The Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico is back and open for business! The landscape of this ultra-luxury resort sustained most of its damage from Hurricane Maria but the property still decided to take the opportunity to upgrade and remodel — and boy, is it gorgeous! It’s a super easy tropical getaway for families as Puerto Rico is a US territory so passports are not necessary, you can use US dollars and it’s just a quick 3.5 hour flight from New York City.
Spacious Hotel Rooms
The Ritz-Carlton Reserve is on 1,400 acres in the upscale beautiful area of Dorado Beach which literally translates to “Golden Beach.” It sits along the northern coastline of the island, just 30 miles west of San Juan. The property has 29 residences with fully equipped kitchens, 114 beach front rooms and a private residence named “Su Casa” which is an 8,000 square foot home with its very own full size swimming pool, jacuzzi and five bedrooms.
The luxurious rooms are beautifully decorated with warm tones of natural wood and beige. Our room had retractable doors opening up the width of the room onto a veranda with a postcard worthy ocean view. Some rooms even have private plunge pools outside the patios and balconies. We stayed in a second floor room that had a large bathroom with a soaking tub, rain head shower and an outdoor shower. When you arrive you are assigned a butler or “Embajador” who attends to all your needs and keeps in contact via text. Upon arrival when seeing the giant soaking tub I mentioned to our butler, Andrea, how much I love a nice salt bath and she surprised me by texting while we were at dinner saying, “Your bath with lavender salts is ready and waiting.”
It’s this attention to detail that the Ritz-Carlton is known for and can truly spoil you with. As a mother who draws a bath for my children nightly and sometimes feels like my family’s very own “butler”, it was truly a treat to be looked after by someone else for a change.
A Rich History
There’s an interesting history to this property that is documented in the hotel’s library which is a great place to relax. Here you can learn how the property was once owned by aviator and heiress Clara Livingston whose father bought the land in the early 1900s. Her home a Spanish styled hacienda named Su Casa is still in tact and available as a nightly rental for a cool $10,000–$25,000 depending on the season. Kids can learn about Clara’s friend the legendary aviator Amelia Earhart who landed her plane on the runway which is still there today and spent many a nights at Su Casa. Pictures of the two are on display in the library, which serves complimentary afternoon refreshments. The property and surrounding area was also once owned by Laurence S. Rockefeller who was the first to open a resort in 1950’s attracting A-listers such a JFK, Ava Gardner and Elizabeth Taylor.
Lots To Do With The Kids
Ride Bikes and Explore The Property: Included in our stay each member of my family was fitted with a complimentary bike and helmet rental, as we were encouraged to roam the 11-mile walking trail. There’s lots to explore strolling along the the lush and vibrant landscape surrounding the hotel which just recently planted over 300,000 different species. We first swung by Su Casa to see an eerie reminder of the damage left behind by Hurricane Maria. A board can be seen pierced through a palm tree outside of the villa. Instead of tearing the tree down during renovations the property chose to leave it and hang a lantern down from it.
Visit The Jean-Michel Cousteau Water Center that offers a loads of programs based on the idea of water, land, environmental responsibility and culture. For an additional fee, children can enroll in the Ambassador of the Environment Program and in a day camp where they can learn how to snorkel, surf, kayak and study marine life. We met with an ambassador at the center who showed us how to harness the energy from the sun into a solar oven and bake chocolate chip cookies as well as an awesome bike that the kids can peddle to blend a smoothie.
Our Ambassador also took us on a bike tour which is also offered by golf cart of the historic Rockefeller Nature Trail. If you have children like mine who LOVE nature then this is right up their alley. Our guide pointed out iguanas, parakeets and local sustainable foods that you could eat right off the tree. We even got to pick and taste passionfruit, almonds and mangos.
Listen For The Tiny Frogs: At dusk, one of the first things we were able to hear was the serenading of the coquí frog which is native to Puerto Rico. The resort has artfully dimmed the landscape lights around the property to encourage the coquí to come out and sing. We tried to spot them but we were told that they are much too little to see. You can most definitely hear their recognizable sound from where they got their name, which sounds like “Koe-Key, Koe-Key.”
Swim In The Gorgeous Pools: Our favorite part of the resort was the pools. The first one can be seen from the open-air main lobby, the Positivo. It’s a massive infinity pool and hot tub over looking the ocean and beach. The pool water is kept as warm as bath water at all times. They even have an ice cold therapy dipping pool that I tried but it was freezing! The second pool, The Encanto Beach Club, is perfect for splashing around with the kids. There is also a volleyball court set up within steps to the pool. A box of complementary products are available when you sit down on the beach or at the pool including; facial mineral water spray, sunscreen, water and refreshing cold towels that smell of lavender. The beach is beautiful and calm enough for swimming. Kids will love playing in the white sand beach and exploring the rocks in the shallow water for crabs and little fish and water is calm enough to get your fill of swimming in the warm ocean.
Lots of Food Options:
There are plenty of options for restaurants at the Reserve from the upscale newly opened steakhouse “Coa,” to the “Positivo Sand Bar” serving delicious sushi to the more casual market which is great to grab snacks, a quick sandwich or groceries for your villa because let’s face it sometimes the kids really just want a bagel and chips!
Our favorite restaurant though was run by an amazing manager Hector, at the Mediterranean inspired “Encanto Beach Club Bar and Grill” overlooking the beach and pool. He and his staff have mastered the art of high-end hospitality and made us feel very well taken care always asking us before ordering if anyone in our family had a food allergy and then by our second time calling each of us by our first names.
By Carey Reilly