Expensive ripoff. The rooms are okay, but nothing special. The service was friendly -- but the food was horrible and at that inflated price I expect more. At the poolside grill we couldn't finish our stinky fish sandwich. We had grouper and seafood alfredo at their main restraunt. The fish tasted old and covered in salt and the pasta just tasted of bacon. Furthermore, they nickel and dime you at the end with gratuity charges.

My wife and I--I am 29 and she is 26--spent our honeymoon at the Ritz, and were treated kindly and respectfully the entire stay of six days. We selected the Club Level to enjoy the various food presentations, and we were never disappointed by the food or by the concierges--all of whom were polite, knowledgeable and eager to recommend excursions, restaurants and cool lounges/clubs. Reynaldo Malave, the Club Supervisor, is an exceptional talent who assisted us nightly with suggestions and reservations.
We spent most of our time between the pool and beach. We found both to be relaxing, though the breeze on the beach seemed gale force at times. The gym was more than adequate for both aerobics and weight lifting; the massages we received at the spa were superb; the on-site restaurants were impressive; the casino provided a nice distraction on one night.
As a 29-year-old from Washington, D.C., I say comfortably that I know exceptional service and fine food. You'll receive both at the Ritz. And if you want a 24-hour party atmosphere, walk two blocks to the El San Juan Hotel. Just be sure to make the Ritz your base camp.

My girlfriends and I decided in April we truly needed a fab girls only weekend away to rest, relax, unwind, drink plenty of tasty cocktails and decompress from the hustle and bustle of our busy lives. And unwind we did!

This was my second time staying at the Ritz Carlton in San Juan and the second time was EVEN better than the first.

Our agenda for the long weekend was beach, pool, cocktails, dinner and repeat it all over again the next day.

We were able to check in a few hours prior to the check in time and upgraded to the Pool View Room on the 9th floor of the hotel, which was an awesome view. The rooms were in top Ritz-Carlton fashion and we had no problems with the room the entire weekend. The hotel staff were always accomodating and we had turn down service every evening, bottled water, chocolates, and relaxing music playing in our room upon our return each evening.

We spent a considerable amount of time at the pool and beach (10am-7pm) each day :) So, we really got to know the pool and beach operations staff. They all were absolutely great! We had lunch by the pool each day and again, the service was in top Ritz-Carlton fashion.

On the third day, I had an ipod disaster and acidentally dropped my ipod in the pool. I was devestated because it would not reprogram or turn back on! But, Pablo Santiago (Beach and Pool Operations) saved the day and GAVE me his ipod! It was such a wonderful and thoughtful gesture.

Also, on Sunday morning, we had brunch at Madres in the Hotel and it was fabulous! Fresh fruit, made to order omlettes, Puerto Rican cuisines, and mimosos, just to name a few of the items on the menu. Note: Madres has a daily full breakfast brunch buffet for $26.00/per person and on Sunday it ends promptly at 11:00am. The Full Service Brunch is $70.00/per person which begins at 12:30pm. We had the full breakfast for $26.00 and got there at 10:30am, so get there early!

We did not spend a lot of time in Old San Juan on this trip, but of course its highly recommended for those that will be traveling to San Juan for the first time.

Also, we did go to the El San Juan Hotel in the evenings for drinks and music, since the scene was a lot more lively.

All in all, the Ritz Carlton San Juan did not fail our expectations and I will ONLY stay at the Ritz when I visit San Juan! Next time, I'll definitely check out the spa.

We stayed 5 days 4 nights May 1st through May 5th. A quick cab ride and you are at the hotel. There was no line at checkin but I had requested a king bed (guaranteed) and they offered me either a) two doubles or b) move off the Club Level floor. I wasnt thrilled with either but went with a). The grounds of the hotel are beautiful. The issue of other posters about being close to the airport was nonissue. Inside the hotel - I never heard planes taking off. Outside the hotel, I heard thrusts of engines twice. There is so much white noise between the wind, pool, other people and the ocean, do not give the airport another thought. The Club level was nice. I always compare other Club levels to the one at the St. Regis in Aspen. This pales compared to that, it was still worth the upgrade. Club level has 5 sittings a day of food / drinks as well as champagne/wine/mixed drinks at night. Free newspapers, coffee and drinks were a nice touch. If you have a young family (especially baby), the Club Level is a must in my opinion. It is open from 7am to 10pm. The service at the Club Level was great - staffed with a personal concierge. The food itself at the Club Level was ok - you'll get the impression of "mass production" but the convenience was great. Onto the rooms. The rooms are nice but nothing spectular. Somewhat small, nice view (although we paid for that), mini-bar (but no separate refrigerator as adveristed), nicely appointed bathroom, robes, etc. The glaring miss was no place to hang wet clothes after a day at the beach. How much to those clothes lines cost - $5! A nice TV with dvd player was included. The cleaning people were very good - nice ladies. Free internet access (but no wireless - only wireless in lobby). Onto the beach / pool. The pool is the main attraction at the hotel. We had no problem finding chairs and the towels were always abundant. Drink/waiter service was nonexistent. The staff did a good job of turning over the chairs. Down by the beach, there are 3 hammocks, many lounge chairs and a nice beach. The beach is wide and long with low breakers. It is not the crystal blue of tahiti, but is better than ft. lauderdale beaches. If you like to gamble, the casino was nice. Craps 2x odds, $15 and up blackjack, double zero roulette. No limit with many locals playing. Drink service was good. Onto dinner at the hotel. El Mulino - my only tip is "do not order one of the specials if you do not want sticker shock". An a la carte fish dish cost $80. Mind you - this wasn't the rare but succulent Japanese poison fish - it was Dover Sole! Maybe if the Sole had swallowed some caviar while bottom feeding I wouldn't have minded ;-) I don't mind paying up for a good meal, but I also don't want to pay $20 for a cup of coffee either (this is an example - coffee incident didn't actutally occur). We fared better at BLT -- fully priced but at least I knew what I was in for. Mares was ok - nothing great on the food. Overall, the staff was very pleasant and the property was nice. We met some nice people. I can't comment on the location because other than dinner in Old San Juan, we didn't leave the resort. Overall, the outstanding service made the Ritz worth the trip.