Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve

A Beautiful Property, But the Ritz-Carlton Reserve Experience Has Clearly Declined As a repeat guest, I want to be fair: Dorado Beach is still a beautiful property, and there are still team members who are kind, hardworking, and doing their best. But there are a lot of small, meaningful changes that are very noticeable if you have stayed here before. Unfortunately, those changes add up, and the overall experience no longer feels consistent with the Ritz-Carlton Reserve standard or the price point. The most obvious issue is service. The experience feels like it has been redesigned to be more “efficient” for the hotel, not more luxurious for the guest. In practice, that appears to mean fewer staff and less attentive service. During my most recent stay, even members of the pool staff acknowledged that service is being impacted. One example: it makes absolutely no sense that a guest has to get up from a pool chair to order food from Positivo. At a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, poolside service should be seamless. Guests should not feel like they are chasing service at this level of property. There are also noticeable cutbacks in the room and bathroom experience. The luxury amenities are not what they used to be. Yes, I am specifically talking about the exfoliating sponges and other small touches that made the bathroom feel elevated. These may sound like minor details, but at a Reserve property, the details are the product. More concerning, the towels and robes had a mildew smell. That is below the standard of any serious luxury hotel. At a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, it is completely unacceptable. I have also seen other recent reviews and comments raising similar concerns about inconsistent service, cleanliness, slow response times, and the feeling that the property is not delivering at the level guests should expect for the cost. I agree with that sentiment. For the price, the service is lacking and has fallen over the last few years. Part of the issue may be that the hotel is only one business operating within a much larger property. It feels like the broader development is increasingly focused on the luxury home buildout, while the hotel guest experience is not receiving the same level of attention. That may be good for real estate, but it is not good for guests paying Ritz-Carlton Reserve rates. The golf experience also does not match the pricing. The West Course is well maintained, but it plays more like a very nice public course than a nearly $400 luxury resort golf experience. Dorado Beach still has beauty, history, and potential. But repeat guests can feel the decline. At this price point, the property should not simply be beautiful. It should be exceptional, consistent, and effortless. Right now, it is not.

Hands down one of the vacations. The staff go out of their way each moment to greet you with warmth. Make sure to get a popsicle (they’re a daily treat). We will be back. Thank you to all staff and management.

Need to share our amazing 25th anniversary stay at the Ritz Carlton Reserve! It all started days before with their personalized email wanting to ensure we take advantage of the hospitality and hotel features. It was our 25th anniversary celebration. We had gotten married there in 2001, and the place was as magical as it was back then. The beach is unique, thanks to Mr Rockefeller, with its 'pocitas' and cristal clean sand/water. Ms Fanny ensured my wife was impressed upon arrival to our room... we had 25 photos of our wedding and our lives journey hanging on balloons, champagne and an incredible anniversary chocolate cake. Road bikes, sunrises and sunsets, etc - Food was the best - breakfast our favorite, service is above and beyond with our 3 ambassadors, Chen, Trent and Ingris. It is the best stay ever! Upgrading to the west side of the hotel is worth every penny. God permitting It will be our anniversary getaway from now on.

What an incredible place with truly excellent, expert-level service. It really felt like we were special and valued while we were there. Naiomi at the pool sent the most thoughtful, bespoke gift to help us celebrate a special time. Tiffany at breakfast went out of her way to help make things easier for our family. Lucie at the spa gave me the best treatment- a spiced coconut scrub and massage. I really felt like she wanted me to just relax, heal, and enjoy myself. When I said that I loved the granola bars and the tea at the spa, Aracely surprised me by getting some to take home with me, as well as the recipe. Miguel arranged for a gift for us, too—I can’t emphasize enough how kind he was. Finally, Jorge the Embajador brought it all together with making sure no request went unanswered, and that everything was done seamlessly. It felt like a team dedicated just to our little family. The entire staff is admirable, professional, and considerate. If you’re on the fence, book the trip, and enjoy the luxury amenities in a beautiful place while being taken care of by these incredibly kind and talented people!

We had previously visited the Ritz Dorado as a couple without kids. We enjoyed it so much that we wanted to return and bring our entire family. I contacted the hotel in advance to request connecting rooms and they guaranteed the connecting rooms. We were in Room 622 and 623 on the East Beach and the location was perfect. We had stayed on the West Beach previously and I was worried that we would be disappointed with the East Beach. I was not disappointed at all. I enjoyed the quieter location and the view from the second floor. Both East and West beach have different pros but both are fabulous. The hotel has a breakwater on the private beach so it makes it very safe and swimmable (which is not the case at a lot of Puerto Rico beaches). The beach service is very attentive. We tried all the restaurants at the resort. Coa was the favorite. The resort will also take you in a golf cart to the Dorado Beach restaurants that don’t belong to the hotel. The waterpark was open during the week due to Holy Week, but is usually only open during weekends. It is a hit with the younger kids. There are also tennis courts, pickleball, bocce, and all kinds of activities for the whole family. The butler team was fantastic and ensured our every need was met. Overall an amazing trip and we are now planning to make this an annual family tradition.