El Blok Hotel, Esperanza: See 288 traveller reviews, 332 candid photos, and great deals for El Blok Hotel, ranked #1 of 1 hotel in Esperanza and rated 4.5 of 5 at TripAdvisor. Prices are calculated as of 12/8/2019 based on a check-in date of 25/8/2019. El Blok Hotel – An Architectural & Culinary Treat. Designed by Fuster + Architects, an award winning firm located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, El Blok takes its.
El Blok is an iconic inn by the sea - a bar and restaurant with rooms - that aims to be a soft landing for the intrepid traveler after a hard day of relaxation. Affordable, simple rooms appointed with touch of luxe, it has a visual style like nowhere else. Colored hidrolico tiles, exposed concrete, native woods, clean, spare, exciting spaces. All this in a building that is gold LEED certified for it's sustainable design.
El Blok is part sculpture, part oasis. Impossibly serene far flung beaches, great restaurants and only a few hotels, Vieques is a strange jewel of an island amongst the beauty and understated glamour of the Caribbean. 6 Miles to the east of Puerto Rico, and a short 20 minutes flight from San Juan, Vieques is in Puerto Rico's backyard.And light years from anywhere. The thing about brutalism-the 20th century architectural style that features geometric shapes and imposing bulk formed from poured concrete-is that it looks terrific when it's new, but it doesn't always age well.
Though El Blok is only about five years old, it's already looking a little long in the tooth. Our room (#303) had a great view of the sea, but one of the balcony chairs was badly rusted, the pivoting balcony shutter was tied into place with a rope, and the sliding balcony door was very difficult to close from the outside. The room was permeated with a musty/mildewy odor, perhaps related to the inherent difficulty in fully drying out concrete in a hot humid environment. The hot water supply was erratic and the bathroom was cramped. The single elevator looked like it had seen better days.
The concrete walls and floors, which must have looked clean and crisp when they were new, are now stained with age. To be sure, the fact that El Blok is up and running at all is something of a small miracle, given how Hurricane Maria damaged so much of Vieques in 2017. And there are signs that renovation is proceeding. The rooftop bar's soaking pool is offline and undergoing renovations. We were told that the bar area is new, and it looks it with striking hardwood verticals that give the concrete and sheetrock interior a warmer feel.
Still, the overall bare-walls aesthetic gives the place the feel of a lovely place to stay on the Klingon homeworld. It would be hard to beat El Blok's location, anchoring one end of Calle Esperanza and directly across from a beach with a pedestrian esplanade. A security guard stands on duty in the area all night to keep an eye on your rental car. There's a strip of bars and cafes starting at El Blok and extending about half a mile. The hotel's staff is nothing short of stellar, with welcoming friendly front desk clerks (and a sweet dog named Mia), and knowledgeably chill bartenders. Breakfast (included with the room) is spare but the coffee is delicious.
I'd book a stay there again in hopes that renovations continue. Brutalist buildings are notoriously difficult to maintain, since replacing a wall, ceiling, or floor involves jackhammering out old concrete and pouring new. I applaud what the hotel owners are trying to do there and hope they will overcome the obstacles they face in keeping up a building of this type. A design hotel on the beach. Pictures on the web shows pretty well what this hotel is all about.
![El Blok Hotel El Blok Hotel](/uploads/1/2/5/5/125502858/772463120.jpg)
Full points for trying to create something different, modern and hip, but as always, design is a matter of personal taste, and this hotel didn’t match mine. However the real problem here is that the focus on design has taken away the focus on practicallity. For example not enough space to store your clothes and ballustrades on the balcony that block most of the view, which makes little sense when you have booked a room with sea view. Breakfast is very basic. Staff is great. Location is good.
I understand why some people like this hotel, but I would not book again if I go back to El Vieques. In any case, pass by for a drink if you are in Esperanza. We could not have been more thrilled with El Blok. It somehow manages to be be laid back, posh, ridiculously hip and simple all at the same time. The building's architecture is very sculptural and a treat in and of itself. The rooms are simple and small.
Nothing fancy, but very functional and well thought out with private balconies. The roof top is charming with a pool that is basically hot tub shaped with fun floating flamingos and other touches. The bar and restaurant are great, offering some of the only fine dining on the island. Our bar tender was particularly charming and taught us to play one of the board games laid around the area.
It's an easy place to just hang out. El Blok is at the tip of the strip of restaurants and bars in Esperanza and an easy walk to all as well as to lovely Sun Bay Beach. This visit was such a delight overall. Can't wait to come back.