This was our first trip to Puerto Rico. On the advice of a friend who had visited last year, I booked outside of the San Juan area as he said that’s what they would do if they went back again (they are actually planning on getting married in PR in 2014). The Wyndham Rio Mar had fair reviews on Orbitz and Yelp and was within our budget for a five night, six day stay so I went for it. We truly needed a nice break to escape DC and job stress, and we absolutely got that. But I wasn’t thrilled with the staff at the hotel. The only people that were friendly and helpful (at the concierge desk, at the tour and travel desk, at the towel hut) were the Wyndham reps that were trying to sign us up for special “invite only” lunches or breakfasts to learn about timeshare options. The reward for sacrificing two-three hours of your vacation were tempting, spa credits, room credits etc. But that isn’t what we were in Puerto Rico to do. The rep at the concierge desk even told him we were going to be wasting our money on spa services by not going to his lunch. Note: I don’t think we wasted a dime on our 80 minute Swedish massages, those were great. We were asked each day by at least one person to sign up for a timeshare meeting. Thanks, but no thanks. We also found the waiters were very inattentive at both breakfast and lunch at Marbella and dinner at Shima. However, Lisa at Iguana’s Pub at the golf course on our second to last day was very sweet and attentive. We wish we had gone up to the golf course earlier in the week. The staff at the Dragonfly tour desk was so unhelpful and unenthusiastic that we went upstairs and booked tours on our own based on Yelp reviews (which we should have done all along). FYI East Island Excursions did a great catamaran snorkel tour. I also paid a little extra for an ocean-view room, which ended up being an end, corner room with distant ocean views, mountain views, and a view of the service entrance to the hotel. I wouldn’t pay extra for that again without clearly saying “ocean front” room. Otherwise, the room was always clean after maid service and it served our purpose for relaxing. We did greatly enjoy lounging by the adult pool and the proximity of the hotel to El Yunque. The hotel was also very close to the food kioskos where we enjoyed monfungo and other local treats (too much fried food!), and chatting with the owner’s son. If/when we go back to Puerto Rico, I would rather stay closer to San Juan to partake in more nightlife and dinner options. As a young couple without kids, I think that is more our scene. That being said, I think the Wyndham is a fine option for families that are not planning to leave the resort much. Or families in the market for a timeshare.

First, the grounds are beautiful and the workers are exceptionally wonderful, friendly and honestly doing their best.

We were there over the president's day weekend, we didn't expect the world, but they sure made it hard for us to spend money with them.

The pool and pool bar area is tremendously understaffed to the point where you have to hunt someone down to get a menu and order everything at once because you may not see your waiter again for a very long time. It's not by any means the fault of the staff, but management really needs to consider giving the staff a hand with additional bodies on deck. You could see the stress the waiters were experiencing, as they could only do their best. Such an easy thing to fix, but really makes me not want to go back.

The grounds are beautiful but again, because it is understaffed by the pool area, there little bits of trash here and there left behind by other patrons that didn't get picked up. The staff is exceptional, but they do need more help.

Nice resort. Pleasant staff.

Our housekeeper (Marcos) was the best we have ever encountered. He was proactive in his service. (He noticed that the tea bags were used and not the coffee. He placed extra tea bags in dispenser for the rest of the week) He also introduced himself and asked if there was anything he could do to make our visit more enjoyable. The room was spotless every day after his cleaning

My sister got married here 5 years ago and we were there for about 3 days, just got back today from our 2nd trip there and had a great time again with our kids. The staff was very nice and helpful. Food was good with decent dining options(Richie's is a must, they provide free shuttle to their restaurant that is right outside the resort, high above with great views of the ocean). Weather was great. Beach incredible. Golf courses were in great condition. This resort is definitely our favorite in Puerto Rico. It's not a huge resort, but big enough so theres lots of people and kids around to play with.