Nice Value in a country setting
My gf and I just got back from a Monday-Friday trip. . .excellent value for the money. We stayed in the resort the whole time since there is really nothing in the town of Dorado worth exploring. You will need a rental car or taxi/shuttle if you plan on leaving the resort, San Juan is about 30 minutes away. We originally booked a room in the Embassy Suites, but were told they were sold out when we arrived. Not sure how that was possible since the place was a ghost town all week (a few nights we were the only people in the restaurant at 8pm). They upgraded us to the time shares next door, which worked out since we had a ground floor ocean view with kitchen. That said, you'd have to leave the resort to go food shopping to take full advantage of the kitchen. Otherwise it's only good for storing/reheating leftovers. Room was clean and in good shape. The free breakfast was pretty decent since it is cooked to order, plus a wide variety of buffet items available. They also have a free happy hour each night from 5:30-7:30, no real limit on what you can order. The restaurants are so-so and are hit-or-miss in terms of the service and food. The staff are very nice, but they do not really know what they are doing. We had to ask for silverware, condiments, etc. almost everytime. Some nights the food came quickly, others we waited forever. It's a very laid back environment, so don't expect a 5 star restaurant experience. The food itself was decent, not spectacular. The Italian place, Oregano was not even as good as Olive Garden. Pretty bland. We only went the one time. Wine lists at both restaurants are good though.
The pool area is very nice and the beach is good. Although the actual beach area is kind of small, not a ton of sand. Don't expect to walk the beach for miles in any direction. . .it quickly becomes jagged rocks and cliffs. The golf course is nice, not very challenging but in good shape. Kind of pricey if you want to play in the morning ($100), but after three it's $50, which is worth it.
If you go during the week like we did, expect less amenities/services than if you head down for a weekend. We could see a vast difference on Friday as we were leaving compared to Mon-Thurs. Nothing terrible, just less going on.
Bottom line. . .we would definitely go again, can't beat the value for the money, especially if you are content with just laying on the beach all day and doing nothing.