PUERTO RICO ROMANTIC RESORTS

Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort & Country Club
Highway 693
Dorado
787-796-1234, Fax 787-796-2022
Reservations: 800-233-1234
www.hyatt.com
$$$
Located on a former grapefruit and coconut plantation, the Hyatt Dorado Beach is our favorite type of Caribbean property: a low rise hotel with easy access to the beach. Apparently this style appeals to others as well; the Hyatt Dorado Beach boasts the highest repeat visitor rate of any properties in the popular chain.

The atmosphere is open-air and elegantly casual here. The guest rooms are decorated in a West Indian style, with furniture inspired by Caribbean antiques. The most romantic accommodations are the 17 casita rooms with split-level elegance that includes a private lawn and marble shower beneath a clear skylight.

You might find that the public areas are some distance from your guest room, however, and from the golf club shop and tennis center. A complimentary shuttle transports guests between the areas every half hour, and bellmen pick up guests in golf carts anytime on request. Two beaches include both wave action and calm pools created by a ring of boulders just offshore.
Hotel Features: beachfront, casual and fine dining, freshwater pools and hot tub, tennis, golf, complete watersports facilities, windsurfing, casino

Wyndham El San Juan Hotel and Casino
P.O. Box 9022872
6063 Isla Verde Road
San Juan
787-791-1000, Fax 787-253-0178
Reservations: 800-468-2818
www.wyndham.com
$$$
Located just minutes from the airport, this hotel could symbolize the elegance of San Juan. A lobby paneled in rich woods greets visitors, and just steps away the most elegant casino in the Caribbean offers games of chance managed by croupiers in black tie. A new cigar bar, the only one in the Caribbean, recently opened off the casino. The pool area is beautifully landscaped with tropical gardens, the perfect place to relax after a morning of touring or shopping in San Juan.

Hotel Features: beachfront, casual and fine dining, casino, freshwater pool, cigar bar, rooftop country and western restaurant

Wyndham El Conquistador
P.O. Box 270000
1000 El Conquistador Avenue
Fajardo
787-863-1000, Fax 787-860-3280
Reservations: 800-468-5228
www.wyndham.com
$$$
Perched atop a 300-foot cliff, this is one of the grandest resorts in the region. With 918 guest rooms, it's not the place for those looking for privacy and to get away from the crowds, but you'll find just about everything else at this $250 million resort. Choose from an 18-hole championship golf course, a private marina with rental boats and charters for deep-sea fishing, scuba facilities, six swimming pools, seven tennis courts, a nightclub, casino, fitness center, salon, and luxurious shops. Not to mention a 100-acre private island, Palomina, where guests can be whisked on complimentary ferries. On secluded Palomina, couples can enjoy snorkeling, nature trails, and siestas in hammocks stretched between tall palms. The hotel is also home to the exclusive Golden Door Spa at Las Casitas Village. El Conquistador also offers two wedding packages, including one that features a ceremony in Palomina Island's 50-seat wedding chapel.

Hotel Features: near beach, spa, fine and casual dining, golf, tennis, private island, casino, watersports, dive shop

Doral Resort at Palmas del Mar
170 Candelero Drive
Humacao 00791
787-852-6000, Fax 787-852-6320
800-PALMAS-3
www.meristar.com
$$
For couples looking to getaway from the glitz of San Juan, Doral Resort at Palmas del Mar (formerly Wyndham Palmas del Mar) is a good choice. Located 45 minutes from the capital city, the resort lies tucked on the Caribbean side of the island near the town of Humacao. Actually a compendium of resorts that range from standard hotel rooms to a bed and breakfast inn to luxury condominiums, Palmas is a city in itself, with a staff of over 500 employees.

Although three and a half miles of groomed beach (plus another six miles of nearly deserted beach) tempt vacationers to soak up sun and sometimes rolling surf, the sports facilities offer plenty of opportunities to stay busy. The Palmas del Mar Golf Club features a championship course designed by Gary Player with holes offering views of El Yunque rain forest, the sea, and the nearby island of Vieques. The largest tennis center in the Caribbean has classes for players of every level, and nine restaurants make sure that, with all that activity, no one stays hungry for long.

Hotel Features: beachfront, casino, casual and fine dining, golf, watersports, tennis