El Conquistador Resort

Hmm—where to start? I’d summarize this as a place with an identity crisis. Check in was a bizarre experience when they tried a bait and switch and send us down the cliff side to the marina section when we booked ocean view up top. We had no warning or heads up that our original building was ‘closed’—wasn’t until the bellman had us going down a funicular that we were like “hold up…” Thankfully we got a equal substitute to what we booked but did they really think we’d take something half the cost and deal with the funicular several times a day? Others had glowing reviews on the water park. “Meh” is a polite verdict from our family. Our 7 year old was an inch short to do anything but a baby slide and there was NO budge on that rule. I wouldn’t ever suggest something unsafe or I didn’t think my kids couldn’t handle but we’ve been to many other water parks and there were many more options for her age. If the resort ever thinks of charging extra or separate for this amenity they are out of their mind. They might as well have played Pink Floyd’s The Wall as vibe music behind all the lifeguard whistles. If you like running or staying in shape on your vacations—good luck! The main fitness center is nowhere near appropriate size for a resort with this capacity. Two treadmills. Two. They were taken all hours of the day I observed between 6:30AM and 9PM. Other options are running loops onsite up and down a small mountain (hill training anyone?) with no path. Or you can brave the trek to Seven Seas beach where I became a Strava Local Legend doing so many loops. I learned on the 3rd day there is a gym in the spa with more treadmills—9-5 PM only. No one mentioned this at the resort orientation we didn’t actually have. Anyway, not everyone is a psychopath like me and likes running before starting their family time but I offer this as my advice to management (and warning to fellow psychopaths)—a larger gym or longer spa gym hours would be a good investment. Palomino is cool but is a long wait for a boat (both ways). Which gave me a chance to write this review on our last day when one of their boats was inoperable! The restaurants were respectable, but I’m not a foodie (all that running means everything tastes good!). It’s a beautiful (and big) resort too. They have a big conference center so if I ever worked somewhere that paid my room here, would I come back? Heck yeah! But would I pay for it again on my own. Now that I know more of the resort layout and hacks—maybe, but likely not my first choice here in P.R. Scenery and close proximity to many activities like El Yunque nudged this from a 2 star to 3 star experience. Also make sure you get your parking ticket validated if you rent a car before trying to rush to a bio bay tour.

We had a wonderful stay over Christmas. The resort has been renovated in the last few years, and continues to improve. The Casitas are wonderful. Our restaurant experiences were great.

My 4th time here over a 25 year period. They did an amazing job cleaning up after Hurricane Maria. Place looks great. Room was amazing. Island beach facilities top notch as I remembered them. Service was great with a few exceptions. 1. Wait at check-in and checkout was 10-15 minutes in queue. Staff was great just understaffed for the number of guests. 2. Self parking very frustrating. Once you validated your parking ticket there are pedestals at the entrances and exits that have a camera to show you have validated the ticket. Well the cameras don't work - at least 3 or 4 were broken. So you have to call to the valet parking to have them raise the gate. Time consuming and frustrating. There has got to be a better way. 3. Pool bars have menus with out of date prices. What you pay can be way more than the listed price. "Sorry, we haven't updated the menus yet." was the best I could get in was of consideration. For example a glass of Prosecco was charged at 167% of the menu price. Really? You don't care that you can't seem to update your menus BEFORE raising prices. I think this was my last trip here. Other resorts available with better service.

I can’t say enough great things about the entire team at Coquí Water Park at the El Conquistador Hotel. Every single time I brought my family and kids down to the pool, the lifeguards and support staff were absolutely amazing. Their professionalism goes far beyond five stars—attentive, friendly, and always fully engaged in keeping everyone safe while still making the experience fun. We stayed for 11 days, and by the second day the lifeguard staff already remembered my room number, which truly shows the level of care, attention, and pride they take in their work. It made us feel welcomed, valued, and completely at ease as parents. The lifeguards were consistently alert, approachable, and great with kids, and the support staff kept everything running smoothly and efficiently. Because of them, Coquí Water Park became one of the highlights of our entire trip. Huge thank-you to all the staff for creating such a safe, professional, and enjoyable environment for families. We can’t wait to come back!

Raquel was awesome, super friendly and great service! Definitely coming back again for dinner before our trip is over!