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Comments on ESJ Towers?

Blues

Blues

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
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Jun 6, 2005
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Location
Monterey County CA
My sister and her husband have had a two bedroom beach house in Boqueron Puerto Rico for as long as I can remember (at least 20 years). They're snowbirds, living most months in Chicago, but spending 4 winter months in PR. They're total timeshare newbies.

I just got a call from my niece (their daughter) that they're thinking of purchasing at ESJ towers in San Juan. They (especially my sister) like to spend a week or so in "the city" each season. Since Boqueron is about 3 hours away, they end up paying for a hotel every time. They'd like to get a city timeshare to reduce their cost. My niece found a studio at ESJ towers for them on timesharesonly.com.

I've looked at the reviews for ESJ towers, and it appears that it will suit their needs. While it just has a TUG rating of 6.68, most of the complaints were that it was too urban, which is exactly what they're looking for (Boqueron is a very quiet beach town; this would be a change of pace). I'm a little concerned about whether a studio would be large enough for them. I assume it will mostly be just the two of them, though my niece always comes to visit in Boqueron for a week per year. I'm also concerned about the proximity to the airport. Is there a lot of airport noise in the units?

Thanks for any additional comments you can share.
 
We spent a week there several years ago and liked it. It is a standard resort, that is, nothing luxurious. The owners seemed to come back every year at the same time and knew each other well. It has a small beach and good access to the city.
Anita
 
Just for your information there is a brand new timeshare in boqueron called aquarius. Besides the boqueron location they have one in Dorado in an embassy suites. I have seen the boqueron unit on II once in a while also the may be available as a gateaway on II. DAE has availability at the ESJ towers.
 
What is the proximity to the El San Juan hotel?
 
Thanks everyone for your comments.

According to this map, it appears to be practically next door to the El San Juan.
 
It is next door. I stayed at the ESJ in November with a friend of mine. The ESJ itself is ok. It served our purpose. We slept and showered there but we ate at and hung out on the beach by the El San Juan Hotel & Casino. The restaurants are all good there and the lobby is pretty happening on Thursday,Friday and Saturday nights.
 
Can you use the pool at the hotel? I didn't know if the timeshare is actually affiliated with the El San Juan Hotel & Casino.
 
We didn't try that. They do have people monitoring the area. We walked in off the beach to go into Starbucks to get breakfast and someone did ask us if we were staying at the hotel and we told them we were going in to eat. I know you can go to the restaurants, bars and shops. I'm not sure about the pool.
 
m61376 said:
Can you use the pool at the hotel? I didn't know if the timeshare is actually affiliated with the El San Juan Hotel & Casino.
Click to expand...

ESJ towers was built on land of the El San Juan hotel and originally owners at ESJ were given free access to all amenities at El San Juan. Over time the hotel was sold from the original developer of ESJ Towers several times and now you no longer have access to the pool but can hang out in the lobby, gamble in Casino and go to the restaurants. There used to be an open gate between the two properties and the first time we exchanged into ESJ we just walked into pool area ( about 10 years ago) and used the pool at the hotel. The last time we were there ( about 4 years ago) security was very tight at the hotel and they stopped us from entering the pool. I have heard that when the hotel is not busy security looks the other way so depending on when you go it may be available but I would not count on it.

I spoke to some original owners at ESJ and they were really pissed when they could no longer use the hotel facilities. Things sometime change over time and they insisted that the new owners should honor the promises made to them by the timeshare sharks when they bought.

Gee you can't rely on timeshare salesmen promises??? :shrug:

Anyhow this is not a fancy resort but we liked it's proximity to Hotel and enjoyed hanging out with the rich and famous at this swanky El San Juan Hotel. Enjoyed everything more during our first visit especially access to hotel pool.

Second visit was still good and would go back again just for the great weather in PR during cold winter months in NY ( We were there in January both times) and the really good restaurants nearby and everything else about the El San Juan hotel.:cheer: :banana:

P.S. My daughter and son in law stayed there one year after their honeymoon at the Mayan Palace Acapulco and after comparing their experience at Mayan Palace they hated ESJ but didn't even try going over to the hotel.

Sometimes it's just a matter of expectations.
 
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Thanks Larry for the info. I kinda assumed if it was affiliated it would be considered more desirable. I have a special affinity for the El San Juan Hotel, having spent our honeymoon there :) .
 
Figured there must be a string about our home resort lurking somewhere. Have been focused on our resale purchase but wanted to give an update on this resort for anyone who may be interested in traveling to Puerto Rico.

It's a good report. My parents stayed there for the first time in a long time since week 12 overlapped with their Easter Break this year. For the first time in +15 years we can now honestly recommend this place for exchange. You see - the property was sold as 30 year RTU contracts. Ours will expire in about 5 years. Some have already expired. So it came as no surprise, when my parents walked in to a completely renovated unit. Their 1BR unit with full ocean view was modern, brand new and beautiful. Apparently, the remodeling of the TS portion of the place is in progress. It better be - as it figures to be awfully hard to resell those units without the hotel privileges. Truth be told, this place will never be a Gold Crown type of place as it will always lack the amenities to qualify. The lobby is nothing to boast about and never will be. The work out center is crappy. The pool area is clean and kept well, and the pool itself is large, but that's all it is - a large pool with some lounge chairs. The place has much more of an apt / condo type feel to it than a resort and for good reason - a large number of units are owned by full time residents.

All that said - now that the units are being redone, this place will actually be a pretty nice place to stay and here's why. The location cannot be beat - it's on the nicest beach in PR directly on the strip sandwiched between all the high end resorts. The beach itself is very nice and most of the units have balconies with ocean views. If you are looking for a place with lots of on site amenities and scheduled activities, you won't find it here but my parents have learned to work the system just fine. When they go, they now reserve a night at the El San Juan next door early in their trip. This time it only cost them about $200 for the Triple A rate and included breakfast. That gets them at least 2 days of usage (check in / out days) to use the hotel grounds next door guaranteed but they kept the room key which was good enough to get them access for their whole trip as the security was not very strict and just asked to see their keys. Even if you don't do this - the beach itself is great and the pool at ESJ is fine it just doesn't have that luxury resort feel to it.

Anyway - I am by no means suggesting that there aren't nicer places to stay in the Caribbean. There most certainly are, but trading into these places can be difficult during peak season if you require a kitchen and PR is generally a cheaper flight than most other places. II used to offer getaways at ESJ, but now there are very few and they are expensive. In a fully renovated unit, this place would be really great for an accommodation certificate or bonus week exchange. My parents were told that all the 1BRs had been redone already, and I believe they all have spot on ocean views off the balcony so you really cannot go wrong if you can snag one of those units. The studios have full kitchens and I believe washer / dryers too.
 
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