I just returned from a 5 day stay at Las Casitas. My family of 5 and a friend's family of 5 stayed in a 3 bedroom villa (4 adults; 6 kids age 6-13). The villas are beautiful!!!! Very clean and spacious and we were upgraded to an ocean view at no extra charge. It is much quieter in the villas than the hotel and I would recommend staying there.
We did not use the hotel's transportation. Instead we used TM Transportation. The owner, Tony Mateo, is very professional. He was waiting for us in the baggage area and was instantly friendly and polite. We needed a large van to transport the 10 of us and he had a cooler of water, soda and local beer for us to enjoy. Although he is from NY he has lived in PR for 20 years and was a wealth of information. On the way back to the airport he drove us through Old San Juan to show us the sites. Since it was Good Friday, all of the stores were closed. The cost was $290 for all of us. I highly recommend this service.
We took full advantage of having a stocked kitchen Each family packed a suitcase of non-perishable foods (muffins, cereal bars; pop tarts; gold fish crackers; fruit roll-ups, etc.....) and then we sent in an order prior to our stay to have other food (meat; cheese; milk, etc...) in our refrig when we arrived. We ended up eating breakfast in the casita every morning; packed sandwiches and chips for lunch and made 3 dinners. We did eat dinner out near the marina one night....our bill for 10 people with tip was $185. The food was average and very expensive considering we only had burgers and cokes!!!!
The butler service was non-existent and, overall, the service is not that of a 5 star hotel. While everyone is very nice, they are not proactive in asking if you need anything. Our butler announced when we arrived that he would be off for the next 2 days. He said his partner would be able to help us but we never heard from him again. We finally saw them the night before we were leaving to see when he should come by to bring down our luggage. It would have been nice to be contacted each day to see if we needed anything.
The private island is very nice and was not crowded considering it was spring break/holy week. The boat to the island was easy to use and the kids really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the island closed down for the remainder of our stay because Puerto Rico was experiencing 20 foot waves (first time in 45 years!!!). We brought a soft cooler of sandwhches, fruit and drinks to the island. Everyone seems to do this.
The water park is fun and I recommend only doing a half day. It is small with only 3 rides and a lazy river......I do not think it warrants a full day. We were able to bring our own snacks and drinks.
My husband and friend played golf and said the course was very nice with beautiful views. They brought their own shoes but rented clubs.
My friend and I used the spa and had a message. It was great!!!! You are able to use the spa amenities all day for no extra charge. Since we had 6 kids waiting for us, we only stayed for about 2 hours.
There are plenty of pools to choose from with the Infinity pool at the casitas being the prettiest.
I would definitely go back to this hotel even though the food and service are below par. The grounds are beautiful, the views are breathtaking and the casitas are worth the price. Next time I would rent a car and venture off the poroperty. I would have loved to taste Puerto Rican food -- which is non-existent at the hotel. I recommend this resort for families with kids. My kids loved it.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.