Westin Rio Mar in Puerto Rico has it all
By John Gordon,
Associate Editor
PUERTO RICO (April 18, 2003) -- Leaving the Northeastern States
or Canada
in March is no hardship, believe me, especially if you're headed
for an exciting new destination. In this case, it was a relatively
unknown quantity: Puerto Rico's Westin
Rio Mar Beach Resort and Golf Club.
Packing for such trips has become a touch ho-hum after years of
traveling. Golf clubs and related paraphernalia, of course, followed
by - hmm, let's check the weather forecast online - shorts, T-shirts,
sandals, bathing suit.
With average daytime temperatures hovering around 81 degrees, dropping
to a balmy 71 at night, and water temperatures of about 78 degrees,
it turned out that we had, indeed, packed all the right stuff. The
one thing we should have left at home, thrown out altogether for that
matter, was all our preconceived notions about this delightful island
about 1,000 miles south of Miami.
While golfers enamoured of the island's links-style courses call
Puerto Rico "Scotland
in the sun," the Westin Rio Mar Beach Resort and Golf Club
is less Scottish and Caribbean
than Hawaiian.
Tropical rain forests, one of the world's most attractive and moderate
climates, fabulous beaches, great golf. A first-time visitor must
be excused for thinking he had ended up on one of those Pacific
islands, especially when immersed from the get-go in unabashed hospitality.
 You
look no farther for evidence of this than the smiling face of Edwin
Torres, who works for the Westin Rio Mar's in-house transportation
service. Calling Edwin a driver is like calling Tiger Woods a golfer: He is the consummate ambassador at-large not only
for the resort, but for the island itself.
You have learned a lot about both during the half-hour trip from
San Juan's international airport. By the time you emerge from Edwin's
glistening black Lincoln Town Car outside the spectacular seven-story
main building, you know not only that there are 600 rooms and suites
(each with a balcony or terrace), a casino, and more than a dozen
dining and entertainment venues under its red-tiled roof, but much
more about Puerto
Rico. Edwin also proved to be a reliable source of rum-related
information: Buy a bottle of the three-star Ron del Barrilito. To
call it rum is like calling ... oh, never mind.
More to the point for our purposes, however, is the "and Golf
Club" addendum to the name "Westin Rio Mar Beach Resort."
That label includes two superior layouts -- the Greg
Norman-influenced River Course and the Ocean Course, designed
30 years ago by George Fazio and his now-famous nephew Tom
-- plus a splendid 35,000-square-foot clubhouse that would be the
envy of many.
 The
7,000-yard River Course is widely assumed to be the more difficult
of the two layouts, but both it and the Ocean are designed to fit
the abilities of their clientele -- resort guests for the most part
-- who have the sense to play from the appropriate tee deck. Both
courses are in excellent condition by any standards.
The opening hole on the River Course sets the stage for 17 more
that require accuracy off the tee and on approaches to greens that,
for the most part, are generous in size and gentle in nature. Norman,
with able assistance from Bruce Besse (president of golf and land
design with Rio Mar's parent company, Willowbend Development of
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts), crafted a very good routing, one
that rewards superlative shots without harshly punishing a merely
respectable effort. Having said that, poor shots don't go unnoticed
and may end up in the Mameyes River or the numerous tropical wetlands.
The 6,800-yard Ocean Course is said to be the first design upon
which Tom
Fazio laid his now-famous signature. The first and 10th tees
here are excruciatingly close to the clubhouse and al fresco bar
("Home of the World's Coldest Beer"), with the result
that - even though you can't hear them - there are snickering remarks
being made about anything less than a stellar tee shot. (Hanging
out with a few engaging members of the Rio Mar's members' golf club
is an experience not to be missed. Their lines are smooth and practiced,
and they lampoon each other with the same rapier wit lavished upon
those hapless golfers cold-topping their tee shots. It could be
the best entertainment bargain in Puerto Rico!)
The preferred shot pattern on the Ocean Course is a draw,
but the landing areas are large, so even a persistent fade won't
hurt. The greens, in contrast to the River Course, are very convoluted.
While the charms of the rest of the island in general, and Old
San Juan in particular, are undeniable, there really is no need
to leave the sprawling 500-acre Westin Rio Mar property. Free-form
pools, a waterslide, a kiddie pool, water sports including parasailing
and wave runners, basketball court, fitness center, spa, designer
shops and boutiques combine with the attractions of the exquisite
mile-long beach to fill most of the day. The Peter Burwash International
Tennis Center offers 13 Har-Tru courts. Children have the option
of playing at Camp Iguana, an onsite service that offers a full
range of indoor and outdoor activities.
While the kids are at Club Iguana, the parents can check out the club's
namesakes on the golf courses. After golf, do a little research, the
most pleasurable kind: The pina colada was invented here, and list
of other rum-enhanced cocktails available at the resort's numerous
bars appeared to lengthen with each passing day. That is not to be
construed as a complaint.
And the food! The Westin Rio Mar offers no fewer than five excellent
restaurants. The Grille Room in the clubhouse provides the usual
burgers and sandwiches for golfers at lunch, but is transformed
into an elegant gourmet restaurant at dinner. Other dining establishments
include Palio, an intimate Northern Italian restaurant; Shimas Asian
Bistro and Sushi Bar, which features an extensive and eclectic menu;
the Ocean Club, home of gourmet seafood specialties from Executive
Chef Gregory Carroll; Marbella, for all-day casual dining; Cactus
Jack's, a Tex-Mex sports-oriented spot beside the tennis center;
and a couple of pool- and beach-side eateries.
The Westin Rio Mar -- "the most comprehensive beachfront meetings
destination in the Caribbean"
-- boasts the largest ballroom in the region (21,000 square feet),
plus a 48,000-square-foot conference center capable of accommodating
more than 3,000 people. Not a bad spot to combine a little business
with a lot of pleasure.
All in all, we felt we had discovered that Maui had been magically
teleported to the southern Atlantic. And we are eternally grateful.
The ultimate endorsement came from a fellow golf writer, a veteran
who has spanned the globe over the decades. "In a few years,
when I'm thinking of retirement, I'm coming to Puerto
Rico."
Me, too. More specifically, I'm coming to the Westin Rio Mar Beach
Resort and Golf Club. And yes, dear, I'm bringing you and the kids.
(For details on the Westin Rio Mar Beach Resort and Golf Club,
visit www.westinriomar.com or call 800-4-RIOMAR. For general information
on Puerto Rico, visit www.gotopuertorico.com or call 800-866-7827.)
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