Westin, a "brand" synonomous with elegance, luxury, and Heavenly Beds®, has now taken a leap into the family venue with the opening of the new Ocean Villas at The Westin Rio Mar Beach Resort and Country Club, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.

No longer do we have to sacrifice pampering, beauty, and divine surroundings when we travel with our children. No longer is it necessary to give up the elements of an active resort for the privilege of having a quiet and elegant retreat. At The Ocean Villas, we can enjoy the best of all worlds.

Rio Mar, located approximately 20 miles east of the San Juan International Airport in Puerto Rico, is a lively, upscale beachfront resort, with the Westin hotel property and the new Ocean Villas surrounded by two exquisite golf courses, the Atlantic Ocean, tennis, 12 restaurants and lounges, and lush landscaping.

The villas, located between the 16th hole of the Fazio brothers' Ocean Course and the main hotel, are housed in a series of four or five story buildings, all oceanfront with large, deep, furnished terraces or patios, full kitchens, and the amenities expected of a Westin® resort.

Transportation to the complex is provided by Westin Rio Mar Beach Resort and Ocean Villas in modern air-conditioned buses. The greeting is friendly and courteous; the drivers and dispatch personnel take care of baggage, situate the guests, and set out for the resort. Depending on arrival time and traffic, the drive can take from 30 minutes to just over an hour.

On arrival, guests are greeted by villa staff in a separate lobby for the villas. Check-in is handled in the villa itself with a "personal concierge" who is available to answer any questions, set up tee times, arrange tennis court reservations, pro lessons, restaurant reservations, babysitting and Club Iguana reservations, and help with provisions for the villa's kitchen.

The Ocean Villas is pioneering a new concept in concierge services, the "pre-arrival vacation planner." Once you make your reservation, one of the Ocean Villas concierge staff will contact you to assist in providing for your villa or to help determine what you will need for your stay. A password is assigned so that you can make all your reservations online, or fax the concierge desk with your requirements.

The villas themselves are spacious and elegant, with lovely but "liveable" furnishings in designer styles and fabrics. The bright, colorful wicker sofas, for example, hide a queen-sized bed. The armchairs are wide and deep, perfect for curling into with a book. Lamps are scattered throughout the living area so you can choose your lighting levels. The dining area lighting is a welcome rheostat; choose dim lighting for romance or bright lighting to read your choice of newspaper provided daily by the resort. An armoire hides a large television while a Bose "The Wave®" CD player and clock radio sits on a corner table, complete with a couple of sampler CDs.

Bedrooms are well-equipped with a work desk, an armoire with another television, night tables, another CD player/clock radio, a nice large closet complete with robes, slippers, and a wicker laundry basket, and of course Westin's signature Heavenly Bed®. Two and three bedroom villas have balcony access from the master bedroom; one bedroom units do not.

The villa kitchens are compact and fully furnished, with four-burner stove, full-sized oven, microwave, toaster, full-sized refrigerator, dishwasher, pots, pans, silverware, utensils, tableware, and coffeepot with complimentary Puerto Rican coffee delivered daily.

The dining area is designed for the size of the unit. Comfortable upholstered chairs in a contemporary fabric ring a glass-topped table. A huge contemporary chandelier provides light.

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