hotel review: HILTON PONCE GOLF & CASINO RESORT
LOCATED IN PONCE, PUERTO RICO
LUXURY STAYS
Luxury stays are easily defined by cleanliness, customer service, and amenities provided. I’m here to say, the Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort has everything you could be looking for! From check-in to check-out, I loved everything about my stay here!
GETTING TO THE RESORT
Getting to the resort is a fun little adventure all on its own. If you are coming from San Juan, it’s about an hour and a half drive, depending on the time of day and traffic, but the scenery is worth every second! What makes it so great is the drive is full of mountains and gorgeous green landscapes. The location of the hotel is perfect because so many things are close to the resort. A mall and various big chain restaurants like P.F. Changs, Longhorn Steakhouse, and The Macaroni Grill are all within a short drive away.
ARRIVAL & CHECK-IN
When you arrive at the resort, you are immediately greeted by a gate and a guard to help guide you. You’ll veer off to the left a little, and you’ll see the giant resort! There’s an oversized U-shaped driveway that you can use for valet parking, but we just parked and walked. There are two main desks; the first you walk up is strictly for parking. (You’ll want them to validate your parking pass before you leave the resort the first time.)
Once you pass this desk, you’ll enter the lobby to find check-in. Check-in went smoothly for us. They quickly checked us in, upgraded the room to Oceanview due to our Diamond Status, and gave us two bottles of water to cool us down. (It was rather hot that day.) They gave us a map and asked us if we needed help to our room with our bags, but since my husband was there, I figured he could handle it. (hehe)
OVERSIZED OCEAN VIEW ROOMS
From the minute I walked into my room, I was impressed. It was so clean! You can tell that everything had been cleaned recently, even down to the lamps. I also love it when hotels clean the remote and put it in a plastic baggie; the little details in cleaning make a massive difference in a hotel room’s persona. The bed was incredibly comfortable, comparable to any Hilton bed you would experience at home. I also loved that the desk they had faced the patio door. Working on my laptop at a desk while staring outside and seeing beautiful blue waters definitely made it more enjoyable!
FOOD & DRINKS AT THE HILTON PONCE GOLF & CASINO RESORT
The food was about average for a Hilton with a typical menu. The hotel offers continental Breakfast provided to Diamond members, but if you want to add the goodies like pancakes or waffles, you’ll have to upgrade and pay, but it’s worth every penny! Quesadillas and burgers for lunch with everything served with fries; you’ll be sure to find something easy on the menu if you relax all day at the pool or beach! They do have waiters who will occasionally swing by to check on you while you’re relaxing poolside, but I noticed they are also the ones working at the restaurant, so if that’s busy, poolside service gets pushed to the wayside a little.
THE POOL & BEACH ARE TOP-NOTCH, TOO
The Beach & Pool at the Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort were my favorite parts of the hotel, and while I didn’t get an opportunity to play golf or check out the casino during my two-night stay, from what I did see of them, they seemed to check off a lot of boxes. I had to work and also couldn’t pry myself away from the sand and the sun! If you are looking for a great place to relax and soak up the rays, I highly recommend this resort!
OVERALL WE ENJOYED OUR STAY
We came from a more authentic stay in Aquada, so finding a place that made relaxing easy and reminded you of why you traveled to a tropical destination was nice. The Hilton in Ponce checks off every checkbox for a hotel. Clean, Friendly Staff, Tons of Amenities, and Great food. Did I mention how clean it was? I would recommend this resort to couples, those staying with family, and even solo travelers. You won’t need to leave the resort, but if you venture out, you’ll feel like you are back in the States with a Spanish flair!