The Ritz Carlton Reserve SPA Botánico — Local services in Dorado

I’d like to start off by saying my friends and I had an absolute amazing time at the spa. It was on my Spa bucket list for some time, and Puerto Rico isn’t exactly local to my state residence of New Jersey. We were staying at a local air bnb for we were traveling Puerto Rico in its entirety. We intended to enjoy the Spa then have dinner at Coa. When arriving I wanted to make sure the dinner location was feasible in heels as we would be making a wardrobe change once our spa day was over for dinner. The spa attendant told me she wouldn’t suggest the walk in heels, and that when we checked out they could easily call a golf cart to take us to Coa. I responded, “perfect!” As the walk way up in heat with bags wearing heels would be challenging. Once we were ready for dinner I asked the Spa attendant if she could call a golf cart to take us to dinner. She responded no, that was only available for hotel guests. I explained that I was told a golf cart could escort us but she insisted it was a hard no. I’m in the hospitality industry myself and it felt rude, condescending and quite frankly embarrassing that this was the treatment we were given. As we did not stay in the hotel, our day there wasn’t cheap. We spent close to $3,000 and as guests not staying the night we were treated as not worth of the ride we were told we could receive.

To make matters worse the Spa attendant says “I walk it all the time. It’s not hard. I’ll even walk with you.” As if not only we were deemed unworthy but asking for something we didn’t deserve.

We arrived at dinner embarrassed and disappointed. Here we are dressed up in heels, as golf carts drive past us struggling to walk for our own safety up to dinner. I really just expected better treatment at resort of this caliber, and for that I couldn’t see myself wanting to return even if I was there to stay. I believe in treating every customer with the same integrity and respect especially when it was...

The grounds are absolutely beautiful and our massages were wonderful. Javier has great hands and he delivered a much needed deep tissue massage. Lucy gave my husband one of the best massages he has ever had! I like the foot scrub before the massage too. Nice touch. I wanted to give Botánico five stars but there were some issues. It’s hard to find. Waze guided us to the wrong entrance. We were able to find the correct entrance and there were few signs guide us to the spa. The signs were also very small. Once we were in the vicinity, it was unclear where to park. We asked a guard who told us where to park and said to come back to him and he would direct us. He directed us to a ballroom, not the spa! Despite the detour we arrived. The spa has a beautiful entrance with a gigantic ancestral-looking tree shading the stairway and entrance. The staff was gracious and served a yummy herbal iced tea while we waited to be taken to our massage room. The showers, relaxation room and locker room have everything you could need. The biggest fail, however, is the lack of people when you need them. It’s difficult to find staff if you want something or have an issue. When the cool dip pool step broke when I stepped on it, there was no one around to tell. Luckily, I was holding on to the rail otherwise I would have fallen and hit my head on a rock like surface! The staff person I told asked if I was okay and I told her I was, however, no management came to check on me. I will have a bruise on my foot from the impact but overall I am okay. The service people we interacted with were great, however, for a large resort it’s staffed as if it’s a small resort. The food took an hour and 15 minutes to arrive. We were told 45-60 minutes. If we go again, we will know how to get there and what to expect. I think we had high expectations because it is the Ritz Carlton but the overall experience was mediocre at best,...

The Ritz is the ritz. Here’s my opinion:

You can’t beat the ritz. It’s a 10/10 every time you go Service is always top notch amenities are always great quality and plentiful The property is beautiful

Here are my considerations, for folks who frequent Marriott properties:

For context, during my 3 night stay in Puerto Rico, I did one night at the Marriott Casino, one night at the St Regis, and our last night at the Ritz Reserve.

By and large, if I came again, I’d probably lean towards the St. Regis. As the name suggests, the service / hospitality / amenities / etc. are 12/10, which should come as no surprise.

Where it edges out over the reserve, is that if you have status with Marriott (we have Ambassador), you get a better bang for your buck with the St Regis in the way of upgrades

The ritz reserve being somewhat of a hot commodity, it’s a little more difficult to flex or get any recognition for your status (given they are 1 of 7)

Here’s my advice: If you’ve never spent the night at the ritz reserve, do it. It’s worth the experience for certain. But don’t sleep on the St. Regis either

Both have exceptional resorts that are perfect...