My husband and I stayed here in June, 2006 for about 4 nights. The hotel is rather small, and the rooms are modest, though the balcony and view was amazing.

Staying here basically puts you far away from everything. There are places to eat, other hotels, and supermarkets nearby in wlaking distance, but thats about all.

The pool and hot tub at the resort were amazing, and as the name implies, also connects to Isla Verde beach. The pool was open all night so that was a definite plus. They also had the most comfortable hammocks there. We walked all of Isla Verde beach, passing all the other resorts along the way. There is a casino, though it is rather small, but they did give us some coupons, as well as one for a free drink ticket.

There is a lovely fountain in front of the hotel, and a nice restaurant that has a buffett everyday. The bar there was really nice, but very crowded...it took forever just to order a drink, but they play great salsa music, and you can dance or just watch everyone else.

We definetly regret not renting a car here, as the bus schedule was irratic and a cab charged us 20 dollars each way to go to Old San Juan. El Morro, the old fort was one of the highlights of our vacation. It is simply stunning! Old San Juan is also Filled with Authentic Puerto Rican restaurants, other restaurants, and upscale shopping. I wish we would have stayed here and not in Carolina.

We also took tours to El yunque rainforest, but the tour guide took us on easy trails and only saw vegetation and coco falls. We also took one to Camuy caverns and Areceibo Observatory. They were both great, except that with Arecibo we were stuck in a museum for about an hour.

While here, please try the mofongo....delicioso!

There is no tax in PR! yes, even on cigarettes.

The location of this hotel between the beach and the airport runway and the location of rooms in relation to those two are key to enjoying a room here. Our first night we were in a low, even numbered room (lower numbers are closest to the front of the hotel, the busy main road, and the airport runway). The advantage to even numbered rooms is that they look down the beautiful empty beach to the east. The disadvantage to them, beyond being near the road and runway, is they overlook the roof of the casino with its vent fan noise. You can see the surf but you can't hear it. It sounds like any downtown hotel. To make the rooms quiet the hotel has provided double glass doors to the balconies and they are very effective. But when we have a balcony overlooking a beautiful beach we want to be on it when we're in the room. Not possible here. When a jet lands or takes off all conversation stops and you can feel the sound waves reverberate through your body. Someone in an earlier posting said the airport was a non-issue because of so few jets but we must have been there on a busy week because we heard lots.

Our second morning we upgraded to an oceanfront room (for $75. per day extra). The noise problem was solved. It was amazing how quiet the ocean front rooms were with only the sound of the surf. The beach views to the east and west were lovely.

As many others have said, we found the hotel staff very helpful. We didn't receive any extra trays of fruit or goodies like others did but perhaps that's because our basic room was a Marriott rewards certificate and we were just paying for the upgrade. The front desk staff were very helpful with any questions we had as were the concierge and the bellman. The concierge set up a trip for us to El Yunque and our guide Robert was extremely informative about the rain forest, the history of the island, current political and cultural issues and events, and anything else our group of about ten could think to ask him. We'd request him again if we visit the hotel in the future.

The concierge also recommended a supermarket to us our first afternoon so we could stock the room refrigerator. There is a local chain called Pueblo an easy five to ten minute walk from the hotel. Having some of our own drinks and snacks saved a few dollars since food is quite expensive. While we were there the government announced the price of milk was going up to over $5.00 a gallon!!! Everything isn't that expensive but it does reflect the high costs of food in the supermarkets and in restaurants.

The main attraction for many people are the casinos in the hotels. It seems to be a law that only hotels can operate casinos so that brings in lots of business. We never went into the casino so found the beaches pretty empty most of the time.

We ate dinner our first night at the hotel's oceanfront restaurant Sirena. There were only two or three tables with guests. The service was quite slow but the waitress and other staff were pleasant and of course the view of the ocean on the patio made any wait enjoyable. The food was surprisingly good.

If you like ice cream there is a diner just past the Ritz., I can't remember the name, but I think it's on the corner of the road after the Ritz. It's before you get to Lupi's. You'll recognize it because you'll be able to look inside and see two large cases filled with lots of gelato flavors. It seems to be run by a young couple from the U.S. They are very nice and let you taste before making a choice. We had almond, banana, and pineapple. They even had small pieces of almonds and pineapple in them. The flavors are very intense and delicious. It's worth the walk. If we had discovered it earlier in our visit we would have been there several nights.

I agree with a previous comment that the taxi drivers are not chatty. Their quiet was okay with us. Because of the location of the hotel about a half hour from Old San Juan it is necessary to find some transportation. We took the public bus back and forth on the two days we went in. It cost $.75 each way. The bus stop is a little way past the Ritz in front of Denny's. You have to have exact change. The ride ends at the bus terminal in Old San Juan next to the cruise ship piers and a few steps from the cobblestone streets of the historic city. We felt safe riding the bus during the day and even in the early evening after dinner. The buses were clean and the drivers helpful when we were first timers and didn't know the routine.

For future trips to Puerto Rico I think we might stay right in Old San Juan for a couple days so we'd be able to spend all our time in the historic center and then move to a beach/golf resort in another part of the island. After visiting San Juan we spent two nights at the Copamarina Beach Resort in Guanica on the south side of the island and it was a quiet restful retreat from the activity of San Juan. Renting a car and getting away from the big city was a great way to see the beauty of the rest of the island. For a first visit to Puerto Rico, and especially being able to use a Marriott Reward certificate to do it, the Courtyard was a good choice but now that we've seen the possibilities that Puerto Rico has to offer I think we'd try a new experience next time.

After reading all the reviews here about this hotel, I must say I was very happy. When we arrived a few hrs. early and went to the front desk, the receptionist was extremely helpful and let us check in right then and there, 3 hrs. early! Also offered us a better room with a better view for $30 extra per night and we jumped on it. Got to the room, it was very clean (including the bathroom), and a cool temperature inside too. Everyone was helpful and friendly, esp. the people at the front desk. A short walk out of the elevators gets you to the beach passing the Picante/Salsa resturant, you should see the view of the ocean from inside! The beach area is neat and well kept, same as the pool area. Beach chairs & towels were complimentary and you could charge all your meals and drinks to your room if desired. Getting a taxi to go sight seeing or into Old San Juan, etc. was effortless. We were in a cab within a minute. The Casino was nice too, a little small but a Blackjack table was not hard to get on even on a Sat. night. The Picante Bar and Casino was open till 4 am and you could always get food and drink. The king size bed was spectacular and very comfortable! I will recommend 2 resturants in Old San Juan: Cafe' Puerto Rico and Fratelli's (this was some of the best food i've ever tasted) . This hotel was a pleasure to stay at. The only downfall I can even think of was the lunch service outside on the veranda was a bit slow. We waited almost and hour to get thru a quick lunch, but that wasen't even bad because you eat as you stare at the Carribbean ocean! As far as being close to the airport and hearing the planes take off?, well it was a non-issue, it happens few and far between and was not a bother. I will return to this Hotel to stay and visit the friends we made during our stay again.

Kudos to Alfredo and his staff! I decided to stay here post cruise after staying here the past September. The hotel is well kept and I liked the idea of staying on the beach and having a nice pool nearby where I could relax after a long week of cruising. On my last stay I also enjoyed hanging out at the beach with my binoculars and watch the planes from the nearby airport take off. Upon my arrival on Sunday was given a warm welcome by the front desk staff and the manager on duty whos name I can not recall came out to welcome me personally. We arrived a bit early after our cruise and before check in time but we allowed to check into our beautifull rooms.
Later on in the afternoon upon returning to my room to prepare for my kayak excursion up in Farjado I noticed the staff had delivered a very tasty fruit platter. The food in the hotel is very good. After a very long walk on the beach the following morning I was extremely hungry and tried the breakfast buffet which offered any type of breakfast food you could imagine. I would recommend if you really enjoy a good breakfast.
The hotel service that I experienced was top notch. Kudos to the front desk staff, the waiters and waitress in the buffet who work hard to make your meal enjoyable, Axel at the pool bar and the pool towel boys who will set up your chair with a towel on the beach. The bellhops were extremely friendly and allowed me to store my bags after checkout at noon on Monday and was allowed to use the beach and hotel facilities until leaving at 4:00 P.M. for my flight back to CT.
Overall, I just love this resort and would recommend it to travelers wishing to stay close to the airport. Bob from CT.