The Ritz-Carlton, San Juan Hotel

We arrived and had 3 good sunny days before the arrival of Hurricane Irene. The ocean and pool water are warm, the sand very soft. There are plenty of lounge chairs on the beach and at the pool. Staff will set up your lounge chairs with towels at your desired location. The beaches are public and were patrolled by policeman, a first for me, but did add to the safety factor. The wait staff will take orders on the beach for food and drinks. There is free ice water on the beach along with oranges. I utilized the fitness center which is well equipped with cardio and weights to maintain a fitness routine, or to get started with one. There are fresh apples available after your workout. The spa was really nice, equipped with showers, lockers, steam room, sauna and hot tub. Not as large as others that I have been in, but does have 11 treatment rooms and claims to be 12,000 sq ft total. I had a hot stone massage which was wonderful. The food at the resort in my opinion was extremely overpriced for the quality which it made it disappointing. However, the drinks were excellent although pricey. It was good food, but not excellent, and at the prices they charge it should be excellent. For example dinner in the steak and italian restaurants ran about $150-180 for 2 people and we did not have any alcoholic beverages. Would recommend having breakfast (which is a buffet) included in your room rate and then eat dinner at other nearby restaurants. Rooms are clean. Maid service is twice daily. The closet and drawer space is limited, and the beds are hard. Not as hard as beds in Europe but not as comfortable as beds at the Marriott or Westin or W brand hotels. Also be aware of the $32/night resort fee you get charged upon check out, may be a bit of a shocker if you are not expecting it. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. Will stop what they are doing to escort you to a part of the resort you may not know how to reach. Lastly, we stayed during the hurricane. We experienced very little inconvenience other than not being able to use pool/beach facilities and lights powering off maybe for 5 mins tops. The hotel utilizes back up generators and had power when other nearby hotels did not. The staff remained friendly, calm, helpful, and professional even during a major storm. That is the quality that you pay for and receive when staying at the Ritz.

The resort, the staff, the location, the restaurants where all excellent. The only bad thing was the weather. We arrived the day after hurricane Irene hit the Island and it was raining pretty much all of the 5 days we were there. Will come back again

It was a great week-end getaway with girls. Hotel is very nice, staff is courteous. Casino was slow, but still fun. Beach & pool are great.

Everything was 1st class, staff very friendly, rooms nice, nice casino, good resturants (BLT Steak ...) Only complaint: double beds rather than the king we requested.

The staff and hotel are great. Very clean and attention to detail is spot on! It can get a little crowed at the pool with people reserving their spots early in the AM and not showing up till the afternoon. The beach is the best bet. We made a reservation to go on a zip-line trip for the day at the hotel tour desk. The trip was great, but was surprised to learn that we were charged more because we were staying at the Ritz. The people from other hotels were charged less for the trip. That is just wrong! It is a shame that such a hotel with high standards would let this happen.

Enjoyed the grounds, staff, amenities and food...The hotel was very nice and the grounds were luxurious, but it appeared to cater to conference attendees and business travelers rather than the leisure resort traveler. While we were there, the hotel booked a major conference that overtook the grounds and closed most of the pool area off to other guests. Management was responsive to our complaints, but it was unpleasant and disruptive nonetheless.

Overall, my stay at the Ritz was a positive experience. The hotel is 5 minutes from the airport so no time is wasted in transfer. The con to that is the jets you see flying overhead when you are relaxing on the beach. The service is the most friendly and efficient I've ever experienced at a Ritz Carlton despite the overcrowded restaurants, pool and beach area. The hotel itself is a bit tired but is clean and well maintained. The restaurants, BLT and El Mulino are both excellent as well as family friendly - if you can get a reservation. The hotel breakfasts and buffet are average.

The resort is beautiful and well run. This was our second visit (ending 3/4/12). We stayed on the Club Floor, as we had before. The only gripe is the that the food in the Club Lounge is nearly identical every day. It gets sort of boring. Other than that, the place is great.

The beds were really comfortable. The outdoor areas were really pretty. There was a pool and just beyond the pool, there was the beach. As far as the closeness to the beach, and the staff, that was perfect. I did NOT like that they charged me an extra $60 for maintenance or that my room with 2 double beds only had one bathroom. Next time I will do something cheaper in the Condado area which is closer to shopping, clubs, and more restaurants plus you still get the beach area.

Beautiful hotel and pool and ocean area. Hotel provides free bottled water (as much as you like) and towels and lounge chairs. The drink and food prices are a bit steep but you are free to bring stuff from the outside if you want to make it more affordable. There is little nightlife at hotel, so you will have to go out. El San Juan hotel is around the corner. There are some piano bar musicians but it is passive if you are looking for more, such as if you are going with friends. Casino is nice with table games but small.