On our way to Carnival Cruise, my family decided to stay a couple of days at the Ritz to check out San Juan.. Upon arriving we were very impress with the hotels ground. Its is beautiful..We had the "city view" room (thinking, we do not need ocean view because we already booked a balcony state room on Carnival.) SURPRISE!!!.....all the rooms at the front of the hotel face the airport. Though the double panes windows kept the noise level to an acceptable level, every now and then, we heard the thunderous roar. of the larger size planes.. We paid $450 per night, ocean view were $150 more.. We had the club level room. for those who don't know, these are a private exclusive rooms for which you need a special key to get to this level on the elevator. inside there is a lounge that serves breakfast , lunch, h'orderves ., desert alcoholic beverages, etc.
This lounge ,though very regal, the food was far from what you would expect from a resort hotel. The breakfast was worse than Best Western we stayed at in Norther California..lunch was nothing to call grandma about. The hotel's three restaurant was way over priced. One night , I had a burger and two drinks at the hotel lounge area, it cost me $50 with tips. in addition . round -trip to Old San Juan cost $50 by taxi.. The only highlights are the pool and beach areas were very nice. The services were impeccable. People working for the hotel were friendly and helpful. I don't recommend this hotel to anyone under 17, It is very stuffy.. should i say the S word SNOBBERY .......well i said it Stay in old town , you'll have loads of fun. save on the cost of transportation..hope this is helpful, until next time fellow traveler.

We stayed 7 days at the Ritz Carlton for Spring Break; we choose a club room after reading some of the reviews about how expensive the food was. When we arrived we were faced by a long line at the front office. We have been staying at Ritz Carlton hotels for years and this the first time I see such a long line at the front desk. I understand it was spring break but I thought the Ritz should have had more people at the desk to make sure the line moves faster. We got to the room and I was very surprised how small the room is and how moderate it is. We paid over $700 a night for that I expected better. The room was very clean and service was good but I did not feel it was a resort hotel it is more like a business hotel. The Beach is ok and the room has no balcony only few with balcony.

My husband & I just came back last night from a 4 night stay to celebrate my birthday. We were able to check into our room by noon, unpack our bags,and be on the beach by 2:00. There were plenty of chairs & umbrellas at the pool and the beach; the staff was very helpful. The only glitch we had in our entire stay was the service at Mares restaurant for brunch and I took care of that right away. Dinner at Il Molino was fabulous. (black squid pasta with shrimp & scallops.) BLT was good too. Beach Grill hamburger was juicy, cooked perfectly and generous in size. Food is expensive but we knew that. Our room was very clean and housekeeping came twice a day. The casino was a nice little diversion each night along with a nightcap. There were small children at the pool and beach but they were well behaved. No horror stories to share. Jet noise was not a problem. We would recommend this hotel due to the convenience to the airport. We stopped in at the Intercontinental and El San Juan for dinner, drinks, and to check them out. We think the Ritz is tops over them. In fact, we originally had a reservation to stay at the El San Juan and after reading some of reviews about thin walls, music into the wee hours, and dirty bathrooms, we cancelled and rebooked at the Ritz.
We are totally convinced we made the right decision.

This is the second time i stayed at this property. first time had difficulty keeping the fridge stocked poor mattress and when i talked with management i was made to feel as though i was bothering the manager. second time same experience bad service in room and still poor mattresses. poor service at the front desk, native spanish speaking customers clearly were given preferential treatment over the rest of the guests. as far as the pool is concerned, it is beautiful, but try to get a chair after 8 am. I was at the gym at 6am and there were multiple people staking out the best seats for the day. The hot tub is completely out of control. my girlfiend and i referrred to it as the kid stew. usually one could find between 10 to 12 small unattended children in the tub. water temp being a balmy 98 degrees or so perfect temp for whatever bugs the kids left behind.
given the cost of a stay at this hotel, unless you are one of those people who like to waste your money, i would suggest you spend less money at any of the other hotels on the strip for a much better experience