Starwood Preferred Guest - Westin Rio Mar - Spring Break Tips

My wife and I are spending Spring Break at the Rio Mar with our seven and two year old children.

The first five nights are at the Ocean Villas (one bedroom) on an 40,000 point award and we are paying to stay in the hotel for the last two nights as the price we were quoted on the Villa was $1295, plus 20% tax.

Our corporate rate is $995, but with the tax $1200 per night is still a little steep (about $1100 per night too steep, but that's our problem)

I'm new to the board, but its obvious that there is a lot of travel experience and knowledge here.

I would appreciate guidance on the following:

1. Any tips on getting lower rates on the Villa for the last two nights

2. Any experience with the Kids Club

3. If we can get a babysitter to make it our for a nice meal, any suggestion on where to go.

4. Is there a dress code for the casino or any of the nicer restaurants in or near the resort.

5. Any other ideas on activities, day trips etc. that we should do while we are there.

This is our first trip to Puerto Rice and we ended up there basically because the air was reasonable and Starwood let me use my points in the villas.

We leave on Thursday, March 21.

Thanks in advance for any help.

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Did you try the SPG50? That might work as it sounds like that $1295 has to be close to rack.

Also, others have reported less than satisfctory experiences with the Villas, but wonderful experiences with the hotel. Maybe you should just chance it with a room in the hotel and hope to be upgraded to a suite for the last night.

tripper9 --

Welcome to FlyerTalk! I just got back from a 5 night stay at the Rio Mar hotel with my wife and 2 and 4 year old boys. We had a fabulous time. We did not stay in the villas, but could have upgraded there (although they would only give us a one bedroom.) Ultimately, we took a jr. suite upgrade instead.

1. Any tips on getting lower rates on the Villa for the last two nights

Have you tried to use a 50% off award? It's only 1500 points, but it is capacity controlled. Try using it on the front or back end of your stay. You can also get one for free with the SPG optima card.

2. Any experience with the Kids Club

Had we stayed another day or two, we would have tried this out. It's $25 for a half day (9-12 or 12-3) or $40 for the whole day. It is for ages 4 and up. I spoke to the manager of the program and she told me that they have an average of 2-7 kids a day in the program. They also run a "camp" in the evening.

3. If we can get a babysitter to make it our for a nice meal, any suggestion on where to go.

We took our kids everywhere and ate well off the property and on. We had a great meal at King Seafood, which is in the town of Luquillo, about 10 minutes away. It's very local and not at all dressy, but in 20 business trips to PR, it was one of the best meals I've had on the island. Old San Juan is about a 45 minute ride. If you want more upscale, try a restaurant there call the Parrot Club on Fortaleza Street. I'm sure the concierge can help you here.

4. Is there a dress code for the casino or any of the nicer restaurants in or near the resort.

Most of the men in the casino wore slacks or dockers and a polo. I wore shorts and was far from alone.

5. Any other ideas on activities, day trips etc. that we should do while we are there.

We took a day trip to St. Thomas and had a great time there. There is a ship that sails out of Fajardo (about a 20 minute drive) every Saturday.

You're only 10 minutes from the rain forest, so that's a must.

Old San Juan has great little shops, and lots of history. My kids are too young for the history part, but we did go through the shops. If at all possible, find out which days the cruise ships are NOT in port and go then. Imagine 5,000 cruisers on very old, narrow streets. You'll enjoy this more if you can avoid them.

A couple of other thoughts and comments:

Are you renting a vehicle? If you are you won't regret it. We took off on a moment's notice and valet parked. If you don't you'll spend a fortune every time that you leave the property. If you have a vehicle, check out the bakery at the bottom of the street that leads up to the hotel. (You will make a left off of Rt. 3 from the airport which will take you up a big hill. The bakery is on your right after you make the turn.) They have sandwiches and pastries. We bought lunch there a couple of times and all of us ate for about $12 vs $50 for "pool" service. This is not to metion that the pastries were out of this world.

The Villas are a 5-10 minute walk back to the main hotel property where all of the restaurants and casino are. There is a shuttle, but it makes a big loop on the property, so it's also a 10-15 minute shuttle.

Since you're at the Villas, you'll need to visit the pools at the hotel. The "family" pool has a water slide and activities, as well as a baby pool very near by. I'm sure you're 7 year old will appreciate the activities here. My kids had a blast at the pools, which were very highly supervised. Also, don't bother bringing sand or pool toys since you can sign them out right there. We actually had more tripping planned, but the kids enjoyed the water so much, we stayed local.

I made major points telling my wife to get a massage on the beach. They do have a full service spa on the premisis.

You've made a great choice for a family vacation. We had the best vacation we've ever taken and our only regret was that we didn't stay longer.

Buenos suerte -- good luck!

[This message has been edited by MarshB (edited 03-17-2002).]

I have no kids so can't comment on that part, but the El Yunque rain forest already referenced is really cool. A two year-old might not get a lot out of it, but the seven year-old should find it enjoyable. It's about a twenty minute drive from the hotel. They have guides who will take you through if and point out the various plants and animals.

BoSoxFan45

I tried to email you but received a failure notice so I am posting my thank you.

Thanks for the information. I really like the idea about trading
the Villa for a suite in the hotel. I prefer hotels due to the
availability of services, proximity to pools, etc, but I can't spend a week in
a hotel room with my kids ( I love them, but I need a door) so I guess
there is a tradeoff.



In all fairness, I'm pretty sure the wife and 7 year old daughter would say the
same about me.



Do you think I should ask for the trade now or when I arrive at the
hotel? I am SPG Gold and I am upgraded about 50% of the time when I
travel domestically, but have no idea what my chances would be in Puerto
Rico.



Thanks again,



Dave

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by tripper9:
Do you think I should ask for the trade now or when I arrive at the hotel? I am SPG Gold and I am upgraded about 50% of the time when I travel domestically, but have no idea what my chances would be in Puerto Rico.
</font>

The question is what would they upgrade you to? As a gold, they may not upgrade you to a jr. suite (ours had a door to the master bedroom,) so there is a risk.

Your best bet is probably to keep the villa and see what you can negotiate upon arrival. Don't hesitate to ask for a manager. I found the staff and desk management to be outstanding and they bent over backwards for us. As a platinum, they first upgraded us to a double room on the executive floor, but, it certainly was cramped. The next day, we had a choice of two adjoining rooms, a one bedroom villa or the jr. suite that we took.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by tripper9:
BoSoxFan45

I tried to email you but received a failure notice so I am posting my thank you.

Thanks for the information. I really like the idea about trading
the Villa for a suite in the hotel. I prefer hotels due to the
availability of services, proximity to pools, etc, but I can't spend a week in
a hotel room with my kids ( I love them, but I need a door) so I guess
there is a tradeoff.



In all fairness, I'm pretty sure the wife and 7 year old daughter would say the
same about me.



Do you think I should ask for the trade now or when I arrive at the
hotel? I am SPG Gold and I am upgraded about 50% of the time when I
travel domestically, but have no idea what my chances would be in Puerto
Rico.



Thanks again,



Dave</font>

Dave-

Sorry about the e-mail- my company's server is down. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif It will be back up in the next day or heads WILL ROLL!

I've found that being Gold won't get you much of a chance for an upgrade.

If you are going to pay cash for one night, why not move to the hotel if it wll save you $1000 or so, even if you get a standard room?

Hi Tripper,

I have stayed at both resorts, most recently at the Villas. The Villas are wonderful, and we found a one-bedroom to be perfect, even with two kids aged 11 and 13. No upgrades for Plat, even though there was 2 br avail, but s'ok, the 1 bedroom was great. The Villas pool is great for adults, and there are many toddlers there as well, but your 7 yo will enjoy the hotel pool more. Valet parking at the villas is a little slow and awkward, it would be better if they had a self-park option.. We had our car parked directly below our villa, and would truck the surfboards, etc, down there in the morning and load the car, then had to walk a ways to the front desk to have them "bring the car around".. Odd, but not too bad.. If you have a car, stop by a grocery store on your way in to stock up on "the kids stuff" and a little adult stuff too.. Plenty of room in that big fridge for champagne and breakfast foods for eating out on your balcony!!

Bring a collapsible cooler to pack up for day trips: the Rainforest is good, but your 2 yo will most likely be bored, and the hike may not be a great idea (I took my then 3 & 5 yo hiking up Manoa Falls in HNL once, and the trail seemed to go on forever, esp once we began carrying the baby!! I waited until they were 7 & 9 for the longer trails on the Napili Coast). Lots of great little beaches to discover, but if you're not into snorkeling (not great snorkeling at that), staying at the hotel is fine.. My kids always enjoy a day trip into SJU, if even to shop for trinkets by the cruise ship terminal at the little kiosks or a walk around Old San Juan.

Never had chance to use babysitters or kids club, but they appear appropriate.. Must make use of the spa! The casino is small, but nice, and I found the ONLY Carib Stud table there I have EVER won on, 3 nts in a row!! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif Restaurants are ok, but VERY overpriced for the area! If you want to go sans kids, and therefore, stay in the hotel, I like the one right at the Villas (very exp), but bring bug spray if you want a romantic table outside! With the kids, the buffet serves GREAT food without the long service of the sit down restaurants. We found the service at the oriental(?) rest sub-par, on two separate nights, and the food OK but not worth the $$. If you can go off site for dinner with the kids, there are a lot of great places to go in Luquillo etc (see other's recommendations!). Driving PR is absolutely no problem; just remember that OESTE is West and ESTE is East and you'll be fine!!

I personally would probably enjoy the change from the villas to the hotel on the last couple of days! The Villas are awesome, but you do feel a bit isolated from the action at the hotel, with its pool, restaurants, casino, spa, etc. If you feel it necessary to stay at the villas, the 50% Reward is your best bet.. The Villas are great, but I am too cheap to spend that kind of $$ to stay there; that's why the 40K award is sooo great!

E-amil me directly if you have any specific questions, I am sure I left a LOT out!!

Robin

BoSoxFan45

I am moving to the hotel for the last two nights. I was quoted $255 per night. I have never done the 50% off for 1500 points award, but I think saving $255 for 3000 points makes sense, if they have capacity to allow the award use.

Dave

[This message has been edited by tripper9 (edited 03-18-2002).]