First, let's be clear--this is not a Mandaran Oriental or a Four Seasons. There is some airport noise and you can sometimes smell the fumes when you are on the beach. The Old City is just a tad too far away. The BLT Steak is poor and Il Mulino is even worse. The prices are what you would expect.

However, to look on the bright side you can have a very nice stay. Our room (floor 8 Ocean View) was pretty nice and worth the daily $700 or so. The service was excellent--friendly helpful people always. It was a delight to see all the smiling faces of the staff. The resort is bright and cheerful and everything seems to work--plenty of chairs and towels, nice breakfast buffet served well, nice views from everywhere.

Is there a better place for a quick getaway in San Juan--I haven't found it yet.

I spent 3 days at the ritz with high hopes. This place is not much to write about. The check in was slow, they did noot have my room ready until 5:30. The rooms are small and very comfortable but nothing exciting. The people are friendly with the exception of the pool side lunch place. They are more interested in ignoring the customer than servicing your needs. The beach guys are nice and will help with any request for 20 bucks. Blt was slow but good food. The casino is full of local old ladies who line up on the slot machines. There is no action at night, i suggest walking to the el san juan there lobby is always the hottest place in pr. So the rits is not really a ritz its just a nice room on a nice beach

We stayed at the Ritz Carlton for 5 nights, at a significant corporate discount. Without the discount, I don't think we would have been quite so happy, but with the discount, we were pleased. The room was clean and spacious, the beds very comfortable, and the staff was really pleasant. The pool was extremely crowded our first day there (a Sunday) but that did not happen again during the rest of our stay (we left on a Friday). And you always had the option of having chairs set out for you on the beach, which was really nice. The pool was also great, and the grounds are beautiful. we even saw some very cool lizards running around, and at night, if you walk around you can hear the frogs singing. The little touches are nice - like the NY Times supplement, the fruit at the towel stand, the fact that at any given time, staff were always around and were always helpful. The casino (and the whole hotel) is now non-smoking, and that was great too. I think overall it is a great place to relax and get away, with very easy beach and pool access that is comfortable and clean.


Complaints would be the food - on every level. For what you pay to stay there (full price or not), I think they should include a continental breakfast. The hotel restaurant options are all very expensive. We ate at Il Mulino one night and were extremely disappointed both with the service and the food. The poolside restaurant menu was really limited, overpriced, and the food not very good. We discovered a small diner a block off the property called Cafe Piu, which has fabulous gelatto and a really nice staff, and just relied on it heavily for breakfast and lunch. Other than that, there are not a lot of restaurant options within walking distance (other than fast food) so getting to the good restaurants required a cab ride or a car rental.

The service at the San Juan hotel was outstanding. We stayed 4 days and 3 nights to celebrate a mile stone birthday for my mother.
Over the course of the 4 days - the Ritz employees remembered our names, wished my mom a happy birthday everyday and remembered everything that we were doing. They truly made it a memorable event.

I was not thoroughly impressed with the food choices in the restaurants located in the hotel. Run of the mill 4 star restaurants - nothing to scream home about. The poolside bar restaurant had a terrible selection - and really nothing healthy or refreshing.

The rooms were extremely clean and well maintainted, as you would expect from a distinctive brand such as the Ritz. Though the hotel was less then I'd normally expect of the Ritz Carlton brand - the staff made up for any possible dissapointment of the property food offerings.

If I visit San Juan again, I would not hesitate to book the Ritz and not look anywhere else!

I highly suggest using the Consierge for all dining reservations and suggestions - request Maria she was absolutely supurb!

Other fabulous employees - Jesus at the Beach area, Rafael in Bell Services, Candy at the door.

My suggestions for a restaurant location if you want a phenominal night of casual food and a warm vivacious atmosphere would be Baru in Old San Juan - I cannot say enough about this place!