Our family of five stayed at this resort. The resort was clean, and the pool was large and impressive.
However, the beach was not impressive. The ocean floor was mainly seaweed and rock. We drove to Old San Juan to experience nicer water and a larger beach. No one could direct us to a 'beautiful' beach, though. We also tried the public beach five minutes away. It was nothing but a waste of time, though.
4 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful.
Ok, we own a Hacienda Del Mar Timeshare. We have been going down to the Hyatt for 12 years. With that said, we do know many of the people who work there and because of the friendly environment and nice people a few of them are practically family. We recieved a phone call before going to P.R. that the sister hotel is closing on MAY 31st of the year of 2006 which means they all lose their jobs. Since we bought our timeshare 3 years ago right before the closing of the Cerromar (where we stayed for nine years) the whole place has been going down hill. Resturaunts have closed and what used to be The Swan Cafe, was turned into an American Fast Food Diner: Jonny Rockets. (Sounds appetizing, but prepare for major heartburn) If you want beautiful upscale well kept resturaunts you would normally go to the Dorado Beach by Trolly, but now that its closing who knows what will happen. Now the only reason why i gave it 5 stars because its been my home away from home since i was a baby. It is a a beautiful place but i am paranoid that the resturaunt and staff conditions will get even worse once the Dorado Beach closes.
47 users found this review helpful. 4 found this review unhelpful.
This Parador was a mixed bag. I have stayed here two years in a row because of what it had to offer; the location, view and constant sound of the ocean.
It was close to many other beaches, as well as tourist attractions. Yet the rooms were lacking to say the least. The beds were hard, and the bathrooms were dated.
What this place needs is a major facelift, and it could become a $200 a night place. I will not return to the Guajataca a third year because of the dated conditions. Hopefully this diamond in the rough will take a turn for the better in years to come and I will once again return.
0 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful.
We used two rooms for three nights.Visited: July 2005
Posted by ccross
The location was great. Coffee was available in the restaurant which was open early and late. The security was excellent, too. Cars were parked within the gated area.
The hotel overlooked the ocean and tunnel by the beach. We hiked through the tunnel down to the beach. We found it quite interesting. We saw bats, six-inch caterpillars, crabs, urchins and small shells.
The rooms were clean. The facilities were adequate. The plants and landscaping were captivating. There was a tennis court adjacent to the hotel. The pool and kiddie pool were clean and open with a lifeguard from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. They might let you swim at your own risk if you ask.
The hotel's primary focus seemed to be the two ballrooms on the top and bottom floors. This could be due to the extravagant weddings and coming out celebrations of the Puerto Ricans. Our rooms did not have microwaves, fridge, exhaust in bathroom, irons or clocks. The air conditioning worked fine, though. The rooms also had cable TV with a DVD or VCR.
14 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful.
I traveled to Puerto Rico with my husband and two kids (7 and 10). Our stay was perfect. The hotel was beautiful - the kids loved the pool.
We loved the manager's reception each evening - drinks and popcorn. There was also free internet in the lobby (15 minutes only - which was okay for checking email), and we had a beautiful suite.
The Dorado area was outside of San Juan, but close enough to visit the San Juan site. We rented a car and were able to check out Old San Juan (it was too crowded for me), and the rainforest (grea!). Traffic was unbelievable, though - and I thought south Florida traffic was bad!
22 users found this review helpful. 5 found this review unhelpful.
Amenities make up for the lack of a good on-site restaurant.Visited: January 2005
Posted by cdkeller
I am a time share owner at the Hyatt Hacienda Del Mar, located at the Cerromar-Dorado Beach hotel complex in Dorado, Puerto Rico. Over the last two years, a few things have changed here and this is an up-to-date review having stayed here in January of 2005.
First, and most importantly, the Cerromar Beach Hotel is now closed and has been for over a year now. You can, however, rent apartments at hotel room prices, at the Hyatt Hacienda Del Mar Resort, right on the property. This is fifty yards from the still-open casino that is on the first floor of the closed hotel.
The hotel's closing, however, has affected the resort by making it less crowded, but this has also decreased the type and number of on-site restaurants. Most staff members claim the hotel will reopen within the next 16 months. That known, here are the good and bad points in summary.
1. It offers more to do than most resorts, especially for kids. The world's largest river-pool with its waterfalls and free tubing, can occupy an entire day. The beautiful pool is usually empty for laps.
2. The golf and tennis courses here are fantastic with no wait since the hotel is closed temporararily.
3. The Disney-like grounds are beautiful, as is the setting, which is right on the ocean. Ask for a room above the fifth floor as palm trees can block the ocean view. (All rooms face the ocean at Hacienda Del Mar)
By staying at Hacienda Del Mar you get to share all amenities with the Hyatt Dorado which also has a beautiful pool, long white-sand beach and three nice restaurants.
4. The only bad comment? Sit-down restautants within walking distance are limited. The steak restaurant has closed. The Swan restaurant closed and reopened as a Jonny Rockets.
The restaurants, Zen-Garden (Chinese-and excellent food) and Johnny Rockets (50's nostalgic) are completely out of character for a Caribbean Resort.
To enjoy Caribbean food and atmosphere, you have to take a trolley (free) to the Dorado Hyatt five minutes down the road or take a taxi into town (ten minutes.) We have the same type of restaurants in any city in the U.S. The restaurants then, are disappointing since you expect a Caribbean atmosphere which these do not have. This should change and improve when the hotel is reopened.
Other than this, it is a fantastic resort considering there is no entertaiment at night. We find the staff wonderful and everyone speaks both English and Spanish despite what other reviewers say above. I have been traveling to Hyatt Cerromar Beach every year since 2000 and liked it enough to buy a time share there.
You'll have a wonderful time, but be prepared for some "onsite restaurant limitations".
19 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful.
This is a wonderful and relaxing resort for family with young kidsVisited: December 2004
Posted by kozmo
We were looking for a relaxing resort that was beautiful, family-friendly, but not too touristy, and the Hyatt at Dorado surpassed our expectations.
My husband and I took our three-year-old son and our five-month-old baby with us, and we had a great time. We would definitely go back.
We stayed in a beachfront lower room and were only steps from the ocean. In my opinion, the Buildings 11, 13 and 15 were the best located buildings on the property because these buildings were the closest to the beach. These buildings were a bit farther from the main building, but if you don't want to walk, you just call the valet desk and a golf cart will come to your door in two minutes to give you a ride anywhere on the property.
The view from our room was incredible, we often felt like we were the only people around. The place was very quiet, we went the last week before the high season began, and the occupancy was low. A land crab took up residence on our back door, I had never seen a domesticated crab before - we enjoyed feeding him bananas, crackers and even sandwiches every day.
We rented a car at the airport and kept it the entire week, so we did not eat any meals at the hotel except for breakfast several mornings. We enjoyed several of the area restaurants. After we arrived, we requested a refrigerator for our room, and the hotel staff brought one right away. We used the car to go to the nearby grocery store and get drinks and snacks for our room.
We used the Hyatt Kids Camp for our three-year-old whenever we wanted to spend time alone, leaving our five-month-old in our room with a babysitter the Hyatt conceirge obtained for us. We used the same babysitter every night, she was a grandmother of nine and great with our baby.
Our three-year-old loved the kids club and often stayed until it closed at 10:00 pm because he did not want to leave. The pools were nice, but we did not use them much because it was hard to beat having the ocean only 50 feet from your back door.
We visited the sister property twice using the convenient trolley service, once to use the river pool (water was very cold) and a second time to take our older son to play miniture golf.
The rooms were very nice, although the beds were small, I think they were doubles, not queens. The sheets were not 100% cotton I noticed. The property seemed a bit older and somewhat worn, but this wear and tear did not matter to us because the natural beauty of the property overall was great.
The staff was very nice and accommodating to our every request. There was no night life and the TV in the room had few channels. We stayed at the Hyatt for eight days, and at the end of our stay we wished we had stayed for 10.
23 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful.
This place was amazing, we can't wait to go back!Visited: June 2004
Posted by lauralea007
I always rely on the reviews written on this website to help me plan my vacation, so I absolutely had to submit a review as soon as my fiance and I returned from the Hyatt Dorado.
I cannot rave enough about the quality of the beaches at this resort. I have traveled to many wonderful beaches and the unspoiled beauty we found at the Hyatt Dorado topped my list.
The beaches were very calm and extremely family friendly. This was due to a man-made breakwater installed on the east and west beaches. The lovely thing about the beaches was that the crescents of sand seemed to stretch on forever, and staking out your own private area was no problem.
Privacy ruled at the Hyatt Dorado! There were two afternoons where I saw only ten other vacationers - max. We did not even explore the pools because the beach was so perfect. I will say however, that the pool by Su Casa seemed much nicer than the main pool.
As far as accommodations went, we were upgraded upon arrival to a beachfront upper room (hint - join the Hyatt Gold Club for free upgrades). The room was decorated tastefully in a Spanish hacienda style and the view was amazing. The beach was only 25-30 feet away. Suprisingly, even though we were so close to the beach we were never disturbed by any beach traffic.
Dining options at the Dorado were a bit limited. We dined at Su Casa - beautiful location, overpriced for not so great service. We also ate at the Hacienda del Mar, again lovely location, much better service.
Note to partiers - the Dorado's nightlife was basically non-existent. This was perfect for us, but if you are looking for action, the Dorado would not be for you.
The best tip I have to offer is to arrange transportation into town to the local grocery store and stock up on essentials, like water, to avoid paying overpaying on these items at the resort. The trip to the grocery store only cost $16 and was well worth it.
If you are a spa queen, don't waste your time at the spa at the Hyatt - it was not worth the money. I enjoyed my massage, but the facilities left much to be desired.
Hyatt's sister property was a five-minute trolley ride away.
In summary, the Dorado was a wonderful place to visit and we cannot wait to return. In fact, we are planning our wedding there! If you are looking for a romantic, secluded, getaway, this is the place for you!
15 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful.
We stayed in this place for just one night. The location is quite good and we were impressed with the view. However, service and room was not up to par. As soon as we checked in, found that the bathroom sink was clogged. We asked for someone to come in and fix it, but no one showed up (even after we called more than once). Windows did not close completely, as they were broken. The toilet worked sometimes and sometimes not. No one was available to clean the swimming pool and roaches floated dead in the water. The restaurant was extremely slow. We waited for over an hour for our order, and we were the only ones there! Still, I was charged $100 for the stay, even when I complained that this is not a $100 room. In all, if you want to have a good experience, do not stay in this location.
10 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful.
The Hyatt Dorado Beach and Country Club is a beautiful paradise but the hotel maid service and the high prices of food, drink and Dorado tour services easily dimmed the over all enjoyment. The staff was super friendly with the exception of the Front Desk. Not happy people in my opinion.
Maid service was pitiful. They would come very late in the afternoon. It took us three days and several phone calls to get new washclothes and an ashtray.
The food and drink prices were ridiculous. $9 for a hotdog! $5 for a bottle of water. Even if I was a millionaire, I would still be insulted by those prices!
The Dorado Tour Services cost $25 per person to bring you to the hotel from the Airport and another $25 each to take you back to the airport. It was also $8 per person to take you to the grocery store in Dorado--about a 5 minute trip (2 person min). Our driver Roland was the best though! I guess as I look back meeting Roland was worth the cost! He made us feel like family! But I suggest renting a car--it's an easy drive, affordable and a great way to explore the many beautiful sites especially Old San Juan. Shop til you drop. Otherwise, request Roland as your driver on the Dorado Tours shuttle. He can take you to Old San Juan roundtrip for $25 each.
I preferred Dorado Beach to Cerromar Beach. Calm, relaxing and we snorkeled with pelicans diving in the water near us to catch fish. Awesome.
My suggestions for the Hyatt are:
lower food and drink prices at all the restaurants
offer a great variety of food
stock your towels and washclothes
lower Dorado Tour shuttle prices
put a smile on your Front Desk employees
lower the local call fees--$5--Come on!
9 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful.
This hotel was similar in size and design to a college dorm room. The couch in the room was covered in a fabric that felt like vinyl. The bed was very hard and made a clunking noise when we sat on it. There were ant-type insects in the bathroom, the blanket on the bed had not been washed in God-knows how long, and the bathroom in the lobby was beyond filthy and was never cleaned during our overnight stay.
The only thing going for this hotel is the beach, which is a short walk down the hill. The beach is pretty and appeared clean. If you’re expecting what you'd find in the U.S. at $80 a night, you will be very disappointed. We would have definitely gone somewhere else had we arrived earlier in the evening.
0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful.
Privacy and peace are offered in this beautiful spot.Visited: May 2003
Posted by carabrae
I have traveled a lot in the Caribbean and this is one of the nicest places I have stayed. I was looking for a quiet, non-touristy and peaceful place to relax and do nothing, and this was the perfect choice.
The grounds were beautiful with several beaches to choose from. There were two beautiful, quiet, sandy covelike beaches protected by a rock wall for gentle lolling and a more energetic wavelike area by the windsurfing side. Hammocks were everywhere and my days were spent trying out many of them and falling asleep with a book to the sound of the ocean and the quiet of the resort.
There were many days of seeing ten or less people on the beach. There were two pools, the one on the ocean side was empty most of the time and was like a private pool. Bikes were available for free for three hours at a time, and the bike trails were great - secenic and relatively flat.
The rooms were beautiful and we did like most people in these reviews suggested and slept with the screen doors and overhead fan on to hear the sound of the ocean. We stayed in the su casa buildings which were beautiful and a little further away from the mainhouse, but very private and an easy walk to the tennis courts, pool and su Casa restaurant.
On the weekend, a convention came in and it got a little noisier. I imagine the beachfront rooms bear the brunt of any beach traffic. Since we stayed in the oceanfront su casa rooms, we were spared any noise the day the beach got a little active (40 people).
The only negatives were the cost of food and bar. It was $18 for a buffet breakfast, $8 for a rum punch and $5 for a one-liter bottle of water. That was a little frustrating. But we rented a car and picked up some staples at the local grocery store down the road. Food in general was fairly good, but pricy.
As far as restaurants went - Su Casa and the Zen place at the Cerremar were both good. The golf place was okay, Pee Wee's in town had good ribs, El Malecon was okay, the Italian restaurant next to A la Brassa was overpriced and just okay.
The staff at the hotel was very nice. The Cerramar (the sister hotel two miles down the road) is now going timeshare, so I don't know whether you will be able to use both resorts. Currently, there is a shuttle that goes back and forth, or you can bike it, or it's a two-mile scenic walk.
The Cerremar had a much different clientele - noisier, crowded, and the locals used the place on the weekends. The beach there was nice as well - a more traditional wavy beach with some snorkeling. There was some snorkeling also at the Dorado.
I highly recommend the Dorado for anyone looking for a peaceful, non-touristy, relaxing vacation.
6 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful.
My family and I booked a 7-day vacation at the Cerromar during our children's 2003 spring break from school. We had never been to Puerto Rico before and were looking forward to spending a week in the tropical island paradise so advertised by our travel agent and by the many kind people who had taken the time to submit their review on this page. To say that we were disspapointed would be an understatement!
From the moment we passed through the broken entrance gates to the resort I began to notice that the building's exterior was in dire need of repair. The concrete fountain pools at the front entrance were poorly patched and painted, and the smell of stagnant, dirty water (from the fountain pool) hit us in the face the secoond we stepped off of the bus. As we waited for approximately one hour to check in, we were terrorized by frantic, horrid sounds coming from the giant birds kept in the lobby. After being assigned to our rooms, we proceeded to the fifth floor via the hotel's dirty run-down elevators. Once at our rooms, we realized that that the view would include a mold infested roof top as well as a noisy construction site set up directly below us.
The tile floors in our rooms were filthy and both the bedcovers as well as the furniture were covered in graffiti. The shower curtain as well as the balcony drapes were covered in mold and the shower head infested with lime deposits. The balcony gates, the metal chairs, the room lamps, and the door knobs were all rusted and the wall light fixtures outside of the rooms were broken and turned upside down.The television was situated on the side of the bed making it impossible to view while laying down and all of our rooms carried a distinct smell of mildew which grew worse when it began to rain.
The poolside restaurant food was terrible and outrageously expensive. The pool grounds were not maintained on a nightly basis and the pool floor was was not vacuumed. The giant waterslide is a plus but much like everything else made of metal at the facility, that too showed signficant signs of rust and aging.
The beach is extremely narrow and inclined leaving no room for the the children to play and no room for lounge chairs on a busy day.
The buffet was located in the basement and the food was displayed on sheets of plywood resting on garbage cans. The windows in the restaurant were covered with fingerprints and the waiters, much like all of the employees at the Cerromar, wore dirty, wrinkled, sweat stained, shirts and pants.
After only 36 hours, we left the Cerromar. We stayed at the Westin in Rio Mar for the remainder of the week. The Westin is a clean and classy resort.
16 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful.
My wife, my son, and I reserved adjoining rooms. When we arrived, we were told that we could not immediately have adjoining rooms, but would have to wait until the following day because adjoining rooms could not be found that were clean. We went to three rooms before finding one that had been cleaned. Everything was a hassle. Each question we asked of the staff was met with this response as if that question had never been asked before (i.e., can I get room service after 9pm, how do I get transportation to the Dorado Club Room). The staff is not trained. Go if you don't mind being ignored at restaurants, waiting in line for towels at the beach house. Dealing with all of the little things that you might not want to deal with when you're on vacation and spending your hard-earned money.
9 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful.
Caribbean 
The beach was not tropical. 
It is out of business. 
BIG NEWS 
we had a very pleasant stay! 
Beautiful but.... 