Originally Posted by
escape4
Thanks for the review. The last few comments from various FTers make me rethink our upcoming booking at this property. The problem is I am not sure where else I would book as an alternative. You mentioned Hyatt - there is a new Hyatt Regency in PR; despite all its warts I doubt HR would come anywhere near the level of StR.
Regarding SLH, I would be happy to take the discussion to another thread but are you willing to pay 15-20% premium over the rate available on SLH.com to earn Hyatt points? Personally I end up booking direct so yes SLH has great properties, but it's not related to Hyatt unless it's for points redemptions. And loyalty benefits at SLH are very modest and only require a handful of nights to achieve, absolutely peanuts in comparison with Marriott and Hyatt's own loyalty programs.
If you are booking with points, I'm in agreement with your assessment you do not have a lot of good alternatives. I stayed at this property in March, and assuming not a lot has changed, the food, the service, and the general area all rate extremely poor in my view. The hard product is nice as you would expect from a newly renovated property. You know all this going in. So if you want to use points set your expectations accordingly and you can make the best of it. There are plenty of people who have positive reviews on Tripadvisor. If you have a good attitude and are with people you like, you should enjoy yourself if you don't let poor service get to you and try to avoid eating at the hotel (which is somewhat difficult).
Having said that, you could not get me to come back here even if the entire trip was free. If you are paying cash I'd cancel immediately and find another option. If you are looking for an alternative, and presumably already have flights to Puerto Rico, jump on the Tradewinds shuttle to St Barts. There are plenty of luxury hotels and private villa offerings on St Barts comparable in price to St Regis Bahia Beach. And there is no comparison between the two locations. My one and only time staying at St Regis Bahia Beach was enorute to St Barts. I booked five nights at Bahia Beach and was ready to leave after one. This was in March. On my way to St Barts in November I overnighted at a hotel near the SJU airport and took the first available Tradewinds flight in the morning.