I’m interested in what you think makes a good trip report. To find out what you think I’m giving away 4 Continental Currency coupons and a $25 American Express gift card.
Ritz Carlton San Juan Review
Also in this post, I’ll share a review of the Ritz Carlton San Juan hotel. After four nights at the Westin St John we checked out early and headed over to the Ritz Carlton San Juan. This has been our go to hotel in Puerto Rico for several years. Since we left the Westin St John a few days early, I called Marriott Rewards and modified a 2 night club level award reservation into a 3 night standard room reservation. Both reservations required a total of 150,000 Marriott Reward points. I was a Marriott Platinum member at the time of this reservation.
Continental Currency Give Away
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- What characteristic(s) do you believe make the best trip reports and / or hotel reviews?
American Express $25 Gift Card Give Away
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- Select the Facebook “like” feature for the Points Miles & Martinis Facebook Page
- You can click the Facebook icon in the upper right hand side on the Points, Miles & Martinis blog home page
Rules And How Winners Will Be Selected For The Give Away
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- One winner for each prize will be selected at 8:00 AM on Friday 12/16/11
- Random.org will select a random number for the Continental Currency and a random number for the American Express Gift Card
Now To The Ritz Carlton San Juan Trip Report
- Trip From St Thomas To Westin St John Resort & Villas
- Favorite St John Beaches
- Ritz Carlton San Juan Puerto Rico
Hotel
The Ritz Carlton San Juan is located in Isla Verde and is a very quick 5 minute driver from the SJU airport. A taxi is very easy to catch from the airport and the hotel offers car service for around $50 USD.
When we arrived at the hotel we checked our bags with the bellman and headed to the check in desk. The process was quick and I believe we were given an upgraded room.
We spent most of our time here at the pool, in town seeing the sites, or in the hotel Casino. If you go to the Casino and are playing games, be sure to ask for a Ham and Cheese sandwich, they will deliver it right to your table.
We went to BLT Steak one night and noticed they offer 50% off the wine selection before 7 PM. So we booked a reservation on Open Table and ordered a nice bottle of wine at a decent price.
Old San Juan Fort San Cristobal
Room
We were given a room on the second to top floor (8th floor?) directly in the middle of the hotel. The room was a decent Ritz Carlton room but could use a renovation, especially now that the St Regis Bahia Beach has arrived in Puerto Rico. The view was great from this room.
Beach
The hotel has a nice pool area and beach. The beach on Isla Verde has dark sand and the water is murky. I think the Ritz Carlton used to “rake” the beach but didn’t notice it on this trip.
Relaxing In A Hammock
View From Lunch Restaurant
Bottom Line
The Ritz Carlton San Juan Puerto Rico was a welcomed site after our stay at the Westin St John. This hotel is in decent shape for a Ritz Carlton but could use a room refresh to compete with the new higher end hotels on Puerto Rico. It is hard to beat the hotel’s convenience to town and it does have a great little Casino.
About The Weekly Flyer
The Weekly Flyer writes about travel from a business traveler perspective. He travels the world every week accumulating points and miles along the way.
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I think it’s also interesting to here about the special offers at the hotel — like the wine discount in this post.
Thanks to offer this “contest” to ask these questions.
@Peter – My pleasure. It was great to learn what readers like most about trip reports.
@NYBanker – I find it amusing that you say the Ritz San Juan has disappointing dining, even though you wrote a report praising another Ritz Carlton that had the very same BLT steak house restaurant. Your review seems to be based on a bad experience at the pool on two different Holiday weekends. I’m assuming the pool was crowded due to the high occupancy. All of my experiences here have been favorable. While the rooms need a touch up, the decent dining options, friendly staff and smoke free casino make it a great (inexpensive) Ritz Carlton to visit if you go to Puerto Rico.
Hi there, all is going perfectly here and ofcourse every one is sharing facts, that’s truly fine, keep up writing.