Hotel details

my stay at the Aquarius

Hector and Pennie vacation Dec 16, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

the hotel was nice but on the weekends to many kids....the hotel is really a time share....and because they are trying to ... sell these time shares....the people that come there bring everybody and the dog....makes for very loud weekends there...there is confusion with the staff there because this hotel is on the same property as the embassy suites...they are supposed to share everything but they dont.....makes for a frustrating experience.

big room

Dr. Morell Dec 7, 2009

big room, with excellent view, but need to rebuild the room. Very dirty, need to change curtain,sofa,floor, carpet, ect. ... Smell to bad, because the humidity running from the room wall. In addition, the T.V. program was very limited.

family getaway

Judy Dec 4, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

I believe that if they would clean the rooms in daily bases and have internet service would have make my stay more pleasent ...

Fabulously wonderful!

Akasheeah Nov 11, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

I stayed here with my boyfriend and we both had some hesitation because of some of the negative reviews, but I had read some ... great ones and well let's face it I have stayed in some really really bad hotels before! The Golden Sands Villas was perfect for us! The lobby was clean and the receptionists were friendly, spoke clear English, and were willing to recommend places. We stayed in Room 2184 (a studio without a full kitchen, but had a small mini fridge and a microwave and some plates, silverware, bowles, and a sink to was dishes) and it had a spectacular view of the ocean! The information that was given to us was clear about where to get beach towels (at the front desk). While there are some amenities we couldn't partake in because we weren't staying at the Embassy, which is attached and shares the same pool and beach area, it didn't bother us. The Embassy does have a nightly Manager's happy hour that is just for the Embassy guest, but we were able to get a couple free drinks on a couple nights (I think if you say you are an owner of a timeshare it's might work every time)! We were denied twice, but hey I will take a free glass of wine when I can! My boyfriend and I ate at the Blue Seahorse in the pool area twice where we split a hamburger one day and a enormous hotdog on another day. Since we were in a studio we went to the Grande grocery store and stocked on microwavable things, beers, rum, and other food necessities that made it very affordable. Check-out was easy and we left early in the morning before the front desk was open (it's closed from 11 pm to 7 am). You will read comments about the parking, we only had 1 out of 5 nights where we had troubles with parking (that was Saturday night), but if you ask the parking attendant he will make accommodations, like double parking and leaving him the keys so he can move your car if he needs to. We were going to have no problems doing that, but just as he was explaining where and how to park our car someone backed out of space and we had a parking spot. Also, the parking fee is $7.49/day, but we didn't pay the fee. How we managed that one was because when we checked in we didn't take the stub in with us and the lady said just bring it back later so they can stamp it. Which we did, but some how it never got tagged to our room and when I was checking out I asked the lady who we paid for parking and she said she could either tag it to our account here and we can pay or we can bring the stub to the Embassy front desk and pay&I choose the latter option, but never went over there. As of right now, my credit card hasn't been charged and that was a couple days ago. So that is worth a shot if you don't want to pay parking. Another negative I had read on a couple sites had to do with housekeeping, it states in the information that they give you at check-in that they come on alternating days. We actually got two days in a row of fresh towels and sheets, but not sure about the third day since it rained all day and we had the privacy tag on the door. Also, if you rent a car, which I strongly suggest, make sure you leave plenty of time if you have to be at the airport during rush hour traffic! It will take upwards of over an hour to get to the airport and my boyfriend and I almost missed our flight. It will be literally bumper to bumper for 20 some miles! We did a day trip to the rainforest and Fajardo where we did a Bio Bay Tour, which I highly recommend! I would highly recommend this hotel, it's out of San Juan and has some local places to shop and get things you might have forgotten&like a foldable cooler at Walgreens which we filled with ice and had cold beers all day by the pool and they were on sale for $4.99 for a 6-pack of Coors Light! When reading the bad reviews, stop and think that maybe they are the type of person who ALWAYS has bad experiences and are never satisfied unless it's a 5-star hotel.

Family vacations

Vacations Oct 19, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

We really enjoy our stay. We tried to prepare our meals, so that we could stay on budget. They treat us great, and the place ... is beautiful.

Good for vacations

Angel Oct 19, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

I like my stay in this hotel, good location, pool, etc. If i can i will took another vacations in the same hotel. ...

Excellent

Vivian Sep 15, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

very nice ...

Golden Sands Is great!

Chuck Sep 12, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

Stayed at Golden sands with family Pre and post cruise about 35 minutes from San Juan rooms were very clean, Staff seemed ... friendly, pool area very nice with poolside bar, beach is right next to pool area a little small but well maintained i thought, only here for two days but would definatley come back, only drawback is parking, not enough spaces for guests in parking lot had to find parking off lot several times but they are currently building a new parking garage.

Old, Dirty and LOUD!!!!!

P***ed Off in Orlando Sep 12, 2009

This was the worst hotel we've stayed in EVER! It was old and dirty, the furniture was extremely uncomfortable and the ... parking was atrocious!! Wouldn't recommend this place to anybody for any reason!! I will say that the staff was really nice and accommodating, though.

Excellent

Josie Sep 9, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

Hotel was an amazing experience, looked the view, the pools were beautiful. Nice and warm. Atmosphere was friendly. I didn't ... like the fact that I had to pay extra for the parking.

good

wilma Sep 7, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

it was very clean and a friendly atmosphere and great customer service at all times ...

Fantastic family getaway

Conky Sep 7, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

This hotel is good. My family are very happy. I don,t like the parking of the hotel because is very small, but another place ... in the hotel is very good.

Great Deal

Mrs. Lafargue Sep 6, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

The price was AMAZING for the room we got (suite with a kitchen, jacuzzi tub, balcony, king size bed, etc). It was about 30+ ... minutes to downtown San Juan depending on traffic, so we were definitely close enough to all the attractions and it was worth it to save big on the cost of the room by staying off the beaten path. The hotel is part of a resort that includes a golf course and shares amenities with the adjacent Embassy Suites such as the restaurant, bar, fitness center, and gift shop. The town of Dorado is a nice, small town with many local stores and restaurants too so even if we stayed locally there were plenty of things to do. My only complaint was parking - the first few days were fine, then a huge wave of guest came in for Labor Day weekend and there was NOWHERE to park. We literally had to park on the golf course 1/3 mile away from the hotel entrance. Also, they only cleaned the room every other day, but they told us that upon check-in and we had the option to request maid service everyday if we wanted. Otherwise, the place was great!

Good Location

Jimmy Sep 1, 2009

WILL CAN BE BETTER ...

The good, the bad, and the relly ugly

CB Aug 31, 2009

The parking is a paid by day item, however, they do not have spaces for all rooms, therefore it is first come, first serve ... even though they are charging your room for it. This hotel shares the pool,hot tub,beach front with the Embassy suites next to it. On Friday and Saturday the locals were having a party there. The pool and hot tub was overrun with children to where we could not even use them. These people for the most part were not even guests at the hotel.Not pleased at all with these accomedations.

How hotel has hidden FEES you dont want

repodad Aug 31, 2009

First checkin was not till 4:00pm and then they wouldn't help with and upgrade because it was not done with them dircetly and ... everything there was extra !!! from pool towels to the Parking and then they want you to sit through a sales pitch for there time share properties.I would personaly never stay there again and i go to Puerto Rico every year.

more than I expected

Bri Aug 28, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

I went for my brothers wedding and it was beautiful. Absolutely more than I expected from the room. Don't lose the beach ... towels because they will charge you. There is nothing complimentary, like breakfast, so that blows. The embassy gives you all sorts of free stuff, like 2hr free cocktails. Its like 3 hotels under one building. Golden sands didn't offer that.... spend a little more get a little more I guess. The beach, pool, hot tub, were amazing. Overall, I had a wonderful time. ooh, and definately rent a car, because you will need it to travel out of the compound to the store. Its too far to walk it.

Worse than ugly

Big Mama is Mad as Heck Aug 27, 2009

The staff was not very friendly and if you know how to speak the native language (Spanish); they were not informative or ... helpful, i can't image what problems a non-speaking Spanish tourist experienced. I was 1 hour early (3:00 pm) and no rooms were available and they checked me in 1/2 later than the check in time (4:30 pm) due to me insisting that they continue to call the cleaning lady for a status of an available room. The pillow cases were dirty, the bed sheets had a hole in them, the carpet was extremely dirty and there was a half empty bottle of hand lotion already used in the bathroom. They did not clean the rooms the next day and i had to request towels at the front desk. They had 1 bag of coffee, barely any sugar. The parking lot had one exit and enter lane used by both parties. The only good thing going was the pool and this was due to the fact that it was a shared pool with Embassy Suites. Embassy suites had a person available on site to give beach towels and the Sands Villa folks did not, for towels you need to go to the front desk and sign a form that indicate that each towel will cost $25 if not returned back to the front desk. They constantly locked me out of my room requiring that i take extra trips to re-entitle my room cards. Yes, Ladies and gentleman i paid for what i received. Never again will i visit the Sands Villas of Dorado del Mar.

The location the area beautiful

Lissa Aug 24, 2009

To bad the services on this hotel was very poor.We did'nt get change of towels no beding or pillows.The pool was very cloudy. ... But the place is beautiful,and a problem with parking space.

Not Recommended

Ms. Return No More Aug 18, 2009

I would not recommend this hotel to anyone. The staff was rude...if you're just renting a room, like we did, you have to pay ... for everything. Many guests who either owned or had timeshare at Golden Sands were politely asked how their stay was going, didn't have to pay for breakfast and had happy hour. When they found out we didn't own anything there, we were totally disregarded. They truly made us feel like our business meant absolutely nothing. Check in was horrible. We waited over an hour to get into the room as it was not ready. There is almost no parking in the lot with as many rooms as they have. They did not properly clean the rooms. I rented a full apartment to save on money for food. The stove didn't work. The most the housekeeping did (every other day) was change the towels and make the bed. They never bothered vacuuming either. The bedspread and sofa had a bad odor. I really can go on and on but I'd rather not. I will never return to Golden Sands or its affiliates.