The Best Honeymoon Resorts
El San Juan Hotel & Casino (San Juan; tel.
800/468-2818 in the U.S. or 787/791-1000): If you want
Vegas-style shows, gambling, nightlife, great restaurants, and
the most famous beach in Puerto Rico, El San Juan is at your
disposal. It has the most glamorous lobby in the Caribbean and
is set on 12 acres of Isla Verde, a strip of beach connected to
the Condado. Options include a suite in the main tower with a
whirlpool or your own private casita with a sunken Roman bath.
The best deal is a package, costing from $459 per night for 5
nights. A lot of freebies are thrown in, including champagne and
tropical fruit, daily tennis, one dinner, continental breakfast,
and two massages.
Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort
(Dorado; tel. 800/233-1234 in the U.S. or 787/796-1234):
This resort offers a more tranquil atmosphere than the nearby
Hyatt Regency Cerromar, yet guests can use all the facilities
and attractions of the neighboring hotel. You can book one of
the elegantly furnished upper-level rooms in the Oceanview
Houses and enjoy romantic vistas of two crescent-shaped beaches.
There's casino and disco action, plus a spa, a health club,
jogging trails, and 14 tennis courts. Packages in low season
begin at $2,135 for two for the week, including one breakfast,
champagne, T-shirts, $25 in casino chips, two massages, one
dinner with wine, and transfers to and from the airport. In high
season the tab rises by $1,000 a week per honeymooning couple,
but breakfast and dinner are included.
Ponce Hilton and Casino (Ponce;
tel. 800/HILTONS in the U.S. or 787/259-7676): A
first-class act at Puerto Rico's "second city" on the south
coast, this sprawling resort is set in an 80-acre garden.
On-site amenities include a casino and disco, plus a whirlpool,
tennis courts, and a fitness room. The two restaurants serve the
best food on the south coast. Five suites are ideal for
honeymoons. The first night costs $219, including a bottle of
champagne, truffles, chocolates, and fresh strawberries as a
gift. The package includes breakfast daily, plus $25 in casino
chips. You also receive a coupon granting 50% off on your next
visit. Each additional night is only $170.
Horned Dorset Primavera (Rinc๓n;
tel. 800/633-1857 in the U.S. or 787/823-4030): The most
romantic place for a honeymoon on the island, unless you stay in
a private villa somewhere, this small, tranquil estate lies on
the Mona Passage in western Puerto Rico, a pocket of posh where
privacy is almost guaranteed. Accommodations are luxurious in
the Spanish neocolonial style. The property opens onto a long
secluded beach of white sand. There are no phones, TVs, or
radios in the rooms to interfere with the soft sounds of pillow
talk. This is a retreat for adults only, with no facilities for
children. Seven-night packages, including a bottle of champagne,
breakfast, dinner, and airport transfers, range from $3,000 to
$3,850 per couple, depending on the season.
Wyndham El Conquistador Resort &
Country Club (Las Croabas; tel. 800/468-5228 in the
U.S. or 787/863-1000): If you're looking for good food and
diversions rather than a tranquil retreat, El Conquistador is
the best big-time resort on the island. Atop a 300-foot bluff in
eastern Puerto Rico, it has virtually everything for outdoor
play, including golf and tennis, but when you want seclusion you
can post the privado sign and the world is yours. It offers a
$475 per night honeymoon package (based on 3 nights and 4 days),
with many specials such as champagne, a golf clinic, a half-day
snorkeling trip, nonmotorized water sports, and even transfers
to and from the airport. If you stay a full week, the cost of
this package is reduced to $405 per night.
Doral Palmas del Mar Resort (Humacao;
tel. 800/725-6273 in the U.S. or 787/852-6000): This
luxury resort complex sits on 2,750 acres of a former coconut
plantation on Puerto Rico's southeast coast. Only an hour's
drive from San Juan, this sheltered spot is like another world,
with its Mediterranean villas, cobblestone plazas, condos, and
Spanish-style fountains. You get some of the best golf on the
island here, along with 20 tennis courts, a spa and health club,
and miles of hiking and jogging trails. The Palmas Inn suites
are best for honeymooners, unless you want to rent a private
villa. Honeymoon packages, many of them configured for 7 nights
and 8 days, cost for two people from $1,148 to $1,237 for a
double room, to $1,590 for a suite. Included in the package are
such frills as daily breakfasts, one lunch, one dinner, and
baskets of fruit and bottles of champagne. Whereas this
particular arrangement is offered only between April and
December, other cost-conscious packages are available during
high season (December to April) as well, on slightly different
terms.
