Hilton HHonors - Embassy Suites Dorado del Mar - Beach & Golf Resort Trip Reports and Reviews

We stayed there (family, with kids aged 3 and 5) for a week in February. It is a very nice property, but it's not up to par with other "premium" resorts because it's not very well run.

On the plus side: We could hang out at that pool and even on the (rocky) beach for a good part of every day, and we loved going for a swim after dinner. Pool has 4-5 different sections, but no waterslides. There's a good supermarket near the hotel, and a Subway and a Pizza Hut (such local charm!) neraby. By the time we got to the second half of our visit, we were making a lunch run to one of those places, and eating at our balcony or poolside.

- Manager's cocktail hour includes frozen pina coladas, strawberry daquiris, and rum punch.

- Breakfast was not very good. Disorganized -- ran out of all kinds of things -- whether it was a busy weekend or empty weekday. Slow to clear tables. Food quality reminded me of a college dorm.

- Room service food not very good, except for the rice & beans -- ironically, that's not on the menu, but they offered it when we asked for something instead of french fries.
We ordered R&B several times after that.

- Staff not very knowledgeable about the area. We got our best restaurant/activity recommendations by calling the Concierge at the Cerromar Hyatt.

- Kids club is a small room in the basement. Very sad. Club has no activities at the beach or even at the pool "due to insurance requirements". Well, how do all those other Hilton properties get their insurance, then? [I heard that the beach/kid's club is a concession, and Hilton may renegotiate it].

- Beach has a reef to protect it, but it's as pretty as a construction site: a few truckloads-of-sand short of being a nice beach. Too rocky. Management should visit the Hyatt down the raod to get an idea of what it should look like.

- Weekends are very crowded because the timeshare condos on site (NOT HGVC) run promos for locals to visit and take a tour.

- Our kitchen needed 2 maintenance visits -- Cold water wasn't on, and stove wasn't connected.

- Our room didn't have clock radio -- but the empty room next door had one, and it went off at 3:30 am. Took 2 phone calls to get someone to shut it off. They didn't shut it off all the way, and it went off again the next night.

- Needed to make multiple calls over several days to get them to clean our room in the mornings. My wife and I speak Spanish, we called housekeeping and the front desk, nothing seemed to work.

- Suites are standards ES design, all uniform escept for different views.

- UPGRADE note: Standard response about upgrades from a suite in the main building to one of the condos is that the condos are timeshares, and they are run by a co. not affiliated with ES. That's 95% true -- there are no upgrades to the timeshare units. What they don't tell you is that a small number of those condos (ground floor, facing the pools) are owned 100% by the hotel. They are 2br units with the 2-double-bed-room a lockout, converting the other part to a 1-br King condo. Same capacity as the ES suites, but much roomier, and a great location.

- You'll want to rent a car, but also time your trips into San Juan very carefully -- e.g. going back to the resort during afternoon rush hour is not a good idea. Get your dinner in Old San Juan and go home later. With good traffic flow, you are less than 30 minutes from OSJ. You can also take the shore road to the ferry near the Bacardi distillery, which takes you into OSJ with no parking worries -- ferry stops running in the early evening, so it's best for day trips.

For all my complaints, I'd say it was the best choice on Puerto Rico with kids -- better than the Caribe Hilton, which I would consider if we didn't have the kids.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by gsilliman:
There's a good supermarket near the hotel, and a Subway and a Pizza Hut (such local charm!) neraby. By the time we got to the second half of our visit, we were making a lunch run to one of those places, and eating at our balcony or poolside.

- You'll want to rent a car, but also time your trips into San Juan very carefully -- e.g. going back to the resort during afternoon rush hour is not a good idea. Get your dinner in Old San Juan and go home later. With good traffic flow, you are less than 30 minutes from OSJ. You can also take the shore road to the ferry near the Bacardi distillery, which takes you into OSJ with no parking worries -- ferry stops running in the early evening, so it's best for day trips.</font>

great review gsilliman, thanks.

Dorado area is fine if you are a resort type person and like to hang out at resorts, but San Juan is a vibrant city w/incredible food and personally I like to be closer to the action.

Just got back from a weeks stay at the Dorado Del Mar Embassy Suites Hotel.

IT WAS GREAT.

Staff was excellent. Facilities were superb.

Multiple pools with a small somewhat private beach adjacent.

We have a 17 month old...One kiddie pool and a large walk in type pool...He loved it.

1 hour drive or so from the Rainforest, 1/2 gour to old San Juan.

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1K, Honors Gold

I stayed at the Embassy Suites El Dorado. They have a nice pool and small beach facility. It is not the best snorkeling area(East of San Juan), but there are some snorkeling possibilities out by the man made reef. It seemed to be a local family vacation spot on the weekend, but was quiet during the week. Breakfast was decent. There are limited food options in that area. There are some nice beach areas within 20-30 minute drive. The Wyndham in El Dorado has a casino, but I did not make it there. The golf course looked decent, although I did not play it. Another option is the housing complex next to the Embassy Suites. These places are often available for rent, and while it won't be as luxurious, it will be cheaper if you are there for a week.

I stayed at the ES Dorado as it was quite less than the other HH props last year and was very disappointed. My room faced an electrical generater and I gotta little zzzzzz's that night (I was to have stayed 3 nights but left). The Happy Hour consisted of stale potato chips, stale pretzels ans stale multi-colored taco chips. Occasionally they would bring a new bowl of salsa etc. It was immediately gobbled up by the locals and their 30 kids. Pool dirty and breakfast was a disaster. The room came equipped with 3 cock-a-roaches, 2-3 small lizards and some spiders. I was hoping the lizards would eat the protein but the overall population stayed the same.

I went back to the nice Caribe Hilton and enjoyed myself. I am familar with the Dorado Del Mar area and it has some excellent restaurants, beaches, bars etc. Hyatt ran the Cerramar totally downhill and closed it. The Dorado Beach is still open I believe. And Hilton once had a large 7 story hotel in Dorado Del Mar (the locals told me) before I ever heard of Hilton.

MisterNice

Just got back from 7 nights in Puerto Rico. This will be a brief review, but I may flesh it out after I catch up some.

It takes about 45 minutes in traffic to get to the property from SJU. The directions from the website were sufficient. Checked in Saturday 6/18 at around 4:30 PM. There is an HH line for check-ins. I was addressed immediately despite a moderate line of non-HH guests. This line is for HHonors members. Although I am a Diamond, elite status is not required. This was a combination paid/award stay. I paid for the first night. We were given suite 2630 (on the 6th floor) a corner with a view to the East (Ocean) and South (golf course). There were 2 bottled waters in the room and a San Juan Star newspaper was delvered 3 mornings out of 7. It was available in the dining room as well.

As an HH elite, we had the option of enjoying the manager's reception at the lobby bar (elite only) or the pool bar (all guests). You show your gold room key to confirm elite status. We enjoyed the Medalla Lite on tap - there appears to be no limit although we never drank more than 4 each.

We were tired from travel, so we opted to eat the buffet the first night. It is 21.95 a person and includes dessert. It is visually appealing, but not too exciting. There was fish (ok), chicken (ok), pork (good) and a half dozen salads. I didn't care for it, but one of my sons enjoyed the Plaintain salad (imagine a pasta salad with plaintains substituting for pasta). The grilled vegetables were delicious, very heavy on the garlic. The desserts included a raspberry torte, chocolate cake and coconut pudding.

We had some issues with the room but not worth complaining. The mattresses should be replaced. They are starting to sag. We switched with one son because Mrs BamaVol and I were meeting in the low place in the middle once asleep. Housekeeping could not remember to leave 4 towels despite being asked daily. (Why is 3 the magic number, anyway?) MAJOR WARNING FOR THOSE WHO LIKE TO SLEEP LATE. There is construction on the East side of the property. I don't know what they're adding on, but work starts at 7:00 AM every morning including Sunday. They had the girders up for 2 stories and were laying a metal floor last week. This looks like it could go on for weeks. If you like to sleep past 7, ask for a suite on the West side. Better yet, ask for one facing the ocean to the North.

Valet parking is efficient and staffed 24/7. It costs $14 daily. The advantage over the $7 self parking is your car is kept in the basement garage. It will be moderately cool when it arrives. Temperatures hit the mid 90's all week with 100% humidity.

All employees are friendly and all speak English exceptionally well, many without a trace of an accent (ok, there were a couple that sounded like New Yorkers). The ones I engaged in conversation had all lived in the US for some period and all still had relatives here.

Breakfast was the usual ES. Skip the scrambled eggs, they are precooked. The rest of the eggs were cooked to order. The pancakes were fine. I was mildly disappointed that coffee was not excellent local product and the only exotic juice selection was Pineapple. There is a sign in the lobby that tells you Breakfast will be excellent at 7:00, good at 8:00 and busy at 9:00. They aren't kidding.

In addition to the breakfast and buffet, we ordered Pizza from Oregano across the front lot in the Golf Clubhouse. We found it delectable and reasonably priced at abound $14-16 for a large 8 slice pie. You call in your order but pick up yourself. We had one lunch at the pool bar. Drinks are small and pricy ($3 draft and $6 pina colada - both 8 oz) and lunch was not cheap. We split an $11 hamburger with fries.

The hotel was packed, probably sold out Saturday and Friday nights. Very few of the guests were from the 50 states. It appears to be popular as a vacation spot with locals. Some may find that bothersome. We were charmed by it. Naturally, most guests were families. That did crowd the pool at times but there was always room and open lounge chairs when we wanted them.

The pool is large with 3 levels. There is a bar/restaurant in the middle but you have to leave the water to order. There is a small beach. It fronts a shallow pool enclosed by rock jetties. You have to get over/around some rocks to get far. Mrs BamaVol spent one afternoon sitting there surrounded by small turquoise and yellow fish. She was delighted.

There is an arcade and small guest laundry in the basement. The change machine and soap dispenser were broken so I had to buy detergent at the grocery store. The package was in spanish and it smelled like grape koolade but I'm pretty sure it was detergent. There is a gift shop in the lobby. It is overpriced, both for necessities (a candy bar is $1.65) and cr@p. There is a tour desk. We toured on our own and saved paying any premium for those who do not wish to brave the formidable Puerto Rican traffic, poor roads and spanish signs. There is an ATH (ATM) in the lobby. Banco Popular would not recognize my ATM card so I was forced to use a different banks ATM in town.

That's as much as I can remember about the ES. There will be an additional Puerto Rico review, probably in the Caribbean forum, and I may add more here as I think of it. Feel free to ask any questions if you need to know something not listed here.

BamaVol,

Thanks for the report.

I agree with the "exotic juice" anticipation. I always look forward to finding something different at hotels in tropical locations. I can still remember that great guava mango juice at the Hilton Los Cabos.

We are going in February. A couple questions, if you don't mind:

What tours did you do? Are there any opportunities for whale or dolphin watching tours?

Also, how do they verify your HH status for purposes of getting evening reception drinks at the lobby bar vs. the pool bar?

BamaVol,

Thanks for the report.

I agree with the "exotic juice" anticipation. I always look forward to finding something different at hotels in tropical locations. I can still remember that great guava mango juice at the Hilton Los Cabos.

We are going in February. A couple questions, if you don't mind:

What tours did you do? Are there any opportunities for whale or dolphin watching tours?

Also, how do they verify your HH status for purposes of getting evening reception drinks at the lobby bar vs. the pool bar?

We visited:

Rio Camuy Caves - go early in the day. You are assigned a number as you arrive and the tours are conducted in groups of 30. We got there at 1:00 PM and they stopped selling tickets shortly thereafter. We waited 2 hours in the heat for our group to be called. Great tour. About an hour. $10/person and $2 to park. Very damp. I think the tour desk wanted $40 or $45 a person.

El Yunque - fascinating. Admission is $3 to the park center. The drive up the mountain is free. I had read complaints that there was no wildlife to be seen. I selected a picnic shelter across from some brush and watched birds and lizards for 30 minutes. The insect life is also weird and plentiful. There are tropical plants and water features to enjoy. Do not expects monkeys and parrots. Tour desk wanted $50 or $60.

Casa Bacardi and Old San Juan. It's fun to drink rum at 10:00 AM and it's free. Took a $.50 ferry ride to OSJ. $3 to park for the day. $3 each for El Morro. Don't miss the Cathedral or El Convento Hotel. Wandered around all afternoon, but have no real idea where I was. When it got too hot, we slipped into gift shops and galleries (and Ben & Jerry's). Tour desk wanted $30 or $40.

Vega Baja Beach. Where the locals go for sun and surf. Only 5 miles from the ES, but 30 miles of road & scary traffic. Strange rock formations that you can climb on - take your sneakers. The beach is lined with bars and restaurants. Not offered by the tour desk.

Plaza Las Americas - largest mall in the Carribean. Penney's & Sears etc but also local stores & a huge craft show going on while we visted. Got a big kick out of a store that featured religious items. We had considered purchasing "santos" - local carved figures of saints, but left in a hurry when the boys got in an argument. I had also meant to go back and buy a porcelain tile that read "Somos Catolicos". I figured it was a hex sign to keep away Jehovahs Witnesses. :D Some excellent kiosks in the mall featured cuatros (PR stringed instrument) and cuatro music on CD. I guess I will just have to order on the internet.

No whales to be watched in June. I believe they can be seen off the west coast in the winter. You'd probably head for Aquadilla.

At the front desk, they have index cards with good directions to anywhere you might want to go. Unfortunately, some of the exits are incorrect. I had to turn around a couple times because it said 8B and should have been 8A, for example.

HH elites get a gold room key that they show at the lobby bar. All others use wristbands or white paper passes issued at check in at the pool bar.

Have fun. We did.

The home page for the ES in Dorado now says that they are charging a 8% resort fee. With all of the negative press that resort fees have gotten through the years you would think that more hotels would shift away from them, not towards them.

Does anyone know if (or how) the new 8% resort fee gets charged to award stays? Thanks!

Does anyone know if (or how) the new 8% resort fee gets charged to award stays? Thanks!

Can't say specifically at ES Dorado, but based on other posts to this forum, it appears to be a HH policy.

Considering this hotel for stay in SJU, Any recent reviews?

Thanks!
Tina

I stayed there last Feb. No big HH status, so I can't comment on that part. BamaVol's trip report seems pretty accurate to me.

A couple of things that I might add:

They have a zero entry pool and a kiddie pool, both of which I appreciate.

Since I was traveling with a couple of kids we did not eat off property much. A popular, yet frugal option for us, was to buy pizza to go at Oregano's and eat it on the pool deck, enjoying it along with our free happy hour drinks.

There is rocky outcrop a little ways out that keeps the waves down. For the adventurous among us it may seem limiting, but with kids it worked out well.

The pool bar and grill closes at 5pm. Plan accordingly.

The beach appears to be public. I noticed alot of locals on the weekend only.

Coin operated laundry room in the basement. Helps out when you are staying for a week or so.

Disclaimer: I don't like getting nickeled and dimed, so I really like the ES concept.

Does anyone know if (or how) the new 8% resort fee gets charged to award stays? Thanks!
I have not seen one on percents yet, but at other hotels with a 10/ day resort fee I have had to pay it.

I stayed there last Feb. No big HH status, so I can't comment on that part. BamaVol's trip report seems pretty accurate to me.

A couple of things that I might add:

They have a zero entry pool and a kiddie pool, both of which I appreciate.

Since I was traveling with a couple of kids we did not eat off property much. A popular, yet frugal option for us, was to buy pizza to go at Oregano's and eat it on the pool deck, enjoying it along with our free happy hour drinks.

There is rocky outcrop a little ways out that keeps the waves down. For the adventurous among us it may seem limiting, but with kids it worked out well.

The pool bar and grill closes at 5pm. Plan accordingly.

The beach appears to be public. I noticed alot of locals on the weekend only.

Coin operated laundry room in the basement. Helps out when you are staying for a week or so.

Disclaimer: I don't like getting nickeled and dimed, so I really like the ES concept.

Thank you for taking the time to post. I appreciate your updated review.

Just back from another 7 night stay. A few things have changed since my stay from last winter, which I reported above:

Newspapers: They used to have complimentary USA Todays by the BK room. Now they only have the San Juan paper available for free. The USA Today will now set you back $3.50 in the gift shop. No newspaper delivered to our door.

BK: Now you can scoop out your own omelette toppings and give them to the chef for prep. They also have a "passion" juice available now.

Chairs: They replaced the BK seating and pool deck seating near the evening reception. A little classier.

Resort Fee: I was disappointed to see the resort fee tacked onto my bill each night, although I made my reservation well before there was any indication that they were starting one on January 1. They did not give out any information as to what it covers when you check in. I would make sure to ask for a list of benefits. The fee is mandatory. Also, we did not get HH points on the resort fee portion.

HH Level: It used to be a Cat 4. Now it is a 6. I think that as a 4 it is a great value, especially for families. As a 6, especially if I were a high level HH member traveling without kids, I would rather go back to the HWV or Hilton Los Cabos.

Parking: We weren't charged for parking this time. Not sure if that was an oversight or if it were comped due to my wife's Gold status.

Resort Fee: I was disappointed to see the resort fee tacked onto my bill each night, although I made my reservation well before there was any indication that they were starting one on January 1. They did not give out any information as to what it covers when you check in. I would make sure to ask for a list of benefits. The fee is mandatory. Also, we did not get HH points on the resort fee portion.
PR added a sales tax a few months ago. Every hotel down their has a resortfee as of JAN 1, not sure if it was in the tax bill or not. THe resort fee at the ES SJU covers wifi now. It use to be $10.

Stayed last week for 4 nights on an award with my wife and 2 kids.

I am Gold.

Having stayed at HHV, HWV and London Waldorf, I find it amazing this is a Cat 6 property. You can do much better if maximizing points is important to you.

The staff was wonderful and everyone went out of their way to help us.

As a Gold, I thought I'd have a shot at oceanview, at least for a few nights. Although they tried, it never happenned. So, we ended up on the side with a partial ocean view. This would have been more appreciated if there weren't 2 huge cooling towers running constantly on that side.

The other option was a golf course view. I probably would opt for that if I wanted to enjoy the balcony and couldn't get ocean view.

I felt like a second class citizen with the time share getting the better location.

I wasn't charged the resort fee. I was charged for parking.

I thought the beach was small and rocky. At least the seaweed was swept to one side, but it wasn't removed.

The last night in PR, we stayed at the ES San Juan Casino and the beach there was much more to my liking (as in Waikiki like, big, soft and clean).

There were several restaurants nearby that were really good. To go in the day time is fine. However, there are lots of security guards and more police. We needed to be buzzed in to the Baskin Robbins at the strip mall near the guard shack for the ES! Businesses don't shell out money like that for no reason. I never felt unsafe (and I am highly aware of my surroundings, some would say paranoia or can't unwind), but if stuff like that makes you squeamish, don't go.

The restaurant behind the Walgreens is Martin's BBQ. Open for lunch and dinner. Try the mofongo relleno de pollo. I've never had better marinated chicken! Minimal deco and tables and chairs for that matter. Would be good for takeout.

In the shopping center on the same side as the guard shack is a place called Panaderia. Excellent for lunch. Next to Payless shoes. Many locals. Excellent food at a good price.

Peewees Bar and Grill next to the McDonalds. Left turn after guard shack. Fine food but overpriced by a large amount. For almost the same amount of money, you can go to...

Morena- I loved this place! Turn right after the guard shack. Bear left past the Gulf station. It's on the side road right past the Gulf station. Fantastic food, fantastic presentation! Catered to high end local population. Main course's were $18 to $40, but worth it. Most in the $20s. One of the highlights of the trip. Bill for 4 was $100.

They have a kids menu. Chicken tenders are $10. I think that's funny! I am frugal and would go back to this place in a heartbeat, even with $10 chicken tenders!

The other thing that I haven't seen mentioned is it is 1 mile from the hotel to the guard shack. This mile has golf course on either side. I like being able to walk places, instead of having to jump in the rental car all the time.

I personally value a big clean beach too much, and although I'm always up for new experiences, I won't be going back to ES Dorado.

I would go back to Puerto Rico, and Dorado for that matter, if I found a hotel with a nice beach there.

I was told by the desk staff that the reason they couldn't accommodate me in an oceanfront room was that many people were paying cash for the ocean front rooms. I believe them and believe this can explain somewhat why they went to Category 6.

This report is for the other FTers who have helped me out with their posts and spent time reporting back, so others (myself included) can make informed decisions.

If you have specific questions, feel free to post them here or PM me.