Hyatt Regency Puerto Rico Review

Hyatt Puerto Grand Reserve Rico

My husband and I recently had the opportunity to stay at the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve in Puerto Rico, on a mixed personal and business stay. Thanks to credit card points, our personal portion of the stay was free and my husband’s job covered the rest. As per my typical pre-travel routine, I researched the hotel prior to my visit so I would have an idea of what to expect. As I searched for Hyatt Regency Puerto Rico reviews, I came across mixed opinions online, leaving me a little unsure of what to expect. Some guests raved about the hotel’s luxurious amenities and prime location, while others complained of lackluster service and maintenance issues. With this in mind, I approached my stay at the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve hesitant, but with an open mind, eager to form my own opinion of the hotel.

General Information about the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico

The Grand Reserve is a family friendly resort steps from the ocean situated on a peninsula about 45 minutes away from San Juan and about 30 minutes from San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU). When you drive onto the property you’ll feel completely removed from the hustle and bustle of the city. While the peace and quiet is nice, this also means there is no walking to anything nearby and it’s really hard to get an Uber to pick you up here, so a rental car would be a good idea if you have plans beyond the resort. El Yunque Rainforest is a short drive away and serves as the backdrop for the resort.

My first impression: the property is georgeous. As soon as you walk into the open air lobby you’ll have views of the ocean and pool with chic decor and multiple water features.

Our room was not ready on arrival, but only because we were offered an upgrade to an ocean view room that wasn’t quite ready (thanks to my husband’s globalist status). So we stored our luggage and explored the property. Spoiler alert: the ocean view room was amazing and the wait was totally worth it.

Parking at the Grand Hyatt

Self parking is USD 16.73 per night and USD 27.88 per night for valet parking. Valet parking is included for Globalists paying for their stay with points.

Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve room cost

Standard rooms range in price from $250-$450 depending on the time of year, not including a resort fee of 18% of the nightly rate. The resort fee includes:

• 20% discount on spa services
• 15% discount on Green Fees
• 10% discount on select tours
• Two welcome drinks
• Two bottles of water daily
• Unlimited local calls
• Use of tennis and pickleball courts

Resort fees are waived for guests using Hyatt points to pay for their stay, so we didn’t have this added expense. While we did have water replenished every day, we were not offered welcome drinks. If I had known about this perk before check in I absolutely would have asked about it so be sure to ask if you stay here!

How to book the Hyatt Regency Puerto Rico with points

Because this is a Hyatt property, you can transfer points from Chase to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. This is a Category 5 resort which means you can book rooms with Hyatt points starting at 17,000 points per night on off-peak nights, 20,000 on standard nights, and 23,000 on peak nights (rates as of March 28, 2023). If you want to get a crash course on how we use credit card points to travel for nearly free you’ll want to check out my Beginners Guide to Points and Miles.

You could earn enough points for at least a 3 night stay by applying for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the World of Hyatt credit card. Any Chase credit card that earns Ultimate Rewards can transfer points to a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or a Chase Sapphire Reserve® and then transfer points to Hyatt and a number of other transfer partners. But you will absolutely get an excellent bang for your buck moving those points to Hyatt.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

• Since offers change so frequently, visit my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card link for the current welcome offer!
• $50 hotel credit
• 5X on Chase Travel℠, 3X on select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs) and 3X points on dining
• $95 annual fee

World of Hyatt Credit Card

• Visit my Best Offers page for the current welcome offer
• 1 free night each year at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort
• 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent at Hyatt hotels & 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
• $95 annual fee

Hyatt Regency Puerto Rico Rooms

Room Keys/Wristbands

At checkin guests will be given a wristband instead of a traditional room key. I believe the fabric bands are reserved for Globalists while other guests are given plastic wristbands. While it’s not super fashionable, it’s always nice to not have to worry about carrying around a room key at a resort!

Ocean View Deluxe Room

During our stay we did a little bit of hotel room “musical chairs” if you will, so we got a real sense of the difference between the different types of rooms on property. Our first night was in an Ocean view Deluxe room which has a slightly larger bathroom than the standard room and includes a soaking tub with wall to wall glass surround. There are curtains that can be drawn for privacy in case bathing with an audience isn’t your thing. The toilet in the Deluxe room is also enclosed in a water closet whereas in the standard rooms there is no door (the bathroom itself has a door of course, just not an additional door for the toilet).

Depending on your room number you may be doing a fair amount of walking during your visit. The buildings that house guest rooms are only 2 stories high so they stretch a good distance down the peninsula. There are golf carts available and you can call the front desk to send one to drive you around the property. The bellmen also give you a brief tour of the property and escort you and your bags to your room at check-in.

If I had to pick my favorite thing about the resort, it would be the private patio off of the Ocean View rooms. I sat here several afternoons just feeling grateful to be there. It’s hard to ask for more than blue water, blue skies, and palm trees when you’re on vacation and I loved that I could walk directly from my room out onto the sand. Or I could just sit in the quiet of my patio reading a book in the shade. Perfection.

The Deluxe room had a seating area with a curved couch and chair while the standard room had a couch (a pull-out I believe). The only other difference we noted between the Deluxe and Standard rooms was the type of coffee pot. In the Deluxe room there was a single serve espresso maker with disposable pods and in the standard room there was a traditional single serving coffee pot.

Each room has a mini fridge that was restocked daily with 2 bottles of water. There is also a safe inside the storage cabinet for your valuables.

1 Bedroom Villa

Friends of ours were staying in a 1 Bedroom Villa so we got to take a quick peak at it before they unpacked! The Villas are on a separate part of the property in their own area with a separate pool. They are still very much within walking distance of the lobby and main resort amenities, but just in the opposite direction from the other rooms.

The rooms include a large kitchenette, living room, bedroom, and large bathroom with soaking tub.

Standard Garden View Room

The standard Garden View room is very similar to the Deluxe rooms with the main difference being the absence of a tub and a garden facing view instead of an ocean facing view. The balcony has a nice view of the gardens and palm trees. It’s obviously not as stunning as the ocean, but I would not be sad about enjoying a cup of coffee on that balcony each morning.

Hyatt Regency Puerto Rico Pools

Since we were here mostly for work, we did not so much as dip a toe in the pools during our visit! So I can’t tell you much about the actual swimming experience, but I can tell you that the Grand Reserve has the largest pool in Puerto Rico and it is a beautiful sight. There always seemed to be chairs available no matter what time of day we walked by.

Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Restaurants

They Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve has 6 onsite restaurants to choose from.

We only sampled the food at a couple of the restaurants as we were there for a conference and ate mostly event catered meals during our stay. If and when we return, we will be renting a car so that we can venture off property for a few of our meals; to save a few dollars and because we like to eat where the locals eat.

Nectar

Nectar is a restaurant featuring Puerto Rican cuisine and was recommended by the employee at the front desk at check in. Even she admitted that they receive quite a few complaints about the food on property but that Nectar was a safe bet.

We ordered takeout one night from Nectar and split the Shrimp Trifongo and the Nectar Salad which was supposed to come with fried cheese but was sadly missing from ours. We really enjoyed both of these selection. Here is a complete menu from Nectar so you have an idea of what they offer.

Sand Trap

Sand Trap has a sports bar feel to it with salads, pizza, and burgers. There is also a virtual TopGolf Swing Suite that looked fun, but we didn’t try it. I had this cauliflower crust Buffalo Chicken pizza and thought it was pretty good!

Water’s Edge

Water’s Edge is where we ate our Globalist breakfast each morning. You have the option to order a la carte off the menu or eat from the buffet. My husband is Vegan and didn’t find much on the menu that suited his dietary needs, but thankfully the buffet had plenty of grilled vegetables, fruit, and oatmeal for him.

The buffet has an omelet station, fruit and yogurt bar (including a few things you don’t see very often like Dragon Fruit and Passion fruit!), sausage, bacon, yucca, potatoes, grilled vegetables, sliced meats and cheeses, waffles, and pancakes. As you can see from the menu, the breakfast buffet cost $29 per person plus tax so having this included as part of our Globalist perks saved us a significant amount each day.

We did notice that lines would form some mornings for breakfast despite seating being available, so perhaps this was a staffing issue. If you have a tee time or excursion planned, be sure to arrive sooner than you think you need to for breakfast.

Market

The Market is open 24 hours a day which is convenient if you want a late night snack or drink. I bought an iced Americano here pretty much daily and thought the prices were very reasonable and the coffee always tasted great. There are also yummy pastries, pre-made sandwiches and bagged snacks available.

Activities on Property

On site you can find paddle boarding, snorkeling and kayaking as well as tennis and pickle ball courts. There are also two 18-hole golf courses, and 11,000 square foot spa and the TopGolf Swing Suite.

The on-site gym seemed pretty well equipped from the quick glance we took at it (If you don’t know me, I am not much of an “exercise on vacation” kind of person). If you’re in need of an extra bottle of water I’ve got a tip for you! They keep a refrigerator stocked with water in the gym. You’re welcome!

Kids area

There is a kid’s club play area by the pool, with a small jungle gym, craft tables and lots of shade.

You’ll also find family friendly lawn games and ping pong tables outside of the Water’s Edge restaurant near the pool.

Hyatt Regency Puerto Rico Review

So what did we think of this resort? My husband and I liked it enough to book a week over Thanksgiving break so that we can bring our kids back! We’re hoping to be able to enjoy more of the resorts amenities and activities since this next visit will be a personal trip. And at 17,000 points per night it’s a great deal for a tropical getaway!

Have you visited the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve? Let me know what you thought in the comments!

Want to know how our family takes 3-4 vacations a year for nearly free?

If you’re someone who pays off your credit cards in full each month and you have no credit card debt, this might be the hobby for you! It has certainly changed our lives and it brings me so much joy to show other families how to do the same.

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• Points and Miles for Beginners: How to Take Your Family on Vacation for Free
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Hyatt Regency Puerto Rico Reviews