Courtesy: Ritz-Carlton Reserve

The Caribbean is about to get a little bit ritzier.

Puerto Rico is the very first location in the Americas to introduce the luxury brand’s extension known as the Ritz-Carlton Reserve.  Opening December 12, 2012, the $342 million development in Dorado Beach is currently taking reservations for rooms starting at $1600 a night.

The one-of-a-kind boutique resort sits on the footprint of the former Laurance Rockefeller estate and boasts 100 guestrooms and 14 one-bedroom suites that are all directly on the beach.

In addition, the estate’s plantation hacienda has been restored to its original 1920s style to serve as a VIP four-bedroom beachfront villa.

The resort also offers a five-acre botanical spa and a restaurant by award winning chef José Andrés.

Reservations can be made at www.ritzcarlton.com or by calling 1-800-241-3333.

Dorado Beach joins Phulay Bay in Krabi, Southern Thailand as part of the growing Reserve portfolio.