Ritz-Carlton Hotels have captivated me since I was a child. I will never forget visiting a Ritz-Carlton hotel on a trip when I was about 12 years of age, but I was not staying there as a guest at the time. As soon as I saw the beautiful bathroom in the lobby, I immediately started crying because our hotel was not as nice, and I wanted to stay at the Ritz-Carlton instead. I felt as if my whole vacation was ruined.
Ah! Now that gives you a good insight as to why writing about luxury hotels is my passion. Fast forward thirty-two years, and I’m still one of the Ritz-Carlton’s biggest fans, and you can bet I made my girly, childhood dreams of staying in a Ritz-Carlton come true.
Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
On December 12, Ritz-Carlton is going to give us something else to dream about as it opens its highest luxury tier of its luxury properties in Puerto Rico. It seems like a
place fit for James Bond himself.
Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, will usher in a new level of luxury travel experiences for guests. With its secluded location, intimate accommodations, and one-on-one guest service, Dorado Beach is the first project of its kind for the Ritz-Carlton company in the Americas.
Reservations for the new property in Puerto Rico are now being accepted, and hotel guests can expect rates to start at $1,600 per night in December. At a quick glance, rates hover around $1,000 to $2,300 in the summer months.
Alluringly situated on three miles of Caribbean coastline, with 1,400 acres of natural beauty, privacy and luxury, Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, offers 115 spacious guestrooms and suites, all directly on the beach, and Su Casa, the original plantation hacienda restored to its original 1920s grandeur to serve as a four-bedroom beachfront VIP villa.
Fantastic Food and Posh Pampering
Dorado Beach will also include the first restaurant outside the United States for highly acclaimed chef José Andrés. Guests can expect an epicurean adventure celebrating Puerto Rico’s heritage as the crossroads of Spanish, Caribbean, and American cuisine.
Spa Botánico, a five-acre haven featuring 12 glass-walled spa treatment pavilions and Treehouse treatment platforms, surrounded by lush private gardens, looks absolutely amazing as shown on the hotel’s website.
It is breathtakingly beautiful. Located in the midst of tropical trees where the trade winds waft through, guests will find two open-air tree house massage platforms, where they can be renewed with a Ritz-Carlton Reserve signature hammock massage or a side-by-side Thai massage.
Dorado Beach opens with a famed past. The new Ritz-Carlton Reserve was “grandfathered” to be built on the footprint of the former Laurance Rockefeller estate, allowing for every guestroom and restaurant to rest directly on the beach, only steps from the sea. This majestic area will once again become a playground for the nation’s elite.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Dorado Beach is a 35-minute drive from San Juan, Puerto Rico’s vibrant capital. Ritz-Carlton also has a beautiful hotel located in San Juan. Holiday packages seem refreshingly affordable there at $499 per night with breakfast for two compared to its sister property, Dorado Beach. However, The Reserve brand extension will be distinguished from other award-winning Ritz-Carlton resorts by offering guests’ exotic, hand-selected “hideaway” destinations globally; a relaxed, casually elegant atmosphere; and an even greater level of individualized service through a higher staff to guest ratio.
Dorado Beach will be the second Ritz-Carlton Reserve property to open. It will join sister-property Phulay Bay, Thailand. Future openings include: Los Cabos, Mexico; Muscat, Oman; Tamuda Bay, Morocco; and West Caicos in Turks and Caicos.
Hmm, I bet the lobby bathrooms in Ritz-Carlton Reserves will be nice, too. I better be careful, or I may be setting the bar for my hotel stays way too high for my piggy bank. A girl can dream though, right?
Ritz-Carlton, Aruba 2013
And in other Ritz-Carlton news, the luxury hotel brand announced plans last month to open a Ritz-Carlton, Aruba in 2013. Travelers will enjoy 320-room oceanfront resort situated on the Caribbean island’s famed Palm Beach. Ushering in a new level of elegance in accommodations and amenities to the island, the grand resort will offer beautifully appointed rooms and suites, four dining outlets, a luxurious 13-treatment room spa, two swimming pools and a 24-hour casino.
Just another reason to visit the Caribbean, don’t you think?
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