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After our lovely 5 nights stay in the Oceanfront Junior Suite at Courtyard by Marriott Isla Verde Beach Resort, we decided to check out one of the best Hyatt hotels and resorts in Puerto Rico – Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico.
Here’s a full review of the upgrades, benefits, and amenities I received while staying at the property as the World of Hyatt Globalist member.
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| Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico |
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Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico Location
Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico is set on a secluded peninsula in the Rio Grande against the backdrop of the El Yunque rainforest. The resort is very remote and away from a lot of things. It takes about 30-40 minutes from the San Juan International Airport (SJU) area to the resort without any traffic.
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| Beachfront Hyatt Regency Puerto Rico |
Room Upgrades For Globalist
As a Hyatt Globalist, you should receive a complimentary upgrade to a standard suite if available. Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico does have Regency Suite rooms for Globalists, but unfortunately, they were under renovations. So the resort upgraded my Graden View King Room to an Ocean Front King Room with Club Access, which was beautiful.
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| Ocean Front King Room with Club Access |
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| Ocean Front King Room Balcony |
Ocean Front Club Access Room
The King Bed Ocean Front room offers complete oceanfront views from the private balcony.
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| Ocean Front King Room |
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| Ocean Front Room Private Balcony |
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| Ocean Front Room Private Balcony |
The bathroom comes with a rain shower and a bathtub all in one room. The layout is a little bit different in that you can see right through the glass window when someone is taking a shower or bath from the bedroom. However, there’s a privacy curtain there if needed.
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| Modern Bathroom |
There are two floors in the building. The first floor, the ground floor, comes with a private patio and offers direct access to the ocean and beach. The second floor comes with a private balcony overlooking the sea and beach. There’s no right or wrong which room you pick, but please note that there’s no elevator in the building, so you will have to climb up the stairs to get to your room on the second floor. However, it’s not too bad if you do not have a mobility issue.
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| Ocean Front Room Building |
Regency Club Lounge Access
As a Globalist, our room comes with Club Access. Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico does have a Regency Club Lounge for Globalists.
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| Inside Regency Club |
Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico is set on a secluded location, and therefore if you do not have any vehicles, you pretty much will have to dine at the resort. The dining costs can add up, and all bills include a 16% service charge. So having access to the Regency Club allows us to enjoy food and drinks during our stays at the resort to save us some money.
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| Regency Club horse d’oeuvres |
Here is the basic information about the Regency Club at Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico:
- Regency Club is located across from the Water Edge restaurant.
- Access to Regency Club Lounge from 1:00pm to 7:00pm
- Snacks throughout the day until 6:00 PM
- Complimentary coffee, tea, non-alcoholic refreshments, and water.
- Purchase Medalla and Coors Light beers and selections of red and white wines at a reasonable cost.
- Beer – $4 (tax included)
- Wine – $8 (tax included)
- 2-hour evening reception with horse d’oeuvres from 4 PM to 6 PM.
- Complimentary wi-fi
- Access to The Regency Club private pool
- Review Regency Club Lounge at Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico For Globalist & Club Lounge Access Awards
Complimentary Welcome Drinks
Regardless you have elite status with Hyatt or not, all guests are given two welcome drinks upon check-in. The drink vouchers can be used on pretty wide selections such as mojito, pina colada, old fashion, beers, etc.
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| Two Welcome Drinks |
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| Welcome Drinks Mojito and Local Medalla Beer |
Other Globalist Benefits
- 30% bonus points
- Daily bottled water
- Late check-out 4 PM
Is Hyatt Grand Reserve an all-inclusive resort in Puerto Rico?
No. Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico is not an all-inclusive resort. While you can book into a room rate that includes Bed & Breakfast, it is not the same as all-inclusive.
If you have Hyatt Globalist elite status, you can have breakfast every morning at the on-site Water Edge restaurant if Regency Club is closed. The breakfast buffet costs $29 per person, and otherwise, you have continental breakfast at the Regency Club.
The Regency Club also serves appetizers in the evening that can fill you up, and all you can drink complimentary non-alcoholic drinks. Bees and wine are also reasonably priced compared to restaurants and bars at the resort. Funny is we would go to Regency Club to get beer and wine instead of the bar because of the price. Beers cost only $4, and wines cost $8 with tax included. If you were to purchase outside the club, you would be paying more plus a 16% resort service charge.
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| Breakfast Buffet at Water’s Edge |
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| Breakfast Buffet at Water’s Edge |
Swimming Pool & Swim-up Bar
There are a few swimming pools at the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico resort. While walking around the resort, the Regency villas appear to have a private swimming pool in front of each unit. Regency Club rooms also have access to the adults-only private pool, but the resort really does not enforce the access here, and anyone can use it.
The resort’s highlight is actually the resort’s gigantic swimming pool that comes with a swim-up bar. The swimming pool is one of the biggest swimming pools in Puerto Rico. It’s a lovely pool, and that’s where most guests love to hang out at.
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| Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Main Swimming Pool |
Beach
Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico is a beachfront resort located at Coco Beach in Puerto Rico. The beach area at the resort is nice, but I would not say it’s one of the best resort beaches in Puerto Rico. The shore is a bit rocky to get into the water, but the bottom sand is shallow, pleasant, and smooth to enjoy swimming and hanging out in the ocean once you are in the water.
Reviews on TripAdvisor give this resort just mediocre review scores.
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| Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico Beach |
Snorkeling
Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico is set on a secluded peninsula. The peninsula has an excellent reef section that you can snorkel in. The water is also shallow making it a perfect spot to enjoy snorkeling at your own leisure.
It’s worth mentioning, though, that I did not see any snorkeling gears at the resort. Therefore, be sure to bring your own as I suspect it’s costly if you buy them at the resort’s store.
Golf Course
We did not golf, but the golf course covers many acres at the resort if you enjoy golfing. The drive to the resort from the resort’s entrance covers a few miles, and you can see beautiful green golf courses as you drive through the resort.
Hiking
The resort has trails if you want to go for a short hike during the day. We really enjoyed our walk, and we stumbled on a swing at the beach, which was cool to check out.
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| Beach Swing |
Resort Fee
There is a resort of $55 per day. However, if you redeem World of Hyatt points or use Hyatt Free Night Award, the resort fee is 100% waived. Hyatt is one of the most generous programs for no resort fee on award stays.
Parking
On-site parking is available with the following fees:
- Self-Parking: $15 daily
- Valet Parking: $25 daily
Avis Rental Car & Tour Desk
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| Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Tour Desk & Avis |
There’s an on-site Avis rental car there, and the concierge desk is also available at the resort. Still, I recommend that you arrange tours on your own via Recommended Post below because it can be costly to arrange tours with the resort. Here’s the excursion website that the resort uses. It’s entirely up to you.
Keep in mind also, some tours may not offer to pick you up from the resort because it is too secluded. Please check with the tour company.
Recommended Post:
Airport Shuttle
Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico takes approximately 30-40 minutes from the San Juan International Airport (SJU) area. The resort is set in a secluded location, making it remote and far from many things on the San Juan island. While getting an Uber from the airport to the resort is possible, getting an Uber pickup from the resort back to the airport is not easy.
Editor’s Tip:
- Taking an Uber ride from the SJU airport to the resort is convenient and straightforward. Don’t forget to use your monthly Amex Uber Credits if you have the American Express Platinum Card.
Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico does offer an airport shuttle, but I do not recommend you take that because the price is outrageous. You can arrange the airport shuttle with the on-site concierge desk. The airport shuttle costs $44 per person, and 3-day advance notice is needed.
Instead, you can pre-arrange taxi pick up with the bellhops out front one day prior or on the day of your travel. It’s a lot cheaper. To give you an idea, it costs 4 of us $60 to get from the resort to the airport when arranged this way. Your mileage may vary, so just keep that in mind. But it’s still cheaper than the resort’s airport shuttle.
Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico Phone Number
You may contact the Hyatt Regency in Puerto Rico for any other questions you may have:
- Website: Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico
- Address: 200 Coco Beach Blvd. Highway 955-I, Rio Grande, PR 00745
- Phone Number: 1-787-657-1234
- Email: [email protected]
- Resort Map:
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| Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico Resort Map |
How to Stay at Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico For Free?
Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico is part of the World of Hyatt program. This means that you can use World of Hyatt points for redemption. Hyatt also does not charge the $55 resort fee on award stays.
Because this is a Category 4 Hyatt property. You can also use Hyatt Free Night Award that you earn through Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card anniversary free night or Hyatt Milestone Reward, even during peak night.
It looks like a dump and who would waste points on such a miserable place?
Sorry you felt that way. As Hyatt member, we really enjoyed our stay especially the huge swimming pool.