REVIEW OF NEW RITZ CARLTON PUERTO RICO Arriving at Dorado Beach almost feels like cheating for an exotic destination; it’s almost effortless. Even having arrived at 4:00 PM on a week day and dealing with heavy rush hour San Juan traffic and a lane closure due to an accident the trip only took 45 minutes. Our return on a Sunday afternoon was a breezy 25 minutes. The sense of arrival from the welcome gate to the resort only begins to show the magic of Dorado Beach. The path winds through the lush rain forest and gives glimpses of the East Golf Course and surrounding residences (spectacular) before bringing you to the arrival pavilion. Here you are greeted by Alejandro Helbling, General Manager and the Embajador team in whose constant care you will be during your stay. After a refreshing welcome Pina DeSol comprised of pineapple juice, grapefruit juice, lime juice, Perrier water and some secret spices and taking in the view of the beach and surf in front of Dorado Beach from the welcome area you are whisked away by golf cart to your accommodations. You don’t just get a room in Dorado Beach you are placed in a personal sanctuary of peace and luxury. The spacious rooms all face directly out to the ocean and the entire wall of window or louvered panels (with screens) can be opened up to make you feel as if you are walking right out to the ocean front. The bathrooms are oversized with large soaking tubs and both indoor and outdoor showers. My most difficult adjustment by far upon returning home was having to shower indoors. Ground floor rooms feature private plunge pools and upper level rooms have large private balconies. All of the accommodations are housed in 11 buildings along the ocean front. The west beach buildings offer the most direct beach access and the east beach buildings offer a quiet ocean front location just a few minutes away from the beach or pool areas. Dining at Dorado Beach can fit most moods or occasions. We typically started our day with breakfast on our balcony or on the sunny patio at Mi Casa (the Jose Andres restaurant). Lunches were either at Positivo Sand Bar or pool side offering casual barefoot in the sand seating (and fabulous Ceviche). Dinners were enjoyed at Encanto (try the slices of bone in Angus Beef Short Ribs) adjacent to the Beach Club or Mi Casa. We also enjoyed a nice dinner at Zafra one evening at the golf course club house. Spa Botanico is five acres of pure tropical indulgence. Set in the rain forest with its own Zen garden and a dozen treatment bungalows it also includes two tree house treatment rooms. Most Spa treatments start in the Apothecary where selections are made from locally sourced herbs and plants to formulate your spa products. While my wife was enjoying her tree house massage my son and I took in a round of twilight golf. Dorado Beach Golf Club currently has three 18 hole golf courses to enjoy and will soon have completed some upgrades and updates on the 4th course to return it to play. The attentive golf staff quickly had us outfitted in clubs and a cart and we were on our way to a delightful sunset round of golf. Just being in Dorado Beach is an escape but one of my favorite things about the resort for our stay was our bikes! Every guest, as part of your resort fee is issued a bicycle with your name plate on it to use during your stay. Whether we were just cruising to the Beach Club or off to the Water Park or Golf Club we biked our way around the resort to our hearts content. One of the most memorable evenings we had started with a ride on The Rockefeller Trail. It began along the East beach and soon turned inland through the rain forest, across the East golf course and back to the welcome pavilion. A moderate ride, self-guided and a perfect outing for the family. Other special treats at Dorado Beach include the Watermill Water Park (again, included in your resort fee) which features water slides a lazy river, a family pool, large fitness center and snack bar. Ambassadors of the Environment has many daily activities for young and old for an additional cost. My wife and son thoroughly enjoyed their day of snorkeling and trying their hand at underwater digital photography. Complete with their own digital collection of photos to bring home. Dorado Beach is back! Let the Ritz-Carlton Reserve Embajadors and Ladies and Gentlemen guide you through fabulous Puerto Rican experience that your family will be wanting to return to over and over again. And contact Joe Lang Travel to make your reservations for you! 314-985-5642 … joe@joelangtravel
Posted on: Sun, 28 Jul 2013 15:10:22 +0000
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