Hotels News

Dorado Beach, A Ritz Reserve property and Puerto Rican Gem has reopened

an aerial view of a beach with trees and water

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Dorado Beach, A Ritz Reserve property, reopened 10/1/18

Dorado Beach Resort originally opened its doors back in 2012 as a new breed of Ritz Carlton called Ritz Reserve ( it was 2nd to Phulay Bay). If you’re unfamiliar with Reserve properties, they are the creme de la creme of Marriott’s large umbrella of brands, competing with luxury groups like Aman and Peninsula in service, amenities, and quality.  I had the great fortune of staying at one in Bali last year, and even wrote an article about how you can use points to stay at one ( even though Reserve properties are advertised as being excluded from Marriott Rewards both in earning and redeeming ).

This is a big deal for Puerto Rico, and a much needed step towards recovery post Hurricane Maria. The Dorado Beach Resort has a rich legacy, and was the IT place to be and be seen during its 1960s heyday with the Hollywood elite. In fact, over $360 million was invested in this property prior to its 12/12/12 initial opening. The post-hurricane refurbishment numbers haven’t been released.

Entry level is full on.

Spanning nearly 1000 sqft and ocean front, the starting point at Dorado Beach is jawdropping. So is the price. Don’t be surprised if your search yields 4 figure per night numbers.

Su Casa

One of the most impressive aspects was/still is the 1920’s plantation home, Su Casa – scheduled to reopen in December ’18. Once the home of Laurance Rockefeller, with direct beach front access, featuring 5 bedrooms and over 8000sq ft – it is well worth perusing photos.

a house with a pool and a body of water
courtesy of ritzcarlton.com

Investing in local arts and culture

As a part of Marriott International, Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve has partnered with musical artist and philanthropist Lin-Manual Miranda to support his work in stimulating the Puerto Rican economy and preserving the country’s culture by strengthening and sustaining the local arts community. Throughout the resort’s opening season, starting now through February 2019, Dorado Beach will donate $10 per room to Miranda’s Flamboyan Arts Fund, which supports all aspects of Puerto Rico’s artistic community, including music, theater, visual arts, dance, literature, and youth arts education – critical components of Puerto Rico’s tourism industry and pivotal to the economic recovery of the island.

There are some packages available ( great to stack with Prestige if you’re still a holder )

Prices are way high…out of my budget certainly, but Reserve properties are pretty extraordinary.

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You can read the full presser here.

*feature image courtesy of RitzCarlton.com

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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1 Comment

  • Allen October 11, 2018

    My sister was married at this property in 2013 and my word was it an amazing wedding and 3 days. I’m glad to see this property reopening, I was in San Juan in February of this year and the island was still very much in a state of disarray

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