Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve

Puerto Rico’s Dorado Beach had its last golden age in the 1960s, when guests like Elizabeth Taylor and John F. Kennedy found Puerto Rico’s glamour irresistible. In the intervening decades the island’s fortunes dimmed a bit, perhaps overlooked in favor of some more exotic, farther-flung destinations. But with the advent of Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, it’s clear this beach (and this island) are taking a decidedly upscale turn.

“Reserve” isn’t just the Ritz-Carlton way of saying “resort” — the analogy is to winemaking, which is to say that the Reserves are the most extravagant hotels in the Ritz-Carlton collection. At Dorado Beach that means sprawling, low-slung beachfront accommodations, universal butler service, and a spa that’s larger than some entire resorts, spreading out over five acres, including two treehouse treatment rooms.

The suites are lavish, contemporary in design but with plenty of nods to the property’s plantation history. Every one has a deep soaking tub and an outdoor shower, and every one faces directly out to sea. These contemporary suites — and the two- to four-bedroom residences — make up the vast bulk of Dorado Beach’s offering, and they’re extraordinary enough; the centerpiece, though, is Su Casa, a detailed reconstruction of the original plantation house built by the colorful Clara Livingston — this hacienda-style house boasts four bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, and an infinity pool, and in terms of both luxury and atmosphere, knocks the typical presidential suite into a cocked hat.

Dining and drinking options include Mi Casa, a Spanish restaurant by José Andrés, as well as Encanto, an open-air bar and grill, and Positivo Sand Bar, the perfect spot for a barefoot sunset cocktail. And it’s all executed with the utmost attention paid to the environment, which would no doubt have pleased Laurance Rockefeller, the developer of the original Dorado Beach.