If the beach is the most important thing for you and your family, then this is the resort for you. Rooms are really standard looking - think "super nice motel" on the inside. Beach is huge, sand is soft, waves are not too big, but good for boogie boarding. Breakfast is the type of buffet with omelet bar that makes a big group real happy. Wasn't perfect for us as a couple b/c none of the on premises restaurants had authentic local cuisine and there is nothing to do at night. Again, perfect family vacation if you have kids.

My fiance and I stayed at Rio Mar from 7/28 to 8/1 and we did not want the trip to end. We read the reviews before going and they were very helpful. As others have said, it is a little expensive but what resort isn't? It is expected that you will spend a little more money when you go on vacation. We took a taxi from the airport for $64 which seemed to be the going rate for all of them. You can save $8 if you reserve the resort shuttle when you book your trip. We did not rent a car but wish that we would have because we did not get to tour Old San Juan or other parts of the island like we wanted. The food was not overpriced considering the portions and it was very good. I had an authentic puertorican dish at Marbella and it was excellent. The breakfast buffet looked very good but we ordered the 3 egg omelet from the menu, which came with potatoes and toast, and it was very filling. We ordered room service late two nights and were able to share the turkey sandwich and fries. The drinks on the other hand were not worth the price. My fiance had a 12 oz beer that cost $6.50 and the "special" was a bucket of six for $30. We paid a taxi $20 and went 3 miles outside of the resort to a store and got 18 beers for $26 and a few snacks and things to make sandwiches.(Please don't think that you can walk to the surrounding stores and restaurants because they are not as close as some others made them sound.) You can request to have a refrigerator put in your room for $24 for your entire stay. The room was very nice and it looked just like the other travelers photos. The bed was very comfortable. We booked our trip through Priceline and did not know what type of room we would be getting. When we arrived, they gave us a room on the second floor and we asked for a room on a higher floor because that was what was suggested by some other reviewers and I am glad we did. They gave us a mountain view room on the sixth floor. I am sure that the ocean view is the best, but this was a beautiful view. We woke up in the morning to the clouds unveiling the mountains and we could see the rainforest. Our balcony was above a large pond with big koi fish, turtles, and iguanas. The resort was very well kept and the gardens were lush. The pools were also pretty, but I spent most of my time on the beach. We felt the ocean was alot bluer than someone else had said. One thing to pay close attention to is your list of charges at checkout. We had $79 room charges per day on our bill that we had to dispute but they were very accomodating and removed those extra charges. With all this being said, read the reviews but realize that everyone's opinions and standards are different. We really enjoyed ourselves and plan on staying at this resort again.

We really enjoyed our stay at the Rio Mar. We did not eat at the hotel, but went to local places for dinner. We got a refrigerator for the room and went to the grocery store for things to eat for breakfast and lunch. The beach was very nice and the pools were great. We enjoyed the daily iguana feedings. It's a beautiful place, but you pay for it.

We stayed here for 2nights 7/31 and 8/1.

The resort is beautiful. The landscaping is amazing, the beach and pool areas are beautiful as well.

The room we had was a bit old and dirty. Nothing horrible, but not anything great. Housekeeping was bad to non existant, and they charge you $2.50 a day on your bill so keep that in mind. We had problems with in room coffee being provided and never got hand towels or washcloths. I even questioned the cleanliness of the sheets- hairs and stains. Maybe they just needed to be thrown out. No mini fridges. Overall the room was very disappointing.

The pool is fun, we liked the water slide, and liked the fact the lifeguards at pool were really watching the kids. Beach/Pool cabanas are $150 for a day, and come with a cooler of drinks and a snack tray.

they do all kinds of things so check the concierge or towel hut for times and places. Feeding the Iguanas is a must do!!

The beach is nice, the waves are big and great for boogie boards, we rented them for $15 a day.

We ate at Marbella, very reasonable and kids food came out real quick. It was a big group of us, and everyone liked the different things we ordered.

Check out the ERL place by the casino. they have coffee, sodas, sandwiches, muffins, etc. Very reasonable and little tables close by to eat at.

Texas Hold Em table was closed when we were there, and that is what we wanted to play at casino. Didn't do any other games.

Ride from hotel back to airport- $30 adults $17 kids- heard a taxi ran about $80 so keep that in mind. Plan on leaving 3 hours before flight. Takes a while to get to airport, go through Agriculture checkpoint before you get in baggage line!!!!!!!!! Security lines were very long.