Butlermm7

My husband and I want to stay at the Ritz-Carlton somewhere in the Caribbean. We've narrowed it down to St. Thomas or Puerto Rico. Has anyone stayed at both of these properties to be able to tell me why we would want to stay at one over the other? I know the differences in islands so just need to know the differences in the hotels. Is one more newly renovated than the other? We enjoy rooms with balconies. Does one have better balconies than the other? Is one Spa better than the other?

mah1980

How about the Grand Cayman Ritz? We stayed there last December and enjoyed it.

tom42

I've stayed at the Ritz Carlton San Juan numerous times. Regarding the balcony situation - the RC San Juan does not have a lot of rooms with balconies. They recently added balconies to some rooms but I would say that only about a 1/4 of the rooms have balconies. So, unless you specifically book a room with a balcony, there is a good chance that you won't have one at all. I have never stayed at the RC St. Thomas so I can't compare the two properties, although from everything I have heard, the St. Thomas property is superior.

doug_stallings

The Ritz-Carlton in St. Thomas is a nice, relatively low-rise resort. The hotel in San Juan is just that ... a huge (albeit beautiful) high-rise hotel near the airport. Yes, the Ritz in San Juan is on the beach, but it's just not in the same class as the resort in St. Thomas. It's more like the Ritz-Carlton in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

If you want a big high-rise hotel, then I'd say take a look at the Ritz-Carlton in Grand Cayman. Although huge, it's probably nicer than the one in San Juan.

Tuxedocat

I don't know about the one in Puerto Rico but the St. Thomas one is very nice and offers its own excellent private beach. Aside from the resorts themselves, I would imagine you want to consider what differs as to setting. St. Thomas is so much smaller but offers the convenient access to many other islands, whereas, Puerto Rico is much larger and perhaps more cosmopolitan.

Butlermm7

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. We looked at the Ritz Grand Cayman but the rooms were a bit more expensive than St. Thomas or PR and we would have to take a connecting flight out of Boston. So we decided on St. T. From what you've all said, St. T will be more quaint with more things to do around the island and surrounding islands and we can get a non-stop flight. Planning done!! Thank you all.

mrl38

The Ritz in St Thomas is very nice, and I would definitely pick the USVI over Puerto Rico. Having been to both, St. Thomas is a lot more relaxed and low key than PR. There are some fabulous other hotels in St Thomas as well and there are some other beautiful islands around St. Thomas that you can visit. Be sure to check out St Croix too, as there is a Fantastic Flight promo going on right now that will allow you to stay at some of the best hotels in the Caribbean for prices lower than airfare!