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This Hotel is Charging a $60 Resort Fee. Yes, $60

Where: State Road 187 Kilometer 4 2, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, 00475

We're sorry to ruin your Friday with this story about an outrageously expensive hotel fee but we feel you just had to know, especially if you were considering booking a stay at the St. Regis Bahia Bahia in Puerto Rico.

A prospective guest and tipster emailed us the description of the $60 resort fee which is found on the hotel's website:

Guest will be charged $60 USD daily for a resort charge inclusive of tax. This includes: toll-free and local phone calls, high-speed wireless Internet access in public areas and guest rooms, a welcome cocktail amenity in each room upon arrival, beach and pool services including beach umbrellas, ice cold water “spritzing”, frozen grapes, electronic books and I-pods (based upon availability), fresh-fruit bites, unlimited use of all non-motorized water sports and snorkeling equipment exclusively at the Boat House, bicycles (based upon availability), tennis center/courts day and night (equipment available at no additional cost), and use of our golf course driving range.

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Puerto Rico Hotels / Hotel Activities / Free Stuff / → All Tags

Gran Meliá Puerto Rico Offers Star Tours Without Leaving the Beach

Where: 1000 Coco Beach Boulevard, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico

Clear skies above the Gran Meliá resort offer ideal conditions for stargazing

You say Ursa Major, I say Ursa Minor; let's call the whole thing off. Actually, don't, especially not if you're stargazing in Puerto Rico. The country's Gran Meliá resort is capitalizing on its remote location to push a vacation activity that Copernicus would have approved of: star spotting (and we're not talking the Hollywood variety) and astronomy lessons on the beach with an expert to point out everything from Cassiopeia to Orion, and everything in between.

Gran Meliá is a decidedly anti-urban resort that has largely built its reputation on being "green." Located a short drive away from San Juan, the hotel has banned motorized water sports, has trained staff to keep the beach pristine, and they have instituted a conservation program for said beaches. Without towering skyscrapers, apartment complexes, and city smog polluting (pun intended) sky views, spotting constellations is markedly easier than in San Juan proper.

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Facebook Hotels / Wyndham Hotels / Puerto Rico Hotels / → All Tags

Rio Mar Beach Resort Gives Hefty Discount to Facebook Pals

Where: 6000 Rio Mar Blvd., Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico, 00745

We can't promise you this pool will have empty lounge chairs when you get there.

Here's a status update you won't mind getting on your Facebook news feed: Wyndham's Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa in Puerto Rico is giving its FB fans 40 percent off on stays during August and September.

Sign up on its Facebook page and you'll get a room for $119 per night. The deal can be booked through Aug. 31 by calling (866) 624-7926; just be sure to mention the fan discount. The fine print is that rates are subject to availability, blackout dates may apply and, obvs, you must be an FB fan.

There's a lot to be a fan of at this hotel, since it sits between the lush El Yunque National Rainforest and the scenic Atlantic shoreline. And its Facebook page says it just got a new beachside fire pit, where you can partake in everything from salsa lessons to eating s’mores. Now back to Facebook—we have to update our status to “Wishing we were in Puerto Rico.”

Puerto Rico Hotel Reviews / Hotel Video Tours / Island Hotels / → All Tags

Hotel Video Tours: Gran Melia Puerto Rico

Where: 1000 Coco Beach Boulevard, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico

The Gran Melia Puerto Rico is a bit isolated, but hey, that is what many island goers are looking for. While you won't find the all night antics of San Juan right outside your door, you will find ping pong, pool, kid size chess, beautiful. Oh, and forgive us for the shaky walking, no, no one was drinking.

Location:
Northeast of the island, between San Juan and Fujardo. You are going to need a car if you stay here and want to explore the island. Coco Beach is nearby, but for everything else you will have to drive down to the highway and drive the 45 minutes to San Juan, or points beyond.

Neighborhood:
Golf course and ocean.

Pool:
Not extremely crowded, very spread out. There is a swim up bar, pool side games, and island music playing. Yes, there were kids in the pool, but not an overwhelming amount of kids. Besides, the pool leads into the rocky beach, and further down you will find a sandy beach, point being, there is plenty of space to find a quiet spot on the grounds.

What are they reading poolside?
Into The Wild

What is the crowd like?
Honeymooners. The all-inclusive crowd. Family travelers and leisure travelers.

Rates
This is typically an all-inclusive resort but you can stay just one night starting at $300. However, beware as extras like internet will cost more.

Be sure to check out our growing hotel video tours channel and all our hotel video reviews.

Bad Rate / Puerto Rico Hotel Reviews / Caribbean Hotel Reviews / → All Tags

Bad Rate :: $509 Escape Package at the Westin Rio Mar

Where: 6000 Rio Mar Boulevard, Rio Grande, pr, Puerto Rico, 00745

[Ed. Note: This is the Bad Rate in our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature. This rate was valid on January 23, 2007 and is subject to change. Enjoy.]

There's a little secret in the lodging industry that when a hotel announces the completion of some multi-million dollar renovation, you'll soon be paying for that fancy new "Balinese-inspired spa" whether you use it or not. Apparently guests of the renovated Westin Rio Mar in Puerto Rico will really be paying for it--to the tune of $509 per night.

If you thought an escape to Puerto Rico would be a way to get a Caribbean deal without getting a passport, well, let's say you'd be better off going to a Westin in Florida than the one here. We thought something must be amiss when we saw rates of $429 for a "resort view" room and $499 for an "ocean view" room in March on a popular hotel booking site--no meals included. It was just a shade less than the rate for the island's Ritz-Carlton.

So we visited the hotel's own site to look for a package. The best we could do there was this screen shot: a tad less for the bad view rooms, but $509 for the ones with a glimpse of sea. Apparently the rooms look good enough to eat though. "Recalling the golden glow of beautifully tanned skin, the rooms' color palette includes a blend of chili, cinnamon and mahogany, with accent shades of olive and amber."

You don't get much out of this package besides breakfast, but at least the taxes and resort fee are folded into the room rate (as the latter should be anyway). So unless you can surf around and find a better nightly rate elsewhere, this is probably the best you're going to be able to do at the Westin. Add in another $450 to $700 each for a flight and you may be better off hitting Miami or the Keys instead--or finally getting your butt in gear to apply for a passport!