Marriott Owner Seeking Candid Reviews of HVC - Hacienda Del Mar (Dorado, PR)

[NYFLTRAVELER]

I am a Marriott Vacation Club owner considering a trade into the HVC Hacienda Del Mar in Dorado PR

coming from Marriott, these are generally higher end, newly renovated units with clean and modern grounds, etc.

what is your feedback on this resort ( from the photos it looks very nice). Also as San Juan is 40 minutes away, are there any restaurants etc off site to try (and how populated /safe is the immediate area around the resort?)

thank you

 

[PerryKing]

Hacienda Del Mar is a great place. I just spent 3 weeks there over Thanksgiving.

Just went through a $45 million dollar rebuild after the hurricane. Complete rebuild inside every unit including from new studs out ! New furnishings.

I and others have written several post about Hacienda Del Mar and COCONUT PLANTATION (cove) on the forum. Search by my name and Puerto Rico and see if you can find them in this system. They should still be on here.


The staff and management at HDM are very dedicated to customer satisfaction. They do a great job.


FYI. The hotel being torn down next door to HDM is now complete. So don’t worry about that. And it never was much a problem in the first place.

The Dorado area is a uperscale residential area. 2 Small shopping centers are less than 2 miles away. One both have several restaurants and one has a good size supermarket and 6 screen cinema. See a first run movie for $5. You do need a car to enjoy staying in at the Hacienda Del Mar because it is secluded. And on a fine beach. And almost a mile in toward the beach from the 24 hour guarded entrance gate just off the main road.

And if it’s not what you had in mind just up the Road is the Dorado beach Ritz Carlton reserve 6 star hotel where you can pay $1400 a night minimum. Or if you have a reservation for one of their restaurants you can get in the gate!

 

[claraj]

You do need a car to enjoy staying in at the Hacienda Del Mar because it is secluded.

Will I be able to get an Uber to the airport? I'm staying for 3 nights in February. TIA

 

[PerryKing]

Uber is there, But scarce. You may be OK from the airport to Dorado but coming back could be ify - but possible.

At the Airport taxi stands there are official posted taxi rates to all the citys in PR. Dorado is listed at $62 when I looked at the sign in November . However some off airport - In around the cruise port in Old San Juan - taxi drivers told me it was $92, (Thats what the posted rate used to say ) . I tested trying to get an Uber on the last satyrday morning of my stay. I did get rtaes offered around $36.

But two years ago at the NEW crusie port afet I got off the ship, I could get prices offered but then no one would confirm. So I had to go negottiate for a ride with a Taxi Driver.

Also there is a taxi company operating around Dorado. I.e. "Dorado Taxi Company", but they may only have about 3 taxis. Usefull for the resort to the Airport if you had to,

In any case the UBER situation is better than it was last year when I was there for 4 Weeks. But you probaly need an alternative plan just in case. Maybe you could try making an UBER advanced reservation ? There is no Lyft.

What size unit at Hacienda Del Mar are you looking at to reserve ? All units face the ocean., except the ground floor unita may be so low you might not quite be able to see it through the trees and the swiming pool.

 

[Hindsite]

I am a Marriott Vacation Club owner considering a trade into the HVC Hacienda Del Mar in Dorado PR

If its an II exchange then the unit number that is listed in the History section of your II account is the unit that you will most likely be placed in. If you know what it is, let me know and I can try and dig out the info from my stay a year ago.
I'm an MVC owner and really liked the resort, it is on a vey nice bay and beach, and because the former hotel/casino site next door is being demolished, you have the beach pretty much to yourself.
I don't know how much work they have done in the last 12 months, but it was final demo and site being cleared a year ago with only about 5 trucks per day, so it made no difference to our stay.
There isn't a shop on site so ensure that you buy what you need before you get there. There is a bar/restaurant down by the beach that is open from breakfast to late evening so you can always eat there.
PR has intermittent power glitches, and that does impact the resort, so expect possible power outages.
The road outside the resort, like many in PR is in poor condition to if you arrive after dark watch out for that.
Units are refurbished but some of the furniture is surprisingly poor quality, nothing wrong with it just a bit flat-pack in construction.
There realy is't anything in walking distance so a car is useful for going out and about and exploring.
Enjoy!

 

[claraj]

Thank you so much for the detailed response regarding the taxi/Uber situation. It helps us set expectations and be better prepared. We usually stay in San Juan and this will be the first time in Dorado!

What size unit at Hacienda Del Mar are you looking at to reserve ?

I'm traveling with a party of 5 (three adults and 2 children) and have 3 nights reserved through Hyatt's hotel website for a 1BR (cash rate) and a studio (using points). I keep checking for a 2 BR but nothing has popped up.

 

[PerryKing]

If its an II exchange then the unit number that is listed in the History section of your II account is the unit that you will most likely be placed in. If you know what it is, let me know and I can try and dig out the info from my stay a year ago.
I'm an MVC owner and really liked the resort, it is on a vey nice bay and beach, and because the former hotel/casino site next door is being demolished, you have the beach pretty much to yourself.
I don't know how much work they have done in the last 12 months, but it was final demo and site being cleared a year ago with only about 5 trucks per day, so it made no difference to our stay.
There isn't a shop on site so ensure that you buy what you need before you get there. There is a bar/restaurant down by the beach that is open from breakfast to late evening so you can always eat there.
PR has intermittent power glitches, and that does impact the resort, so expect possible power outages.
The road outside the resort, like many in PR is in poor condition to if you arrive after dark watch out for that.
Units are refurbished but some of the furniture is surprisingly poor quality, nothing wrong with it just a bit flat-pack in construction.
There realy is't anything in walking distance so a car is useful for going out and about and exploring.
Enjoy!

There is now a small convience shop with a few food items and Ice cream, soda, snacks right off the lobby. Operated by an independent contractor. It opened in mid November 2023.

 

[Hindsite]

There is now a small convience shop with a few food items and Ice cream, soda, snacks right off the lobby. Operated by an independent contractor. It opened in mid November 2023.

Excellent news, thanks for the update.

 

[PerryKing]

Thank you so much for the detailed response regarding the taxi/Uber situation. It helps us set expectations and be better prepared. We usually stay in San Juan and this will be the first time in Dorado!


I'm traveling with a party of 5 (three adults and 2 children) and have 3 nights reserved through Hyatt's hotel website for a 1BR (cash rate) and a studio (using points). I keep checking for a 2 BR but nothing has popped up.

A two bedroom at the Hacienda del Mar is a One Bedroom that is also connect to a Studio through a vesitbule inside the one main outside door to each of the seperate rooms , all behind one main door into the vestibule entrance. i.e All units are the same configuration.

 

[alexadeparis]

We really enjoyed our stay in September and everything was new clean and updated- i would stay there again with no hesitation

 

[LisaH]

We stays there a few years ago in a 2BR unit with a sliver of ocean views as an exchanger. We really liked the resort. Took a Uber to the resort from the airport, then made a deal with the driver to pick us up a week later. Worked out very well.

 

[NJVacation61]

The Dorado area is a uperscale residential area. 2 Small shopping centers are less than 2 miles away. One both have several restaurants and one has a good size supermarket and 6 screen cinema. See a first run movie for $5. You do need a car to enjoy staying in at the Hacienda Del Mar because it is secluded. And on a fine beach. And almost a mile in toward the beach from the 24 hour guarded entrance gate just off the main road.

Great Info thanks Perry. Are there other restaurants in Dorado a short drive from HDM other than in those shopping centers? Any places on the water to dine? Or do you need to go into San Juan for dinners? Or are there other towns in between to dine in? I would guess the resort has a restaurant list but looking to do some planning for our trip in February before we go. This will be our 1st time in PR so any advice or recommendations are greatly appreciated.

 

[PerryKing]

Thank you so much for the detailed response regarding the taxi/Uber situation. It helps us set expectations and be better prepared. We usually stay in San Juan and this will be the first time in Dorado!


I'm traveling with a party of 5 (three adults and 2 children) and have 3 nights reserved through Hyatt's hotel website for a 1BR (cash rate) and a studio (using points). I keep checking for a 2 BR but nothing has popped up.

There are no dedicated 2 bedroom units. All units are actualy 2 bedroom apartments via a conected 1 bedroom to a studio. However the connection is through a vestibule from the 1 outside door. You should call the resort and ask them to please assign your 1 bedroom reservation to the coresonding attached studio that you have a seperat reservation for. Otherwise you could endup with grately seperate rooms. I'm sure they will try to accomidate you - but only if they know what you need . So please Call them .

 

[PerryKing]

Great Info thanks Perry. Are there other restaurants in Dorado a short drive from HDM other than in those shopping centers? Any places on the water to dine? Or do you need to go into San Juan for dinners? Or are there other towns in between to dine in? I would guess the resort has a restaurant list but looking to do some planning for our trip in February before we go. This will be our 1st time in PR so any advice or recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Yes, there are a few places to eat beside at he on the Hyatt’s beach contractor resturant. . . No need to drive to San Juan - But if you did you would want to take the PR 165. driving East (Este) along the ocean half the way. So going East (ESTE) from the resort (Turn left out of the Hyatt gate) there are actually two nearby small shopping centers. one has a supermarket a max SUPER MAX and a 6 Plex cinema. See US first run movies there in English for $6 or 5$ for seniors. Outside the Cinema there are at least 3 restaurants. and the other shopping center one is on the way to the second shopping area. . In the first one , with the bank on the corner at the traffic light there is the Metropolitan Restaurant, the 5th of Maya, a Chinese takeout restaurant, a PR Pizza chain, a Japanese and Chinese combo sit down restaurant, and an Applebee’s, a Popeyes, and a Wendy’s. On the Wendy’s side there is a very nice Delli type sit down resturant with baked goods . a nice breakfast place, across the street from Applebee’s there is at least one local PR restaurant. Before you even get to the small shopping areas you could make a reservation at the Ritz Carlton Dorado Beach Hotel (Needed to get through the gated entrance) and they have 2 or 3 upscale restaurants. and across the street and actual part of the Ritz property is "The Plantation " with a gated entrance that is actual the entrance to the Golf Course, (Just tell the guard you’re going to the restaurant or the Golf club house to get in, and an apartment building and a golf club house. As you arrive at the end of the road once inside there is a self-parking lot on the right, and a larger building in front of you next to the Golf club house. It is where there is a restaurant on the 4th floor overlooking the golf course . and the golf shop is in the same building on the ground floor. Your now also half way to the town of Dorado, when as you approach dorado there will be a a few restraints on left side before the turn off to the Embassy Suites area (There is a steak house up in there somewhere ) but as you continue on toward you will pass one of my favorites on the right - Church's Chicken - MUCH MUCH better that KCF and cheaper, then as you approach Dorado there is another shopping center on your left across the street from the CVS and Walgreens - where there is a Burger King, Taco Bell. and a Mexican Resturant, a Mac Donalds, a larger Supermarket (Super max) the US post office and other stores such as AutoZone etc. Continuing then into Dorado itself where there are several long time local restaurants, and bars and such and the n further along is the town plaza (park) in front of the Historic Church. Saint Anthony de Pabula (Both a must See), and also inside the parishes second church in Dorado called the Sanctuary.

So I guess you get now the idea that your not going to go Hungary !! But you might if you did not have a car, although I spend as much as 6 weeks at Hacienda Del mar several times with out one. It was not easy. But I did learn how to order in some deliveries of supplies and food etc. If any one wants to enjoy the Hacienda del Mar you really will want to have a car. But remember there are 3 Million people in PR but also there are 4 Million cars, so driving requires you full attention .

If you go West (Oeste) (Right turn out of the Hyatt parking lot ) you could end up at the Walmart, Krispy Cream donut shop, and several more fast food type places. But on the way you will pass a road side take out local Rotisserie type Chicken place. I have posted a picture of it in Google maps and it now has about 60,000 views. Vey local / village popular place. I will look for a link to the 3 pictures and post the link here: XXXX as Soon as I get a chance to find it.

And in old San Juan there are many famous restaurants including the bar and restaurant where the Pina Cola Lada was invented.

. I now need to get to bed here in Denver CO.

 

[NJVacation61]

I am a Marriott Owner just back from a week at HVC Hacienda Del Mar and thought I would share my impressions.
Resort is nicely laid out with one of the nicer stretches of (what feels like) a private beach I have seen on any island.
The rooms are nicely furnished/equipped and you can see they were recently redone. All rooms are ocean front with great views. Avoid 1st Floor if you want to see ocean.
Staff there is great and they can't do enough for you.
They are still doing cleanup on the old Hyatt next door. There were a couple of mornings we heard them start at 7am with drilling and jackhammering so beware of that.
Once you are outside and down on the beach you don't notice the noise as much as they tend to cut out early. Which is the reason this has been going on so long and will still probably take a while to finish. Supposedly there is a JW Marriott going up on the site according to the front desk but owners there told me they have been saying that for years.
We rented a car but Uber is plentiful and a lot of the people we spoke with did not rent and never do. Ubers to and from the airport seem to be in the $30-$40 range.
Dorado is quiet, so if you get rain which we did a few days there is not much to do there. Also, a lot of restaurants are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so check before going anywhere.
Restaurants we had dinner at were:
1. Villa Dorado Del Alberta for Puerto Rican cuisine which was a bit disappointing. Katrina is across the street so might try that next time.
2. Positivo Sand Bar (Sushi and Asian cuisine) in Dorado Beach Ritz which was very good.
3. Grappa (Italian) which was great . It's in an old house in downtown Dorado and service and food were both excellent.
4. Hacienda Market (highly recommend)- We brought in from there and cooked in our room one night. Market sells marinated meats and fish, fresh breads and cheeses and is near the Walgreens.
5. Mahi Mahi - Bar/restaurant on premises. Food/Drinks are good enough and convenient. Stray dogs hang out on the beach there looking for food which some may be annoyed by.
6. Pirilo Dorado- Pizza/Pasta and Salads with a great beer selection. We thought it was very good. Several locations around P.R. also.
7. Don Tako Cantina - Decent Mexican with an outdoor patio. Food was good and atmosphere was festive.

I look forward to going back to the resort sometime in the future.
View from our 7th floor balcony below:

 

[lily28]

we stayed at this resort for spring break 2023. the resort is fine but away from san juan and on the quite side. not too much to do around the area. Everywhere we went we had to go back to san juan which took up more time in driving. Next time we will stay at San Juan itself as we want to see PR, not so much to just stay at the resort

 

[PerryKing]

TO:

NJVacation61​

Thank you for your recent additional info and review.

and FYI to all:

The whole several square miles area (1,700 acres) including the area where the Ritz Carlton Reserve 6-star Resort is now located on the former location and beach of the of Hyatt Dorado Beach Hotel including the Plantation (club house area of the 2 (used to be 3) golf courses and Natural Sanctuary was acquired and developed by Laurance S. Rockefeller in the 1955.

The former Hyatt Cerromar Beach hotel about a mile west along the beach, and now being torn down, is where the Hyatt Hacienda Del Mar Vacation club is also located on Cerromar Beach. The Hyatt Cerromar Beach Hyatt hotel is or was connected to the Hyatt Dorado beach Hotel by three golf courses, now just 2 courses, as the third course (the Pineapple Course is being developed into million-dollar homes sites). So, you can see L.S. Rockefeller (Son of John D. Rockefeller) knew what he was doing.

Also, the little airport and Bi-plane display (now a sort of museum) on the Plantation property (across from the Ritz operations) is where Amelia Earhart landed to see her friend, the daughter of the original owner, Alfered Livingston, of all the properties in the area, on the first leg of her ill-fated trip around the world that she never came back from. The daughter was the second women in the USA to receive a pilot's license from the US government in the mid 1920's.

That bit of history is why the RITZ Carlton Reserve spa is named after Amelia Earhart and why there is a life size portrait of her hanging in the lobby of the RITZ Carlton Dorado Beach spa. There is a lot of history surrounding this property and the Dorado Beach Hotel (where the Ritz is now located, the golf course's, the nature trail around the Ritz property, and the Cerromar Beach Hotel - now being torn down. In fact, the Hacienda del Mar Hyatt Vacation Club used to be attached to the Cerromar Hotel for its cooling. and other Utilities supply. But there is now a completely new chilling and hot water building in the front side of the grounds of the HV club. And the "Owners Lounge / Club House " at the Hyatt Vacation club - Hacienda del Mar is still owned by the new owners and developer of the Ritz Carlton Reserve, and of the new hotel that may be built where the old Hyatt Cerromar Beach hotel is in the final stages of being demolished.

For those interested in the area there is a very large "Coffey Table" type book about the history of the "Plantation Area", a former Coconut, Citrus and sugar cane operation) on sale in the SPA for about $250

I Wish I had one of them ...

Perry

 

[claraj]

I'm here now. So far I'm impressed with the villas. It's not easy getting an Uber. I will provide more commentary later on but wanted to share some photos. Also, the outlets by the bed have a USB-C port and 2 USB on each side!

 

[flyingsideshow]

Thanks for posting the pics ... It looks awesome! Hoping I can get there at the end of the year for a quick stay!

 

[claraj]

Here are a few pictures of the beach. It was a little overcast today.

 

[mjm1]

Thank you to all for your insights and pictures. You inspired me and I just booked 4 nights in January prior to a cruise in the Southern Caribbean. My DW and I spent our honeymoon in 1984 on the other side of PR and this will be our first time back on the island.

We need to book one additional night at a hotel prior to the cruise, so I will review the earlier posts for suggestions. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[claraj]

We need to book one additional night at a hotel prior to the cruise

I spent 4 nights at the Hyatt House in San Juan before switching to Dorado. There is a Hyatt Place right across the street. Both hotels share a shuttle that runs until 5:30pm and stops at the beach, Old San Juan and the T-Mobile District.

 

[NJVacation61]

Thank you to all for your insights and pictures. You inspired me and I just booked 4 nights in January prior to a cruise in the Southern Caribbean. My DW and I spent our honeymoon in 1984 on the other side of PR and this will be our first time back on the island.

We need to book one additional night at a hotel prior to the cruise, so I will review the earlier posts for suggestions. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

I took videos of our room also but didn't post and it seems the files are too big to email or download. There is a video of the rooms someone posted on Youtube which some may find helpful. Probably makes sense to book the extra night in San Juan since that is where the cruise will leave from and as mentioned options in Dorado are limited. Enjoy!

 

[flyingsideshow]

Booked a 4 night stay in early December. I'm looking forward to it! I'm planning on spending a few days in San Juan proper. Would really be interested in staying in the core of the old town if anyone has any suggestions. I've previously stayed at La Concha, but when I checked prices/points last night my only words were expletives after seeing the prices. Back in 2018 I think i stayed there for 150/nt.

 

[claraj]

I am not helpful for old San Juan properties, but I will plug the Hyatt properties, which are Category 4 or less. I've been able to use the Cat 1-4 free night certificates here or redeem rooms for 12,000-15,000 points per night. Otherwise the price is $300-400 per night after all the fees.