, our waterfront studios and penthouses sit right on the Condado Lagoon, a short walk from both La Playita and the open beach. You get the calm side and the wild side of Condado, and I am always one message away with the day’s best swimming advice. See our waterfront studios and penthouses and book direct to save 15 percent.

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