Lee

Has anyone stayed at either of these villas recently? We are leaning more towards the Westin villas because they are on the beach and the main hotel sounds nice from the comments I have read on this board. If anyone has stayed at the villas do you think they are worth the extra $ or are we better off with a suite in the main hotel? We will be bringing our 2 year old, so we like to stay in suites, but these villas seem really special. Any comments would be appreciated. Thank you, <BR>Lee

Lynn

CWe just returned from a trip to the Wyndham Las Casitas village at the El Conquistador Resort. We stayed in a three-bedroom villa with a gorgeous ocean view. This worked out perfectly as we had a group of seven. The property was beautiful and the service was top-notch. The resorts' employees treated us like royalty. They were very courteous and helpful. I can't say enough about the beauty of the resort. Although it is not directly on the beach, we had a breathtaking ocean view from our balcony. They have a ferry which takes you to their own private beach on Palomino Island. This is a 15 minute ferry ride but it is enjoyable. The beach is very calm and would be good for a two-year old because there is no surf. I was a little disappointed because I myself enjoy bodysurfing in the waves. <BR>We rented a car and visited Luquillo beach , which has surf. We also took a day trip to Culebra Island, which has a beautiful beach called Flamenco. I would recommend that beach as one of the best in the Caribbean. We also had our own private pool at Las Casitas Village, which was for the villa guest only. We could also use the pools at the main hotel. The breakfast buffet was delicious. We had the Continental Plan Breakfast which included fresh fruit, three different types of yogurt, juices, cereal, and freshly baked muffins, danish, croissants, as well as bread and bagels. That filled us up for hours. There is also 24-hour room service and concierge service. You also have your own private bellman , who will go grocery shopping for you if you give him a list.Did I mention the Golden Door Spa? We splurged and had a warm stone massage and a reflexology treatment. It was fantastic. I can't wait to go back and pamper myself with one of their body wraps. This is truly a five-star resort and well worth the money. It was a truly relaxing vacation. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Lee

Thank you for a very informative travel report. I have a question if you don't mind - since we will bringing our son, we will probably want to go to the main hotel a few times for meals and the other pools, was the El Conquistador far from the Casitas? Thank you.

Lynn

The casitas are one, two, and three bedroom villas with kitchenettes . They are set up like a little spanish village with walkways and beautiful flowers. There is a private pool and hot tub for casita guests only. <BR>There is also a french restaurant called le bistro. Only the casita guests are allowed at this pool. However, it only takes two minutes to walk to the main hotel because it is right next to the hotel and is considered part of the resort. Casita guests can use all the restaurants and facilities at the main hotel. There are several restaurants, both indoor and out at the main hotel.There is also a casino and a nightclub at the main hotel as well as several shops and boutiques. So there is always something to do at night . The security is also excellent. You are given a card with your name and room number and must use these for identification to enter the resort. This was in contrast to the Atlantis Hotel in Paradise Island, bahamas where the security is poor. Non-guests of that hotel were loitering in the lobby when we stayed there last year. Some of the local teens went up on the elevators at the Beach Tower and scared guests by knocking on doors. So we felt very safe here at the El Conquistador walking around the resort at night.Also I forgot to mention that there are three pools at the main hotel as well as a swim-up bar. If you have any more questions, I will be happy to answer them. Lynn

Lee

Lynn, thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. This sounds like the place for us, excellent service,privacey, and the option of the big resort if we choose. I agree with you about the Atlantis, stayed there in March in the Royal Tower, the Atlantis let's other less expensive hotels use their facilities, so the people who are paying big bucks at the Atlantis have to compete with non-hotel guests for the facilities. We were very disappointed with everything except for our executive suite room. We will never go back to the Atlantis. We are looking for a place we can return to every winter with our son, I hope it turns out to be Las Casitas. Thanks again, have a good day.

Jill

We stayed at las casitas last June. We absolutely loved it and would have gone back if not for a few things... the bus ride from the airport is about 45 min - 1 hour. the boat to the beach is not 15 min - more like 30 and sometimes you need to be at the dock 1/2 hour before just to get on! <BR> <BR>We have a 10 month old and we felt that this detracted for us (by the time we got to the island it would be time to go home for a nap!) <BR> <BR>There were many kids and they do have the Camp Coquille program!

fran

what island are you talking about with the casitas..sounds nice

Lee

Fran - we are referring to Las Casitas Village at the Wyndham El Conquistador Resort in Las Croabas Puerto Rico. I was also looking for opinions on the Westin Rio Mar Ocean Villas.