best hotel?
 

Not sure if my message was posted(if so, sorry).
Looking for an easy getaway for 4 nights with my husband.We have enjoyed each island we visited. It has been a while since we traveled without our kids. We are looking into Puerto Rico but have never been there.
We enjoy the beach, great restaurants and a nice hotel. We plan to mostly relax with perhaps one or two excursions. The Westin was recommended. Going during the first week on December. Any comments on the Westin for us or other hotel?

I can't comment on Puerto Rico but would suggest that The Buccaneer on St. Croix might fit your bill, depending on where you are flying from. It's a lovely hotel with two pretty beaches and close proximity to great restaurants in Christiansted. In early December you can probably still get a great deal! Check out reviews on tripadvisor.com

we stayed at the Ritz in PR. We really liked the hotel, but actually did not like PR at all.

ccrosner,
thank you your suggestion. We have stayed at the Buccaneer in St. Croix and loved it. Since we are only going 4 nights this time out of NJ, it is hard to do some of the islands since most only have direct flights on Saturdays. Flying there on a weekday would take too long. But, that is the kind of place we like, any other similar suggestions??

Dr. Andrea,
We considered the Ritz, but thought out of town would be better. What did you not like about your visit in PR?

I would stay at El San Juan Hotel and Casino way before I would stay at the Ritz again. It is nice, well kept, etc. but food and beverage is lacking! The food was terrible, most of the guests eat breakfast next door at Denny's because the hotel is so expensive and the food is not good. If it was fabulous it might be worth it, but it is not. PR is a fabulous place. Make sure you spend the day or evening in Old San Juan. There are lots of wonderful restaurants and art galleries and shops. It has some fantastic old buildings.

Lorinat,
Guess that we think alike...I understand the challenge of getting there directly. My husband and I are taking a 3 day trip to Harbour Island, Bahamas in early November (tying it into a Miami business trip). Staying at Coral Sands Hotel. You might look into the convenience of those flights although it won't be direct.

In San Juan, we are going to spend a night there this Feb. on the way home from STX (due to frequent flyer tix). Am considering a stay at the Intercontinental as it gets good reviews here and on tripadvisor.

If you are set on Puerto Rico, take a look at the Hyatt Dorado, which is about 30 minutes outside of San Juan. it's very quiet and peaceful, perfect for a romantic getaway. One of our favorite resorts and we have been to quite a few.

We stayed on the concierge level at the Ritz and really thought the food was good. We are very picky foodies, so we are definitely not easy to please. I thought PR has inadequate beaches, shopping, and sites. We just preferred other islands much more. We did enjoy the gambling though.

Hello lorinat!In St. Croix the Bucaneer is a good place and also you might want to look into CARRINGTONS INN also.Both are good.If you do go to Puerto Rico, The EL SAN JUAN in Isla Verde is a great resort. Right on a big beautiful beach and anything you would want to do is close by.Isla Verde has just about anything and more of whatever you would want. Great shopping, restaurants, beach bars, whatever.

I second the EL San Juan & the Hyatt Dorado. Both are lovely resorts with beautiful grounds. One is near town & restaurants & has more nightlife, the other (Dorado) is about 40 minutes away from San Juan, but is a wonderful property, golfing, quiet & there are places to eat in the town of Dorado. Depends on what you are looking for.

I would stay at Intercontinental or El San Juan over the Ritz. But, I have not heard great things about the rooms in El San Juan. I've seen the Intercontintal rooms and they are fine...nothing super fancy but good...For some reason, PR does not have the best of a lot of things, including beaches. You might be very disappointed if you've traveled to lots of other Caribbean Islands and are looking for blue crystal clear water. I've also stayed at the Westin when friends have come to visit me here, and enjoyed it..Rooms were nice as was the pool and the food is good too at the restaurants. You won't have to leave the Westin, which might be good if you don't want to. At the hotels closer to the airport, you will want to leave to try different restaurants and different parts of town. I live here, having moved from NYC a year ago, so if you have any questions, let me know.

druckerm, I have been over-researching Puerto Rico for weeks (bought all the books) and the deeper I get, the more nervous I am about our destination choice. This is our first tropical vacation--we live in Jackson Hole, WY-- and we chose PR because flights are reasonable, daughter, 16, is a 2nd yr spanish student and she didn't want a common "spring break", ie, running into a dozen Jacksonites in Playa del Carmen MX. If I don't ditch PR for Hawaii or MX or DR, my final choices of hotel are the El Conquistador, Hyatt Dorado, Westin, the new Sheraton (old Palmas del Mar). We plan to visit the rainforest, Old San Juan, Vieques (snorkel?), golf. Fears are all the bad service, unfriendliness and traffic we've been reading about. We're middle class folks who want to feel slightly pampered and have fun without going broke. Can you help?

San Juan is as any other big city in the US or any else in the world. Do not expect to be greated by reggae singers or hula dancers. However, this does not mean that Puerto Rico is not good... in fact, Puerto Rico is great!

If you really want a great experience at Puerto Rico, stay in either Vieques or the west coast (Porta del Sol). There are many excellent hotels in these areas that are often considered "off the beaten track".

My suggestion is to stay at the Hyatt Dorado Beach, which is near San Juan. If heading to the west coast, The Horned Dorset and Rincón Beach are excellent choices. If heading to Vieques, the old Wyndham, now Starwood Martineu Bay is the place to be.

Cheers.