We just returned from the Rio Mar. Our room was very nice, high ceilings, with a ocean view. We found the bed very comfortable, with a nice selection of pillows. The staff was very helpful. Jesus at the concierge desk was very helpful. Had the hand and foot ritual at the Spa. It was a splurge, but I really enjoyed it. We rented a car and did a little exploring. What they say about the Puerto Rican drivers is true! They are truly an aggressive bunch of drivers. Motorcycles zip between lanes. You must use your best defensive driving skills here. We went to the rainforest (it was, OK. )I was dissapointed that we didn't see very many birds or "critters" of any kind! We took the "big tree" trail to La Mina falls.
We were told it was a "flat trail". Wrong! It was up and down hills.
When we arrived at the falls, it was so packed with people, we couldn't even dunk our feet in! We also went to Las Plaza Americas, the big mall. It was a very nice, large mall, with all the same stores we have in the States. We ate at the resort. The
Italian restaurant was very pricey, but very good. The bread was
wonderful. I had the chicken marsala, and it was very good.
My husband had the raviolli stuffed with butternut squash. He said it was like eating desert for dinner. Marabella restaurant was much better priced. We ate there several times and everything we ordered was good. Try the ribs, they had a guava BBQ sauce on them. If you are lucky, you can get served by
Vladamir. He was good at describing the Puerto Rican dishes.
We went out of the resort and up to the top of the hill to Trepas(?).
Inexpensive Puerto Rican food with a great view. We had a little difficulty getting the waiter to understand what we wanted, but with some pointing at the menu (in spanish and english), we were able to communicate. The pool area was great. There were plenty of lounge chairs. A very nice waitress strolls through frequently to bring you drinks and snacks. The casino was small, but fun. Lots of 5 cent slots.I didn't see anyone winning much, but it was something to do in the evening. Overall, we had a very relaxing vacation.

Average rooms.

There are some good restaurants but their Sea Food Place "Shimas" is a real disaster. The salad dressings are worse than the ones you could buy at a local grocery store from Kraft. The food was not even seasoned, just imagine a 5 year old cooking a lobster and that is what you should expect from this place.

There where video/audio monitors at the Gym but you have to provide your own headphones, I have traveled the world and never seen a hotel miss such little details.

The rooms where noisy. Beds OK. Internet access is plug-in, but not plug & play. You need a computer degree to figure it out.

I definitely recommend staying at El Conquistador or Caribe Hilton for a better experience and superb restaurants.

Well this hotel wasnt bad for the price. Let me explain. I am one who goes to timeshare presentations, because they offer you a nice trip for a low price. Now for 5 days I paid $495. When I went to our timeshare presentation, the person said we had a great deal coming here because the usual rate for the room we were in was $418 a nite!!!! WOW. I would have been mad if I paid that amount for the room, but since mine come out to about $100 per nite, I was very happy.

PROS: The hotel is big. Huge. Emormous. We had a rental car and it takes about 3-4 to drive out to the main road from the parking lot. If you golf this is a dream resort. We went for a get -away just to relax, and we did. We got an Ocean Suite after check-in(I didnt have to bribe or prompt anyone either). The room was very nice and clean. Flatscreen, internet ready and a beautiful! view of the pool and ocean. The breeze was great. Nice little balcony to hang out on. The pool is big and clean and a joy to swim in. It has many restaurants, we only ate at one. The Marbella was nice, we only ate breakfast there. The buffet was $20 pp, but it came w/ everything. Omelet station, pastrys, fruit--you name it. So I guess the price wasnt too bad. Overall, the Rio Mar wasnt too bad. I have stayed in better hotels, but this was a nice one to hang out in if you are with the family. On Saturday nite, the lobby is decked out in candles, there was a guy playing guitar and later on a little Spanish band played while the people danced. That was cool to see.

CONS: Ok the bad. Even though the hotel decor was nice, you could see where the exterior needs touching up. This building seems like it has been here for a while. While paint isnt falling off, it could use renovation. Also, the beach is DIRTY! Although the beach is off the property and public, you would think since guests were there you would clean it up. Full of cig butts, straws, cups, and other small things. I had to watch my step. But the sand is soft and water clear. There are a few vendors on the beach where you can rent a kayak or other sports, but not too many water sports at the resort. You have to go off site and pay like $80-100 for those. As with hotels everything is double in price, whether its bagels, muffins or water. The drinks are small and cost $10(they are good though). Two big things I hated was parking. $20 per day for valet, $15 for self park. Fortunately for me the lot was full for self park, so their other lot the gate didnt work, so most of the trip I didnt pay for parking. I think I paid only one day. Also, you know when you check in they place a hold on your credit card for incenditals. Usually 2-300 bucks right? These jokers placed $900 hold on mine!!! They said there system was set up that way, they cant help it. I was [-] because 1. No one told me that at check-in, 2. Who places almost a $1000 block on people's credit card? Between that and the car rental, I had $14 credit left. Fortunately, I had some more cash I could have used.

So all in all a nice vacation. It is an expensive resort, so bring some cash if you want to eat/drink there. I would suggest renting a car, becuase its far from the airport, and if you want to go off the property, you'll need it, unless you are a professional hiker. They charge for transportation everywhere, so even though parking is $15 bucks, I would pay for convenience. All the major car rentals are off-site from the airport, so just reserve on-line and take a shuttle there. The El Yunque rainforest is very close, so drive there and its free. Also Richie's restaurant is nice, good food at a restaurant overlooking the mountains. Very romantic, about a 5min drive from the hotel.

We rented an Ocean Villa from Resort Villa Rentals. During our stay we had a group enter our condo with a key claiming to have rented the same condo, repair men in our condo 5 of 7 days until the concierge finally told us the problem would not be fixed until after we left, broken air conditioners, broken freezer, no washcloths, and numerous other smaller problems. Xavier and Beby would not return our phone calls or emails. I have been unable to reach them since we have returned home. Security is deplorable and this company is completely unresponsive to problems. I expected basic appliances to be functioning (i.e. the refrigerator and freezer) but they were not. I highly recommend visiting Puerto Rico but DO NOT rent from Resort Villa Rentals.