My girlfriend and I stayed at the Acacia in mid May of 2008. It was our first trip to Puerto Rico although we have friends who highly advised that we go there. We are happy that we stayed at the Acacia because of the price and end result, but it wasn't perfect by any means.

Issue #1- When we arrived on Saturday night, Felix checked us in to our room, 105. The next day, my credit card company called me with a fraud alert saying that they've given approval to bill my account to this same place twice (I brought this to the attention of the front desk and we had that fixed). After our vacation I noticed on my credit card statement that I was indeed charged twice for my room, even after we addressed this with the front desk. I'm sure a mistake, but it seems that it could have been avoided.

Issue #2- The first room we were given was 105, on the first floor, behind the front desk. Do not stay in this room. It is spacious enough, but only has 1 window that is in the bathroom and looks up to the parking lot behind the building. There is no natural light in this room. Also, it is close to the restaurant kitchen so you hear the wait staff until the kitchen closes. (Though, the food in the restaurant was delicious.)

The biggest problem with room 105 was that, during the night the a/c was dripping inside the room (because it wasn't a window unit). In the morning we realized what happened and looked at the wall where the water was dripping and saw a LOT of mold. It was apparent that it wasn't the first time that happened and was most likely known before we were given the room (there was a bucket behind the couch by the wall meant to catch the water from the a/c).

Anyway, the next day, the staff gave us a new room with a balcony and nice view, so that made up for it.

Issue #3- There is no parking on the street for the Acacia. When making a reservation, try to get a spot in the Wind Chimes parking lot. If you can't, you'll be parking a couple blocks away. (My rental was perfectly safe, but I did see a couple cars along the same street with windows broken so that was in the back of my mind)

Positives:

The beach is a few steps out the door and has great surf.
Breakfast at the Wind Chimes was good and free I think (don't have the milk though)
On our first night, Freddie (restaurant manager) drove us to Bebo's because their kitchen had already closed. Thanks!

my husband and i loved our stay at the acacia. it was the perfect, relaxing, quiet get away. the hotel was adorable--very clean, wonderfully decorated and designed, and RIGHT on the beach!! the hot tub was amazing and overlooks the ocean--incredible. the staff was amazing, palmira is the sweetest and SO incredibly helpful. the hotel is close to everything that san juan and the neighboring areas have to offer, yet its located in a quiet residential area for a relaxing get away. we loved our stay here and would recommend it to anyone who wants to see the best that san juan has to offer without having to sacrifice a comforting and serene atmosphere. if you are considering staying here--think about it no more and just book it!!

We did a lot of research before traveling to San Juan, and the Acacia turned out to be a great value. The rooms are nicely appointed, the proximity to the beach is great, the staff is friendly and attentive, the common areas are cool, and the hot tub is just gorgeous. We really liked staying so close to Ocean Park, as we got to hang out on the "local" beach, away from the noise and tourist traps on the strip.

Only downside are the food options...the breakfast buffet at the Wind Chimes is not worth $11.95, when you can walk down the street to Pinky's or Kasalta for a great, inexpensive meal. We also tried the on-site restaurant, Niche, and while the space was beautifully designed, we were unimpressed with the bar, the service was distracted (surprising given that there were only two parties in the restaurant the night we were there), and the food was inconsistent (one excellent entree, one just middling). Walk down the beach to Pamela's if you're looking for a splurge meal.

I just came back from 3 nights at the Acacia Seaside Inn. Over the last two years, I've stayed at pretty much every single guesthouse in Ocean Park and Condado, but this was my first time staying at the Acacia (Numero Uno was booked, and so was At Wind Chimes Inn - they in turn referred me to the Acacia). Overall, the rooms and common areas at the Acacia are by far the nicest. The owners clearly take great pride in their property, and this is evident in the general upkeep and cleanliness of the Inn, and the friendliness of the staff. The rooms are comfortable, with nice touches such as plasma TVs, the bathrooms are large and well-appointed, and the proximity to the beach is second only to Numero Uno. In terms of price/quality, I'd be hard-pressed to come up with better value.

What could have been a great stay, however, was ruined by the incessant noise that came every single night from the spa/pool area. Part of the problem is that the spa, while officially closed after 11:00pm, is accessible at all hours of the day and night. One night, I was awoken at 4:30am by a group of drunken guests who kept partying in the hot tub until 6:00am. Part of the problem is also because the Inn is not staffed after 11:00pm, so there is no one on site to keep things calm. Calls to the front desk of At Wind Chimes Inn, the sister property down the street, resulted in sympahetic apologies, but nothing more was done about it.

The biggest problem, however, seems to be that the Acacia hasn't quite figured out what it wants to be. By tolerating loud drunken behavior (and since I'm not the first reviewer to write about it, it points to the fact that it's an ongoing issue), management is implicitly condoning it. If they want to be a "party-type" hotel and rent rooms to large groups, so be it. That said, they can't be all things to all people, and they need to realize that this choice comes at the expense of guests who like me, are just looking to relax in peace and quiet. It' a shame, really, and I hope they do something about it.