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 that but it is really good to know for those with intolerances. This restaurant is beautiful and romantic. -Coa is a solid option for a beautiful dinner and their desserts are SO GOOD. We had the wagyu steak, a fish dish, scallops and the gluten free chocolate lava cake. Everything was cooked to perfection and our server was a gem. -Room service is fantastic and we ordered some food to go on our way to the airport. They gave use some delicious pastries in addition to our order which was so kind and thoughtful. -Rent a golf cart to get around the property and go on little adventures. We did that and did not regret it. We also biked around the property. La cocina gourmet is where you want to go for a to go latte and delicious gluten free chocolate chip cookies as well as snacks/salads. -Take advantage of the delicious coffee and muffins in the library. Also take advantage of not just the small gym but the huge gym by the tennis court area. They have additional equipment, pickleball courts, etc. -You must bring cash to tip additional staff and workers. I didn't realize that and I wish there was a virtual tipping option for exceptional service ( like a QR code or something discreet for our embajador/cleaning staff/etc.) One note I would give to the management is to invest in entertainment for guests at night. They sometimes have a salsa band on Friday nights but the property is so large surely there are other hotel guest mingling opportunities that can be created that do not create too much noise for guests trying to sleep. It could be on the side of the resort away from accomodations and I think it would make guests feel more comfortable with one another and create a sense of community. The resort lacks a bit of a connection to Puerto Rican culture and I think that can be improved with entertainment and other cultural touchstones for guests to experience. Honestly, even a trip to the little museum nearby would be cool.

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.

Dorado Beach, A Ritz Carlton Reserve is the best property in the US and one of the best properties in the world! The property is located in the best location in Puerto Rico. The property is well laid out and has the rooms are gorgeous with all the amenities one could want. The beachfront is our favorite beach we have ever experienced including hundreds of beach resort properties around the world including Hawaii, Maldives, Thailand, and Japan. This is because the warm water temperature, soft sand, and perfect amount of soft waves. What truly makes this property one of the best in the world are the special associates providing impeccable service. After staying about 2,000 nights at 200 hundred luxury properties around the world, we appreciate how challenging it can be to have all facets over the service across numerous departments to be seamless. This is only possible if you have a very strong management team that know how to lead and execute the complexities of managing high end properties. The GM Mr. Kloet and Hotel Manager Mr. Khattache are excellent: both are responsive, pro-active, and clearly provide superb leadership to the entire associate team. The F&B manager Mr. Clair manages the restaurants of which are property the best selection of restaurants of any hotel we have ever stayed. Our favorite hotel restaurant ever is Positivo which we at at several times for lunch and dinner during our stay. My wife who can be particular with with preferences for food easily found 20 plus dishes at this wonderful restaurant all of which we tried and were scrumptious. Typically a restaurant may have just one or two things that she is excited about. The entire team at Positivo were incredible. The manager Mr. Munoz is our favorite restaurant manager of all time. From the first meal, he proactively introduced himself, shared the story of restaurant history and its unique menu, demonstrated his zealousness for delicious food he has acquired globally from his vast experience, and went above and beyond in every way to ensure we had a good experience. Mr. Munoz even shared some of his own homemade salsa after we mentioned we love salsa and even kindly checked in on us when we at at a different restaurant on property that doesn't even directly manage to ensure we were doing well. His entire team were terrific too that included the bartender Jacob who makes the best Miami Vices ever, the service staff including Ojeda, Christian, David, Kiara, along with several other teammates who's names I don't remember were equally amazing. The restaurant Coa was very good too with yummy food. My wife unfortunately got bit by some little mosquitoes right before dinner that flared up and the entire team went out of their way before even asking to get some spray to help me take care of my wife. The team entailing Miguel, Jorge, and Kialy along with the manager Roberto, and Ruben the host were phenomal. The dinner at Flor de Sol were terrific too with some splendid food. The service team there including Rosi and Bryan with Roland the opening chef and Luciano the manager were great. The check in process was well coordinated across the entire team from the valets greeting us, an official greeter introducing us to the property, to the gentleman serving incredible homemade popsicles which were delicious, to the front desk associate and then introducing us to our butler was seamless. The butler team was remarkable. Stephanie our assigned butler did a fantastic job throughout our stay with coordination, nice treats, notes and gifts throughout our stay. She and the team were always proactive and responsive in every way. The spa was probably the most beautiful spa we have seen across any property ever. The entire spa team provided terrific service and treatments and highly recommend guests try out the spa. The housekeeping team was excellent too and did a flawless job taking care of the room every day twice a day to take care of the room, help hang the wet clothes, organize etc. Housekeeping teams often times do not receive the proper recognition for their excellent work because guests do not always interact with them. The team were superb. The Library where the concierge is located was a fun interaction with concierge Kianna. She was so friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and even offered to bring a mango from her home when my wife stated she kept hearing about Mangos on the island which she loves but hasn't been able to try one yet. My wife and I tried the 4 mile walk around El Dorado and tried to follow the walking map. About two thirds the way through, the trail seemed to end at an entrance gate so we got a little lost, My wife had developed some blisters and cuts and was in pain. Then seemingly out of nowhere a sweet Ritz associate Sophia appeared and kindly drove us back to the hotel which was a godsend knowing how much pain my wife was in. Thank you again Sophia! There were even many more associates we encountered that were amazing. What really stands out is how genuine, pro-active, and passionate the associates are at this property. Their warmth is infectious. There were countless examples of warm, thoughtful, and creative touches throughout our stay to make the stay extra special throughout multiple departments. We appreciate how difficult it is for high end hotels to have all facets of the operations be coordinated and in sync at such an exemplary level. We can candidly state that Dorado Beach Ritz Reserve reached this level and even surpassed it making it an impeccable stay and one of the best hotels in the world. Kudos to the entire team and the great leadership at the property. Anyone in the US and especially visiting Puerto Rico would regret not staying at this truly unique property.

This property is timeless along with fantastic service. This is the first review I have written 1/2 way through a trip, but it was deserving. I want to highlight the amazing service at breakfast by Arelis and team at CAO. The personalized approach and food was amazing. I am already booking next year’s trip!

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.