our 5th visit to the Hyatt. We got there just before the river pool closed at the end of January. the barricades were being erected as the Cerromar was just sold. Nobody is sure who wiil operate the new hotel. There is only one pool now. the gift shop/store is closed as well. The property to the left of the Hyatt has also been sold. Not much property left. No more bicycles as they don't own the property adjacent any longer and insurance is an issue. The casino and shuttle are also gone. Only the small outdoor grill is left. The rooms are not kept up very well. mold in the bathrooms and around sliding doors. We thought of purchasing a timeshare but now it is out of the question. Hyatt staff don't know the future of the resort. It was beautiful when it was whole. Major construction will begin soon through 2011 per the staff. we will miss it.

My wife and I got married and the previous Hyatt sister property Dorado Beach and stayed for our honeymoon at the Hacienda del Mar. My mom owns a timeshare at the Hacienda and since it was being renovated they upgraded us to the corner unit with the larger balcony and it was unbelievable. I work for Marriott in room operations so I am very picky when it comes to hotel rooms and the Hacienda del Mar is great. The unit that we stayed in had not been renovated yet but it was still in excellent shape. I agree with the other traveler that they are in need up an update. The views were breath taking and the beach was beautiful. The only thing that we can complian about is that we have been coming here for about twenty years since I was a kid and having the empty hotel next door is very sad. If you have stayed here when the hotel was in complete operation you would understand what I mean. It was great for a honeymoon becuase we wanted the peacefulness, however you could see that the grounds of the old hotel were in need of some help. I still cannot understand how they can operate such a large resort without any hotel guests in the main hotel but the staff says that it will be reopened in a year or so. We will be the first ones to book our trip as soon as that happens! Great stay. Beautiful beaches!

The hotel was great and you could go snorkeling on their beach. The river pool was fun as well.

My husband and I traded one of our Marriott time shares for a week at this Hyatt property. For us, this villa property was perfect. I loved the close proximity of the pools and ocean. In five minutes I had my coffee (free espresso in the lobby), a beach towel, my book, and a lounge on the sand (under a palapa), and was watching the pelicans dive in the secluded bay. The pools and lazy river were only steps away. The grounds were kept up beautifully and the staff was more than accomodating.

Yes, the adjacent hotel closure has had a big impact: not too many people around, only one open restaurant, the store no longer stocks perishables, and the looming structure is a little spooky - but we loved not dealing with crowds, and we are admitted fogeys - we don't do nightlife. We swam in the pools at night, used the hot tubs, watched a movie and went to bed. I was on the beach by 7:00 every morning.

We wanted to save a little money so we ate most of our meals in - the grocery stores in town have just about everything you could want. We ate at the Zen Garden in the closed Hyatt Ceramar one night - absolutely delicious, and the manager was a gem. Another night we had the specialty of the house at PeeWee's in Dorado (a rib/shrimp/plantain dish presented vertically). We rented a car through Ace, administered through Charlie's Rentals in San Juan - much cheaper than in Dorado. ($330 total for a large van.)

Yes, as in every resort we've been to, including the Marriotts, there were things I was unhappy about - but not enough to make a big deal of. Although the grounds are kept up, the spray poles by the ocean don't work - although I found the trick of turning on the water spigot under the bushes. The rooms are smaller than the Marriott's - but entirely adequate. The bathroom needs updating - one couple said theirs was brand new, so the resort is retrofitting. I wish there had been place mats for the table and a tray. But we made do. The resort provided great shampoo and conditioner, paper towels and various soaps. DO NOT USE THE LARGER TABLET IN THE DISHWASHER! I don't read Spanish well, and when the water started leaking on the floor, I called the desk. Immediately, maintanance asked if I had used the BIG tablet in the dishwasher. Obviously they had dealt with dummies like me before. They came, mopped up the floor, and gave me more of the little dishwasher tablets, and kindly (without any smirking) advised me to use the large tablets in the washing machine.

Our bed was comfortable, our friends were happy with their lock-off accomodations. Hot water was iffy once in a while, but the front desk tried to make up for one night when it was slow in coming. Air conditioning was plenty cool, the DVD players and TVs worked fine, (CD player also). One thing I don't understand - why don't resorts have happy hours at the bars? We were at the Marriott Aruba Surf Club last fall and made the 4:00 happy hour every day - and kept drinking after it ended. We were at the Marriott St Kitt's in June and no one was drinking - drinks were just too expensive, unless you've been primed with a happy hour. We had a few drinks at the bar / restaurant here and they were good, but I'll never forget the crowd waiting for happy hour to begin in Aruba. What a money maker!

The beach is absolutely secluded in that the tips of both sides of the bay are rocky and people don't walk around them. A couple local fishermen netted bait fish in the early morning, but I never felt uncomfortable as I have on other resort beaches that have open access.

My husband and I loved, loved, loved the lazy river. I wish it were a continuous loop, but that is a small complaint. The river winds through lovely plantings in the garden of the closed Ceromar. Yes, it passes the closed swim-up bar which is quickly becoming delapidated, but I know there are eventual plans for something to be done with the property. Please - don't ruin the lazy river! The beach has eroded, so something will probably be done, but I hope we get back before the beautiful area is altered too much.

I was a little leery about snorkeling - couldn't see much of a reef from the sand. One morning, I decided to go in - lots of fish! Large angel fish (10"-12"), Sergeant Majors, Grouper, Blue Tangs, and many, many others. Not much in the way of corals, but give me a few brilliant fish to watch and I'm happy. There is a reef 15' from the beach. I snorkeled every morning after that - and had the whole thing to myself.

Some people didn't like the lack of people, but we had our choice of lounges after the weekend, which was quite busy. When we arrived, the desk said the resort was full. We wanted a villa higher up, but in reality we liked the 2nd floor. All villas have a view of the ocean just beyond the pools. Children were having a wonderful time, everyone we spoke to was enthralled with the pools and the close ocean.

We've been to a lot of resorts - Florida, 3 in Aruba, St. Kitt's, Spain, 3 in Hawaii, 2 in Cancun - and trust me, they all have minor problems - but the pools, the staff, and the close ocean make this resort a winner.