Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve

My time at the Ritz was the best vacation of my life. When you arrive on property you are greeted by the staff with such warmth and delicious popsicles. The view from reception is breathtaking and on the day we arrived the ocean glimmered. Our Embajador led us to our room and gave us a mini tour on our way there. We were upgraded to a room with a plunge pool and private path down to the beach. That alone was worth the hefty price tag in my opinion. Your view is stunning and the property is beautifully maintained with nature surrounding you and beautiful landscaping carressing the property. My boyfriend proposed to me while we were there and the staff made our celebration so special with a beautiful flower arrangement, rose petals and chocolate coqui frogs waiting for us after dinner. The dinner staff at Coa also presented us with a very sweet picture frame and the date of our engagement which is now one of my most treasured possessions. We stayed on property for five days and decided not to do any day trips as we have been to Puerto Rico before and after a very stressful year I just wanted peace and quiet which is exactly what I got. The spa staff is incredible (kind, gorgeous and so skilled). My facial was incredible and my skin looked like a million bucks afterward. The spa amenities are lovely but I wish there was more seating outdoors in the women's area as there were only three large lounge chairs around the pool but there were at least five women sharing the space at the time I was there. Not a huge deal, and the area around the pool is a bit small so I'm not sure that can be changed but just an observation if they ever renovate this area. There are a couple of things to note if you're on the fence about booking a vacation here: -Open air dining and birds. The birds run this resort. They were there first. You will encounter birds but you get used to it. -The staff is world class and so so kind. They go above and beyond to make you feel comfortable and are the loveliest people in the hospitality field IMO. -There is a huge golf course on property so it attracts golf people and their families. I do not golf so this was not something I really cared about. -The restaurants on property are mostly excellent. The best breakfast and lunch will be at Coa - their breakfast menu is straightforward and the staff is wonderful and kind. The lunch menu features Puerto Rican food with a twist. Don't be scared - their version of bacalao is actually a sauteed piece of Cod that is delicious. -We had dinner at Positivo, Coa and Fleur de sal. Positivo has half of the restaurant on sand and this restaurant is surrounded by a LOT of birds (open air dining). If you're not into that maybe steer clear of that restaurant. It is asian inspired food but as a NYC native I thought it was just ok food with incredible service. The waitstaff was amazing. -Fleur de sal is italian food and they do offer a cauliflower crust pizza if you're gluten free. I didn't order

We did a quick trip from westchester Airport. We stayed 3 nights but really had 4 full days of fun. Our 2 kids are 4 and 6. This place is great for kids. Not just the Ritz itself but the Dorado Beach property you have access too is awesome. There is an awesome bike path we rode every day ( I pulled my kids behind me). We stopped at a huge play ground with a kids pool that had a fun water slide. On Saturday and Sunday there is a legit water park that's basically private. My kids probably did the 2 huge water slides 30 times. The staff was so sweet to my children and us. They give out Popsicles on arrival, my two kids asked for 4 pops a day and they always were given one. The beach is perfect and safe for little kids, the beach staff put a umbrella on the wet sand so my kids could play in the shade. We watched them while sipping delicious mojitos. Our day always ended in our plunge pool in the room and then dinner on property which was delicious. Look its the most expensive per night we have ever spent for a non suite room. That being said I would go back. You get what you pay for. This was true a luxury family vacation.

We’ve been to this resort multiple times bc my family loves it. The rooms are spacious, and the property is well taken care of. The one challenge is that the service is inconsistent. 1) housekeeping isn’t consistent. (no handtowels, no wash cloths, had to call for turn down service after 9p, sometimes 2 waters and sometimes 4). 2) we have had to wait over 15 minutes for a golf cart, and that was only after I chased down the attendant because there was no one at the porte cochere in the middle of the day 3) despite charging an arm and a leg for any kind of food ($12 for a cup of coffee!) I received the wrong order and the food hasn’t always been hot. Don’t get me wrong, these are all champagne problems. The issue is that for the price of the hotel is charging, these service issues shouldn’t be happening. This is truly a lovely and special hotel and worth a visit. Please know though, that the service will be inconsistent.

Absolutely Disappointing Experience – Not Worth the Price I had high expectations for The Ritz-Carlton, but this stay was a complete disaster from start to finish. The level of service was shockingly poor—far from the luxury brand they claim to be. Staff were inattentive, disorganized, and, in some cases, outright rude. Requests were either forgotten or handled with an attitude, and there was a clear lack of communication across the board. The room itself was outdated and not properly cleaned. I found dust on the furniture, stains on the sheets, and a persistent musty smell that made it impossible to relax. For the premium price they charge, this is absolutely unacceptable. On top of that, amenities were either closed or “under maintenance” with no prior notice. The spa was unavailable, the restaurant was overbooked with mediocre food, and valet took over 30 minutes to retrieve my car on multiple occasions. Ritz-Carlton markets itself as a luxury destination, but this felt more like a glorified 3-star hotel. I left feeling frustrated, disrespected, and completely let down. I will never return, and I strongly advise others to think twice before wasting their money here. There are far better options at half the price with triple the hospitality.