(Currently Closed) W Retreat & Spa, Vieques, Puerto Rico [Master Thread]
Apr 12, 2013, 7:00 pm
#92
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: Starwood
Posts: 37
Beautiful Retreat!
We just got back! We spent four nights at the W on Vieques during spring break -- the first week of April -- and had a wonderful time. I had read a lot of bad reviews, so I was prepared to be disappointed by certain aspects of the resort, but we did not have any problems!
I had booked a garden view room through cash and points, and put in a request for suite upgrades. I was hopeful but worried, as I knew it was spring break and that the hotel would be crowded. So I was disappointed to find out the day before our arrival that our suite upgrade requests were rejected to due "lack of availability". When I grudgingly went back to my reservation to remind myself how bad the room we had really was, I was thrilled to find out that we WERE upgraded (without using our suite upgrade nights!!!) to a Partial Ocean View Marvelous Retreat! And when we arrived, we found out it actually had a FULL ocean view. We LOVED the room. It was spacious and practical, and the bed was really comfortable! (Unfortunately, the rain shower head had terrible water pressure so it was difficult to wash long hair.)
We took the breakfast credit for our platinum amenity, but then later found out they gave us the platinum amenity anyway!
The beaches are gorgeous, as well as peaceful and quiet. Most people seemed to hang out by the pool, which was more crowded. The adult beach was especially quiet -- there were never more than 4 or 5 other people on it all day long. (Yes, they often forget to restock the towels.) One day we went to the regular beach, where you can order food to be brought to your chaise, and were surprised to find it was uncrowded as well!
We ate all our meals at the hotel and they ranged from fine to delicious. Nothing at all was subpar, and the cocktails were amazing! Our servers were all terrific too -- so nice, friendly, and courteous. (Yes, the service was sometimes slow -- but who needs to be in a hurry at this resort?)
The grounds themselves are very beautiful. It was so cool to see the wild horses roaming around as well as colorful iguanas.
There was even a huge wedding one night, but the hotel went out of it's way to make sure the hotel guests weren't imposed upon.
Overall, I would recommend you ignore all the complaints of this place. The few imperfections are hugely outweighed by the beauty and peace. It is truly a RETREAT!
I had booked a garden view room through cash and points, and put in a request for suite upgrades. I was hopeful but worried, as I knew it was spring break and that the hotel would be crowded. So I was disappointed to find out the day before our arrival that our suite upgrade requests were rejected to due "lack of availability". When I grudgingly went back to my reservation to remind myself how bad the room we had really was, I was thrilled to find out that we WERE upgraded (without using our suite upgrade nights!!!) to a Partial Ocean View Marvelous Retreat! And when we arrived, we found out it actually had a FULL ocean view. We LOVED the room. It was spacious and practical, and the bed was really comfortable! (Unfortunately, the rain shower head had terrible water pressure so it was difficult to wash long hair.)
We took the breakfast credit for our platinum amenity, but then later found out they gave us the platinum amenity anyway!
The beaches are gorgeous, as well as peaceful and quiet. Most people seemed to hang out by the pool, which was more crowded. The adult beach was especially quiet -- there were never more than 4 or 5 other people on it all day long. (Yes, they often forget to restock the towels.) One day we went to the regular beach, where you can order food to be brought to your chaise, and were surprised to find it was uncrowded as well!
We ate all our meals at the hotel and they ranged from fine to delicious. Nothing at all was subpar, and the cocktails were amazing! Our servers were all terrific too -- so nice, friendly, and courteous. (Yes, the service was sometimes slow -- but who needs to be in a hurry at this resort?)
The grounds themselves are very beautiful. It was so cool to see the wild horses roaming around as well as colorful iguanas.
There was even a huge wedding one night, but the hotel went out of it's way to make sure the hotel guests weren't imposed upon.
Overall, I would recommend you ignore all the complaints of this place. The few imperfections are hugely outweighed by the beauty and peace. It is truly a RETREAT!
Apr 17, 2013, 10:52 am
#94
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: Starwood
Posts: 37
I sent a very nice email asking for an upgrade and was told that they can't guarantee upgrades for plats but would do everything possible to upgrade if it is available. I also tried to use my suite night upgrades, but that (as i said above) was not how i got the upgrade.
Apr 25, 2013, 1:15 pm
#95
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: GVA
Programs: BA Silver (OW Sapphire), A3 Gold (*G), Bonvoy LTTE, HHonors Diamond, LeClubAccor Silver, UA Silver
Posts: 1,778
Thought I would post my experiences from my 4-night stay earlier in the month
Property is gorgeous, probably one of the nicest W I have stayed at (along with South Beach). Very relaxed setting, with wild horses roaming around, and the two beaches on site are actually quite nice.
We stayed right after Easter, and the majority of guests were families with kids, mostly tweens so generally well behaved (i.e. glued to their iPads).
I had put in an SNA request, which was declined, but got a massive oceanfront suite anyway, which was very nice. The room was so nice we almost spent more time relaxing in the room (which was right in front entrance to second beach) than in the rest of the property as the pool area was very busy.
I second previous comments regarding the concierge: they were great by warning us ahead of our stay that it would be a busy period and therefore we should make car hire/restaurant reservations asap.
Room for improvement. Mostly around front desk, which could be more proactive:
- I put in a request for Your24 early check-in, which was approved, but then had to wait till 4pm for check-in instead of requested 10:00AM. I didn’t complain as they told us they were upgrading us, but had I known in advance, I would have timed my arrival for later in the day.
- Plat amenity is free breakfast at the café (3 items, I believe), or $15 credit per day at the restaurant. WARNING: the latter is non-cumulative, so to benefit from it, you would have to eat at Sorce every day. It also does not include F&B you order from the terrace bar. Nobody explained this at check-in.
- We booked a tour at Abe’s, and asked them to organize transportation to get there. They never asked/offered about transportation for the way back. In the end our tour finished at midnight and we were stranded as there were no “publicos” on duty and we had to get them to reluctantly pick us up from the hotel.
But the hostess at Sorce takes the cake:
On our last night we showed up to dinner at 7pm without reservations. There were a total of 4-5 other couples having dinner. Another 20 tables or so were vacant. She tells us, sorry you cannot eat because there is a table of 13 guests booked for dinner, and we want to ensure you have the best possible experience… what!? So you can only give good service if you’re operating at 30% capacity? We had to beg to get a table in the end, but saw other people get turned away… a pity because the food was actually quite nice. Turns out the 13 guests were 6 adults and 7 children! If I was the owner I would be totally miffed!! This doesn’t make business sense! No wonder Alain Ducasse packed up from here…
But on the whole, we had a very nice stay and I would recommend staying here.
Property is gorgeous, probably one of the nicest W I have stayed at (along with South Beach). Very relaxed setting, with wild horses roaming around, and the two beaches on site are actually quite nice.
We stayed right after Easter, and the majority of guests were families with kids, mostly tweens so generally well behaved (i.e. glued to their iPads).
I had put in an SNA request, which was declined, but got a massive oceanfront suite anyway, which was very nice. The room was so nice we almost spent more time relaxing in the room (which was right in front entrance to second beach) than in the rest of the property as the pool area was very busy.
I second previous comments regarding the concierge: they were great by warning us ahead of our stay that it would be a busy period and therefore we should make car hire/restaurant reservations asap.
Room for improvement. Mostly around front desk, which could be more proactive:
- I put in a request for Your24 early check-in, which was approved, but then had to wait till 4pm for check-in instead of requested 10:00AM. I didn’t complain as they told us they were upgrading us, but had I known in advance, I would have timed my arrival for later in the day.
- Plat amenity is free breakfast at the café (3 items, I believe), or $15 credit per day at the restaurant. WARNING: the latter is non-cumulative, so to benefit from it, you would have to eat at Sorce every day. It also does not include F&B you order from the terrace bar. Nobody explained this at check-in.
- We booked a tour at Abe’s, and asked them to organize transportation to get there. They never asked/offered about transportation for the way back. In the end our tour finished at midnight and we were stranded as there were no “publicos” on duty and we had to get them to reluctantly pick us up from the hotel.
But the hostess at Sorce takes the cake:
On our last night we showed up to dinner at 7pm without reservations. There were a total of 4-5 other couples having dinner. Another 20 tables or so were vacant. She tells us, sorry you cannot eat because there is a table of 13 guests booked for dinner, and we want to ensure you have the best possible experience… what!? So you can only give good service if you’re operating at 30% capacity? We had to beg to get a table in the end, but saw other people get turned away… a pity because the food was actually quite nice. Turns out the 13 guests were 6 adults and 7 children! If I was the owner I would be totally miffed!! This doesn’t make business sense! No wonder Alain Ducasse packed up from here…
But on the whole, we had a very nice stay and I would recommend staying here.
Apr 25, 2013, 1:51 pm
#96
Join Date: May 2012
Programs: SPG, Hyatt, CC, AA, UA, WN
Posts: 256
Thought I would post my experiences from my 4-night stay earlier in the month
Property is gorgeous, probably one of the nicest W I have stayed at (along with South Beach). Very relaxed setting, with wild horses roaming around, and the two beaches on site are actually quite nice.
We stayed right after Easter, and the majority of guests were families with kids, mostly tweens so generally well behaved (i.e. glued to their iPads).
I had put in an SNA request, which was declined, but got a massive oceanfront suite anyway, which was very nice. The room was so nice we almost spent more time relaxing in the room (which was right in front entrance to second beach) than in the rest of the property as the pool area was very busy.
I second previous comments regarding the concierge: they were great by warning us ahead of our stay that it would be a busy period and therefore we should make car hire/restaurant reservations asap.
Room for improvement. Mostly around front desk, which could be more proactive:
- I put in a request for Your24 early check-in, which was approved, but then had to wait till 4pm for check-in instead of requested 10:00AM. I didn’t complain as they told us they were upgrading us, but had I known in advance, I would have timed my arrival for later in the day.
- Plat amenity is free breakfast at the café (3 items, I believe), or $15 credit per day at the restaurant. WARNING: the latter is non-cumulative, so to benefit from it, you would have to eat at Sorce every day. It also does not include F&B you order from the terrace bar. Nobody explained this at check-in.
- We booked a tour at Abe’s, and asked them to organize transportation to get there. They never asked/offered about transportation for the way back. In the end our tour finished at midnight and we were stranded as there were no “publicos” on duty and we had to get them to reluctantly pick us up from the hotel.
But the hostess at Sorce takes the cake:
On our last night we showed up to dinner at 7pm without reservations. There were a total of 4-5 other couples having dinner. Another 20 tables or so were vacant. She tells us, sorry you cannot eat because there is a table of 13 guests booked for dinner, and we want to ensure you have the best possible experience… what!? So you can only give good service if you’re operating at 30% capacity? We had to beg to get a table in the end, but saw other people get turned away… a pity because the food was actually quite nice. Turns out the 13 guests were 6 adults and 7 children! If I was the owner I would be totally miffed!! This doesn’t make business sense! No wonder Alain Ducasse packed up from here…
But on the whole, we had a very nice stay and I would recommend staying here.
Property is gorgeous, probably one of the nicest W I have stayed at (along with South Beach). Very relaxed setting, with wild horses roaming around, and the two beaches on site are actually quite nice.
We stayed right after Easter, and the majority of guests were families with kids, mostly tweens so generally well behaved (i.e. glued to their iPads).
I had put in an SNA request, which was declined, but got a massive oceanfront suite anyway, which was very nice. The room was so nice we almost spent more time relaxing in the room (which was right in front entrance to second beach) than in the rest of the property as the pool area was very busy.
I second previous comments regarding the concierge: they were great by warning us ahead of our stay that it would be a busy period and therefore we should make car hire/restaurant reservations asap.
Room for improvement. Mostly around front desk, which could be more proactive:
- I put in a request for Your24 early check-in, which was approved, but then had to wait till 4pm for check-in instead of requested 10:00AM. I didn’t complain as they told us they were upgrading us, but had I known in advance, I would have timed my arrival for later in the day.
- Plat amenity is free breakfast at the café (3 items, I believe), or $15 credit per day at the restaurant. WARNING: the latter is non-cumulative, so to benefit from it, you would have to eat at Sorce every day. It also does not include F&B you order from the terrace bar. Nobody explained this at check-in.
- We booked a tour at Abe’s, and asked them to organize transportation to get there. They never asked/offered about transportation for the way back. In the end our tour finished at midnight and we were stranded as there were no “publicos” on duty and we had to get them to reluctantly pick us up from the hotel.
But the hostess at Sorce takes the cake:
On our last night we showed up to dinner at 7pm without reservations. There were a total of 4-5 other couples having dinner. Another 20 tables or so were vacant. She tells us, sorry you cannot eat because there is a table of 13 guests booked for dinner, and we want to ensure you have the best possible experience… what!? So you can only give good service if you’re operating at 30% capacity? We had to beg to get a table in the end, but saw other people get turned away… a pity because the food was actually quite nice. Turns out the 13 guests were 6 adults and 7 children! If I was the owner I would be totally miffed!! This doesn’t make business sense! No wonder Alain Ducasse packed up from here…
But on the whole, we had a very nice stay and I would recommend staying here.
Apr 25, 2013, 2:11 pm
#97
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: GVA
Programs: BA Silver (OW Sapphire), A3 Gold (*G), Bonvoy LTTE, HHonors Diamond, LeClubAccor Silver, UA Silver
Posts: 1,778
There's free snorkeling gear rental, and that's about it. I thought if they threw in bike rentals and perhaps a tour, or some shuttle rides to Esperanza it'd have been sort of justifiable, but as it is, it's a shameful rip-off.
Apr 25, 2013, 2:20 pm
#98
Join Date: May 2012
Programs: SPG, Hyatt, CC, AA, UA, WN
Posts: 256
Oh, the resort fee... how could I forget about that!!? It is such a joke! Among the sorry excuses they give to justify, they mutter something about towels...
There's free snorkeling gear rental, and that's about it. I thought if they threw in bike rentals and perhaps a tour, or some shuttle rides to Esperanza it'd have been sort of justifiable, but as it is, it's a shameful rip-off.
There's free snorkeling gear rental, and that's about it. I thought if they threw in bike rentals and perhaps a tour, or some shuttle rides to Esperanza it'd have been sort of justifiable, but as it is, it's a shameful rip-off.
Sep 5, 2013, 9:39 am
#99
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: 212
Programs: Marriott Titanium, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 502
Has anyone booked using Amex Platinum Fine Hotes & Resorts? Do you still pay the $60 resort fee? The Amex FH&R site doesn't mention Resort Fees at all.
I'm assuming SPG points are still earned, but can anyone confirm?
I'm assuming SPG points are still earned, but can anyone confirm?
Sep 10, 2013, 7:53 am
#100
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Programs: AA EXP 1 Million Miles, Hilton Diamond, AMEX Platinum, AA Citi Exec, Hilton Aspire, Bilt
Posts: 179
Just finished a three night stay at this property. The property is indeed very beautiful and relaxing, and the rooms are very impressive. The food is very good at both the restaurant and pool areas and not outrageously expensive considering there are few other options (especially in the Sept 1- Nov 1 low season, when many restaurants close on the island). There is a car rental (Jeep Wranglers, necessary for accessing the more isolated beaches in the National Wildlife Refuge) on the property which is very convenient.
Oct 14, 2013, 6:20 pm
#101
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: State College, PA
Programs: US Airways CP, UA 1K, DL Plat, Marriott Gold, SPG Plat
Posts: 286
Just spent 6 days at the resort on points and really liked it. I had no service issues, probably due to low season, but found the staff very friendly, attentive, using my name and remembering me. From my experiences in PR this was much better. The rooms are very nice and we were upgraded to an ocean view. Great bath and shower.
Couple of tips. Got the $15 coupon and used it at breakfast with my GF every day. They took off $30 each time and it made breakfast around $12 including tip. Really great value. Found the food by the pool and in the restaurant very good, but not quite great. The deserts were definitely worth the try. My favorite was the steak sandwich (by the pool). Coffee at the W cafe was pretty good and they had some continental breakfast there with your coupon - but pastries were not that good.
The only town on the island is Isabel, and it is about $10 taxi each way. We went to Sabores and had an amazing Seafood Mofongo. However about as expensive as the W. Isabel is a small town with some grocery stores, restaurant and bars. We walked around one night and ended up at the Al's Mar Azul, which is an ex-pat bar and where you want to go if you want to watch sports.
Definitely take the day to tour the beaches. We rented a jeep from Island Car Rental, which is at the W. Cost was $90, plus $10 of gas. The beaches are amazing. You can free snorkel gear for your whole stay from Black Beards and and we rented some beach chairs for $10 each. We loved Half-Moon beach the best and Navia as well. We brought back the jeep and it was pretty muddy but they did not charge us.
You have to do a Mosquito Bay tour at night to see the bioluminescent bay. It is really incredible. We took a kayak tour from Black Beard, but the moon was out and it made it tough. The guides were nice enough, but other tour operators use covers etc to show up the light. Then the van was 20 minutes late. This is something you should book before you go. Check the moon cycle and then book your spot on the tour.
I would definitely go back to the W. Grounds and pool were fabulous. Staff was great, and even when there were two weddings going on at the same time we felt looked after.
Couple of tips. Got the $15 coupon and used it at breakfast with my GF every day. They took off $30 each time and it made breakfast around $12 including tip. Really great value. Found the food by the pool and in the restaurant very good, but not quite great. The deserts were definitely worth the try. My favorite was the steak sandwich (by the pool). Coffee at the W cafe was pretty good and they had some continental breakfast there with your coupon - but pastries were not that good.
The only town on the island is Isabel, and it is about $10 taxi each way. We went to Sabores and had an amazing Seafood Mofongo. However about as expensive as the W. Isabel is a small town with some grocery stores, restaurant and bars. We walked around one night and ended up at the Al's Mar Azul, which is an ex-pat bar and where you want to go if you want to watch sports.
Definitely take the day to tour the beaches. We rented a jeep from Island Car Rental, which is at the W. Cost was $90, plus $10 of gas. The beaches are amazing. You can free snorkel gear for your whole stay from Black Beards and and we rented some beach chairs for $10 each. We loved Half-Moon beach the best and Navia as well. We brought back the jeep and it was pretty muddy but they did not charge us.
You have to do a Mosquito Bay tour at night to see the bioluminescent bay. It is really incredible. We took a kayak tour from Black Beard, but the moon was out and it made it tough. The guides were nice enough, but other tour operators use covers etc to show up the light. Then the van was 20 minutes late. This is something you should book before you go. Check the moon cycle and then book your spot on the tour.
I would definitely go back to the W. Grounds and pool were fabulous. Staff was great, and even when there were two weddings going on at the same time we felt looked after.
Oct 25, 2013, 8:46 am
#102
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: AA EXP, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, HHonors Diamond, National Exec, Hertz PC, Nexus
Posts: 413
4 to a room
As déclassé as it may be to bring this up, I’m guessing from what I’ve read here that it would be difficult to sneak in 2 extra guests to stay 4 to a room. I’d be okay shilling out points for my wife and I to stay, but we’re traveling to P.R. with another couple and they don’t have the points and wouldn’t want to spend so much on a hotel. Our current plans are to stay in San Juan, but I’d really like to go out to Vieques. It sounds like with the airport shuttle and attentive service that it would be too obvious to bring in two unregistered guests for a 3 or 4 night stay. Thoughts?
Oct 25, 2013, 9:42 am
#103
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: GVA
Programs: BA Silver (OW Sapphire), A3 Gold (*G), Bonvoy LTTE, HHonors Diamond, LeClubAccor Silver, UA Silver
Posts: 1,778
As déclassé as it may be to bring this up, I’m guessing from what I’ve read here that it would be difficult to sneak in 2 extra guests to stay 4 to a room. I’d be okay shilling out points for my wife and I to stay, but we’re traveling to P.R. with another couple and they don’t have the points and wouldn’t want to spend so much on a hotel. Our current plans are to stay in San Juan, but I’d really like to go out to Vieques. It sounds like with the airport shuttle and attentive service that it would be too obvious to bring in two unregistered guests for a 3 or 4 night stay. Thoughts?
They can stay at either of the towns for not too much.
Oct 25, 2013, 5:33 pm
#104
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: AA EXP, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, HHonors Diamond, National Exec, Hertz PC, Nexus
Posts: 413
Yes definitely. Besides, do you really want to come to a place like this to slum it?? Typical in W design, bathrooms are wide open, and even in a suite (which you are not guaranteed to get), there is only a couch, no sofa bed, so unless someone wants to sleep in a stone cold concrete floor, I don't see how you would do this...
They can stay at either of the towns for not too much.
They can stay at either of the towns for not too much.
Nov 7, 2013, 11:24 am
#105
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 1,394
We're heading here for Thanksgiving. Any recent reports on higher-end dining options? Next Course and El Quenepe are still the best options for off-property dining? Are these better than the main restaurant on property to have thanksgiving dinner? (recognize we won't be getting turkey and football but want to make that our big dinner for the week.)
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.