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
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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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the pics without question make the best trip reports!
Lots of pictures in trip reports/hotel reviews!
A review on the quality of service received is always helpful.
Details/techniques on how the hotel or ticket was booked make trip reports/hotel reviews great too!
A good hotel review should emphasize its specialty compared to its own home brand and other competitors. My girlfriend and I love hotels which offer great spa and beds that could provide us an erotic escape from our apparentment in new York.
I like to see pics of the immediate surrounding area. Hotels usually do a good job of showing the interior of the hotel but they rarely show how the hotel fits in with the surrounding area.
Pictures along with description of quality of service received and location. Gives a better idea of whether the points are worth it.
Review of upgrade availability
For me, a good hotel review should include the rate, how to reach the hotel from the airport and picture of the room.
Nearby or local restaurant reviews would be greatly appreciated as well! 🙂
Pictures and description of how the service was is the best.
Lots of pictures along with details! Thanks!
Hotel neighborhood or nearby attractions.
The booking process: how you found the fares/rates or award availability, for example, use of third-party websites, etc.
Ways the hotel or airlines differentiate themselves from others at the same level or price point.
Why you chose the particular brand over another viable option.
Pictures and how to book.
This property is, without question, the worst Ritz in the system. I’ve only been to the property twice…both during the holidays…and found the pool area to be dirty (with a visible line of muck at the waterline on the pool wall), rafts that had been chewed—seemingly by both people and animals—the pool attendants running out of towels (saying “too many people came to the pool”), understaffed front and concierge desks and grossly disappointing dining. Anyone considering a stay at this property should consider themselves warned.
the best trip reports/hotel reviews are raw & honest and contain lots of photos!
Honesty, and an assessment of the hotel’s pros and cons.
Pictures for the room and whether the service was good or not.Also some local eaterys!
I like to read about the convenience of the location of the hotel and sites of interests with options of transportation with costs available.
i like to know the price points of different amenities and services offered at the hotel.
i like to see pictures
definitely like to know the location and if it provides easy access to tourist sites and other items of interest
Tips on transportation options to/from hotel regarding airports and sites of interest
pictures of rooms, level of cleanliness is pretty important for me.
The details of how the room was booked and or upgraded is a plus. Details of the food offered/ordered at the recommended resturants would appeal to foodies. Historic sites around the area, things to do, and transportation options from the airport are also nice to know.
The best trip reports include ways to secure flights, hotels ground transport economically and put the reader in your shoes; an example- flying lax-lhr for 40k AA miles RT, using coupon for half off Heathrow Express (15 min into London instead of 60 on the tube), checking into Hotel Indigo using 25000 Priority Club points ($150ai) for a $400 a night room plus tax! And then listing your trip activities, did you use concierge services? Etc.
I mentioned the “cheap” way to do it, but also giving the reader the option of doing it higher end is valuable too.
Best trip report in my view has a concise review of major points that a vacationer would be interested, i.e. way to get to the hotel, front desk interaction, room review, features of the hotel offered/explored, helpful tips for sightseeing and hotel use. If it is a chain hotel, also overview of the benefits received/earned during the stay in this hotel’s program.
good pictures are key, because it’s a lot easier to make judgements on pictures versus a person’s individual experience
Breaking down the items reviewed such as FD, room, lounge, food, etc. Of course photos are very helpful to convey the feel of the stay … and as they say a picture is worth a thousand words 🙂
I appreciate the way you booked your flights and hotels so I can learn new ways to get to these great locations!
Thanks and keep them up!
Photos help (duh!).
Describing the process of booking the flights/hotels!
I agree about including pix. I would also like to see the equivalent of “If I stayed here again I would make sure to…” or “I wish I would have known …”
Little details… things that people would miss on a flyer or guidebook, but you noticed on your stay.
How to get to the hotel by all means of transportation, not just by car 😉
I also like to hear about whether or not there is a kettle or hot water in the room.
Photos, photos and more photos. They’re worth a thousand words, right?
A sense of honesty, pictures, description of the surroundings and most importantly whatever it is that makes the reviewed hotel unique from others in the brand or location.
Photos, best (FREE or Reduced $) deals to get those hotels + FREE stuff (bk, shuttle ..) provided by hotels.
Available Family activities — by hotels or near-by.
Hotel chain comparison –> RC vs. Grand Hyatt …
Don’t be afraid to be critical, if needed.
Something interesting or unique. We’ve all seen enough pictures of fundamentally the same food offerings. Bring something that isn’t in any other trip report.
Honesty Without Attitude Just tell it like is.
I loved the pictures and “Liked” your blog’s fan page on Facebook.
No detail is too small.
I think a good trip report combines pictures and details about first impressions.