Our Trip to Dorado Reserve

A few of you asked me to review my stay at the Ritz Carlton Reserve Dorado, so since I have nothing else top of mind to blog about, here it goes!  (Disclaimer: This was NOT sponsored or comped in any way) We picked this destination for a couple reasons: direct flights, US location and I had a bunch of Amex points saved up I could pay for it with. Granted, our direct flight down was cancelled a month ago and turned into a stop at LaGuardia, but alas- we had no travel delays or issues which was amazing. I had been to Puerto Rico once as a pre-teen but have not been back since. I had heard great things about this place from people I know, so it all seemed like a win. And it was, mostly.

First off, the property is incredible- it’s massive, and so amazingly manicured.  The amenities are amazing, the views incredible and the staff all very friendly and eager to assist. The weather was spotty- more rain than normal, but it didn’t matter really- we got enough sun and the clouds kept things cooler (plus I no longer want to fry myself in the sun anyways). This place is very family oriented, which was a little surprising to us (i.e. a lot of kids at the pool). When you go away without your kids you kind of hope for not so many kids at a fancy resort. That said, good to know for any future trips (although at the prices we paid, not sure I’d be down booking two rooms)

Our room was awesome- really large with a great balcony overlooking the water and lawn.

These doors opened all the way up so it felt very indoors/outdoors but still private.

Having morning coffee on this daybed was a delight.

The bathroom was BONKERS. An outdoor a shower and a tub the size of a small pool.

The spa was a major highlight- it is STUNNING. Jaw-dropping/overwhelmingly so, in fact.

I had a body scrub and massage- that table outside was where the scrub happened and comically I laid down and immediately it started pouring. Couldn’t help but laugh. Andrew also got a massage and we both came out and announced it was the best massage we’ve ever had. The perfect blend of relaxing and therapeutic.

The outdoor showers by the locker rooms.

The locker room.

The tree outside the spa that is apparently famous for being the backdrop to Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly’s proposal? We chose NOT to drink each other’s blood here though. ;)

The restaurants were hit or miss. We thought overall the food was so-so (neither bad nor great), except for Coa, which we went to our last night (the most formal of the restaurants) and had a really incredible dinner. The views were all great from all the restaurants though, and the waitstaff really good.

This is the view from the patio at Coa- where you also eat breakfast in the morning- really stunning.

We worked out in their two amazing gyms- one over by the Dorado Beach golf club and one across from our room. We tried to play tennis but it was booked (I asked if I needed to book a court ahead of time when planning and was told no- but then we got there and all our court times were not available, which was frustrating). I also took a long walk around the property and found this great flat walking beach.

And stumbled upon their beachside spot Barlovento for drinks later that day where there are kite boards and watercraft for rent- this area is REALLY windy, so only experts need apply here. :)

The rainbow from our room- it was so amazing it didn’t look real- one bonus for rainy weather.

My faborite time of day- 5pm with the sun going down, a good book and glass of rose.

Dinner our last night- we finally got a great sunset! (My dress is Reformation, but sold out with a  waitlist)

I will share this though- we had a major issue with the people staying below us. The second of three nights we were woken up by loud music and kids screaming playing in the pool (the rooms on the lower level have small private pools).  This went on until almost 2 am, and we called the front desk 3-4 times about it (apparently they went over twice and the people were “not nice about it” and didn’t want to listen).  The next day the manager apologized and said they had talked to the people again and sent a bottle of wine to the room.  We were nervous it was going to happen again, so we inquired about being moved but they didn’t move us.  Sadly, the next night we were woken up again, this time by a woman screaming bloody murder- it was a little scary. She was screaming that she “wanted her kids and to go home” and then a man was screaming back at her tons of profanity and there were a bunch of people outside their room running away- I got scared because I knew there were kids down there, and Andrew was on the balcony in his underwear yelling down at them and I felt like I was in Myrtle Beach on drunken spring break.  This is NOT what I expected to happen at a resort of this caliber that cost honestly, more than we’ve ever paid for a hotel room in our lives.  Management sent security over, they broke it up pretty quickly, and the next day apologized, sent another bottle of wine to dinner and waived the daily resort fee for our stay (about $450).  Understandably, they don’t have control over who stays at the hotel or how they behave (for the most part). So I assume this was a once in a blue moon occurrence, and I would consider going back due to all the other good things we experienced.  But to be honest, I wouldn’t recommend it as a “romantic couples // relaxing zen” spot though. It’s more for families or group trips, I think- but the price is a bit high for that for most people so *shoulder shrug*? Just want to be honest here!

It was so nice to get away and really relax (I only checked my email ONCE), but it was so nice to come home to the kids yesterday.  Here’t to hoping for a vaccine for the little ones to come out soon so we feel more comfortable flying with Emma.