I stayed at the Ponce Hilton for two weeks in January and I really enjoyed my stay. Our room was clean and comfortable and the view from our balcony was beautiful. The pool was also beautiful and was a nice break from the beach on some days when the sun at the beach was too strong. Neither the beach nor the pool ever seemed crowded. The breakfast buffet was one of the highlights, with amazing fresh pastries and made-to-order omelets. Other than the pool and the beach, however, there wasn't much else to do.

This hotel was not so good on almost all levels. The buffet at terraza was just thawed, pre frozen food....not fresh. Yuck. The service: horrible. I had reserved the suite suitable for 6 people and then gave my room to someone else then gave me (without asking me first) a room suitable for 2 people. When i came back to the desk to explain it took almost 2 hours to correct the problem, which they said was now 3 rooms in the executive tower. But they didn't mention that one room had a murphy bed with no blankets! ahh. The beach here is almost not swim worthy. It is black sand and covered in rocks. The pool is WAY overcrowded. Basically, if you want to stay in a hilton, stay at Hilton Caribe in San Juan. EVERYTHING is better there.

The Hilton Ponce Golf and Casino Resort was great! The staff was excellent. The stay wasn't perfect; my fiance and I arrived on a Saturday when the hotel had the Coors Light 'Wild Sessions' party poolside. It was great for a while until you wanted to go back to sleep. The party didnt end until 2AM and it was LOUD. The people next door were really young and filthy drunk. We had 3 noise complaints and the hotel brought security down once. Usually when a hotel gets 3 noise complaints the occupants of that room are kicked out. Besides that one unruly night, all went well. La Terraza was a great restaurant with affordable prices and delicious buffets. There was one waiter named Wigberto that was very sweet and informative of the area. La Cava was nice as well. The front desk answered all our questions. Bartenders were cordial and friendly even though they were very busy. Pool was overcrowded with kids though, so we went to the Caribe Pool. I would recommend this hotel to everyone!

My husband and I booked this trip as a graduation present for my nephew. We selected Ponce, due to its location on the Caribbean side of Puerto Rico. Overall, the hotel was clean, the staff was extremely accommodating, and we enjoyed our 6 day stay. It wasn't perfect in all respects, but setting proper expectations for the ages and interests of those in your travel party could help when deciding on this property. Below is a recap of our experiences.

Staff- Excellent. Upon arrival, we were given a standard room in the Executive Tower. (2 double beds and a single person sofa bed -all in one room) for my husband and me and two 18 year olds teens. We booked a two room suite, so this was unacceptable. After much hard work from Rose Maria Alvarez, the hotel day supervisor, she rectified our situation and we were given side by side rooms. Kudos to her for recognizing the importance of honoring reservations, providing good customer service, and maintaining the loyalty of a Gold Hilton Honors member. We were also impressed by the valet staff that drove us to the Golf club each day, and the activities staff member at the club who helped us push our kayaks (and assist my nephew in getting back in).

Food and Accommodation - Stay in the executive tower if you can. It is newer, and you have access to the Executive lounge. A continental breakfast was free each day, and they also had free drinks while you were in the lounge (sodas, waters, juices, etc.) The food at the hotel is average at best. Bar food at the pools, or two buffets (one at the hotel and one at the golf club). For lunch, the buffets are $22. We purchased a buffet discount coupon booklet that provided 10 lunch buffets @ $13 a piece. We would check out the items on the hotel buffet first and then decide if we wanted to ride over to the Golf Club buffet for another option. In general, the food and the view are better at the Golf club.

RENT A CAR! We did, and ate dinner out near the mall in Ponce each night. It is about 5 miles away, but you'll want to leave the property as there is nothing else to do around the hotel. While there is a mini mart and gift shop on the property, we bought snacks, soda and water at a store near the mall. The rooms had refrigerators, and with sodas at $2.25 a pop at the hotel, you'll save some money.

Activities - My husband and I planned to dive using a shop in Ponce and a shop in Guanica. Unfortunately, not enough divers for EITHER shop to go out, so no diving for us the entire week. This was extremely disappointing and bizarre for the Caribbean. My husband played golf at the resort on 2 days. I spent most of my time at the Golf club pool and beach, which is much nicer and quieter than the hotel pool and beach. Despite being on the Caribbean side of PR, the water is not crystal blue as you would typically expect if you've been to other Caribbean destinations. Sand is brown/gray. Not great, but ok. We also used the fitness center which has old equipment, but has everything you need from machines to free weights. In short, this was a relaxing break from work, but not the dive trip we had hoped for.

The 18 year olds in our party struggled a bit. While there was tennis, basketball, table tennis, and the pools, they became somewhat bored after a few days. There are no planned activities (like volleyball games and other activities that you typically find at beach resorts). There seemed to be a lot of locals there that were part of a "summer club" and weren't too accepting of the guests. With nothing around the hotel to do either, they "relaxed" a lot. :)

Despite this, we are not too hard to please and enjoyed the time away. I hope this information helps those reading to determine if this is the best setting for you. At the end of the day, the hotel was clean, offered good amenities, and is the right choice for those wanting to simply get away and relax.