A Lovely Family Vacation

Guest: Shelly (Baltimore, MD)
Date of Stay: 06/18/11 Review Submitted: 06/23/11

We're on our last day here at Marabella 444. The condo is lovely, well-appointed, and beautifully decorated. Palmas del Mar is very safe and secure. The directions to get here were well-written and plenty of details were given to us as renters to make the vacation easier. The best thing about this unit is the view and the location. You can walk right to the beach, no golf cart required. That made all the difference in the vacation for us. The condo is professionally decorated and comfortable. The only thing I would mention is if you go during the off season, be prepared that there are no condiments or things like sugar for coffee, probably because the unit isn't occupied every week. We noticed that the whole complex was fairly empty on our week, the last full week of June. There is a Ralph's right around the corner to stock up on what you need and if you think ahead you can cook without buying a lot of extras. The kitchen is very well-equipped for cooking. You should also be prepared to cook during this time because we noticed several of the restaurants were closed. All-in-all, I advise you to look no further for an excellent, well-maintained, comfortable condo in Palmas del Mar.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Guest: Anonymous, Long Island City, NY (Long Island City, NY)
Date of Stay: 01/20/10 Review Submitted: 04/14/10

We were fortunate to spend a week at Marbella Club 444 at the end of January. We had an absolutely wonderful time! The unit was particularly well-appointed. Usually a rental unit only has the basics but this one had everything you could ever need and it seemed to be professionally decorated. In addition, the apartment's location provides not only a spectacular beach view but also proximity to the Beach Club next door to the Marbella Club, which we gladly payed a little extra for. Our 3 year old loved the pools and slides and it was nice to have access to a nearby restaurant from time to time. While there, we had a problem with the refrigerator and the owners immediately responded and took care of it. They were helpful right from the moment we inquired about the unit and up through the end of our stay! We are looking forward to our next visit at this special location.

Recommended for:

Guest: Anonymous, Atlanta, GA (Long Island City, NY)
Date of Stay: 03/29/10 Review Submitted: 04/14/10

We stayed at Marbella 444 in March 2010. The apartment was everything it said it was. Great views, extremely well decorated and the kitchen had EVERYTHING you could possibly need in a kitchen and then some. We stay at Palmas del Mar every year an this has been one of the best units we have stayed at - if not the best so far. Hoping it's available for our next visit. Thank you for opening up your unit to us!

Recommended for:

Guest: Anonymous40 (Long Island City, NY)
Date of Stay: 04/12/10 Review Submitted: 04/12/10

We were fortunate to spend a week at Marbella Club 444 at the end of January. We had an absolutely wonderful time! The unit was particularly well-appointed. Usually a rental unit only has the basics but this one had everything you could ever need and it seemed to be professionally decorated. In addition, the apartment's location provides not only a spectacular beach view but also proximity to the Beach Club next door to the Marbella Club, which we gladly payed a little extra for. Our 3 year old loved the pools and slides and it was nice to have access to a nearby restaurant from time to time. While there, we had a problem with the refrigerator and the owners immediately responded and took care of it. They were helpful right from the moment we inquired about the unit and up through the end of our stay!We are looking forward to our next visit at this special location.

Recommended for:

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 03/29/10 Review Submitted: 03/29/10

We stayed at Marbella 444 in March 2010. The apartment was everything it said it was. Great views, extremely well decorated and the kitchen had EVERYTHING you could possibly need in a kitchen and then some. We stay at Palmas del Mar every year an this has been one of the best units we have stayed at - if not the best so far. Hoping it's available for our next visit. Thank you for opening up your unit to us!

Recommended for:

Guest: The Birds1 (Brooklyn, NY)
Date of Stay: 02/25/10 Review Submitted: 02/25/10

My husband and I and our teenage daughter and her friend were fortunate to stay in Marbella 444 during one of the worst snow storms the East Coast has seen in a while! Everything was top notch, the apartment is even better than the pictures. The process was simple and we believe our unit was in the best complex Palmas del Mar has to offer in terms of location. We rented a golf cart for the girls to go out and "do their thing" and never worried about them at all. Having an equipped kitchen and laundry made our stay easy and relaxing. Personally we enjoyed eating at the Tapas place next to Chez Daniel, outside as well as at the bar where they kindly tuned in the Syracuse UConn game for us hard core upstate fans! The garlic shrimp and veggie paella are the best, we came here often ! The bar at the country club we also enjoyed very much for the menu and the easy company we found! We will be back, and have already referred people to check out this slice of heaven.

Recommended for:

Guest: Ethan Hugo (Hingham, MA)
Date of Stay: 02/20/10 Review Submitted: 02/20/10

We stayed about a week in Marbella 444, and it was absolutely great. We'd never been to Puerto Rico before but could not have been more impressed with the Palmas del Mar area and all it had to offer. The Marbella Club seemed to us to be likely the nicest place to say within Palmas del Par. The buildings were new and very nice looking, and the interior of the condo was very clean, well decorated, updated, and had all the amenities I can think of. It also seemed very safe, and I was never concerned about leaving my belongings out in the open during a swim or walk down the beach. The Marbella Club has two great relatively shallow pools that were nice for our two year old and the adults as well. It also has a huge jacuzzi. These were all literally about 50 yards from the entrance to the building, on the way to the beach. Next to the main Marbella Pool (and near the beach) are two large built-in BBQ grills that worked great for a couple eat-in meals. These were in great shape and apparantly cleaned every day. Down the beach about 100 yards is the Beach Club, which offers pools for kids with water slides and spray features, plus an adult lap pool that we used. I also used the Country Club, with discounted rates via a temporary membership pass that came for free with renting this condo. Both courses were very nice, and it was easy to "walk on" virtually anytime except weekend mornings. Up the road about a mile is a Tennis Club that also has a pretty decent fitness facility. We enjoyed that as well. We didn't do much dining out because we were so enamored with hanging out at the condo, listening to music, and enjoying the view. The kitchen was completely equiped. Lastly, this rental process also had the added benefit of being very easy. The real estate firm with which the owner works is located right on the way into Palmas del Mar, and the process went smoothly. They also handle all the paperwork and deal with the cleaning after you leave, so you don't need to worry about getting up early to do 5 loads of laundry before you leave! We just enjoyed the last few hours of sun. I cannot recommend Marbella 444 enough. My only hesitation is that someone will read this and decide to rent for the week I want next year!

Recommended for:

Guest: Jeff Schultz (New York, NY)
Date of Stay: 09/08/09 Review Submitted: 09/08/09

Our first reaction upon arriving at 444 Marbella Club (Alameda Building) was that the apartment was larger and nicer than even the attractive pictures we had seen in advance. Marbella Club is very well laid out and landscaped and the buildings are the most attractive and seem to have the best security and service in the entire Palmas del Mar complex (both security guards and concierge were eager to help and gave useful info and tips). The apartment is very well decorated and equipped; the basemement parking with elevator access to the 4th floor was also very convenient (from what we noticed, not all Marbella Club buildings have the basement parking). Some guests may never realize that there is a gym in the basement of Alameda that security can give you the key to! There is also a wine "cava" room in the first building that security can show you that has to be seen to be believed. The Dragon Pool, which is right between Alameda and the beach, is great for families; we spent most of our pooltime there. There were a hammock and lounge chairs down on the beach among the palms, too. During the week in low season we found the complex very quiet, so there was never a need to fight for chairs or barbeque space or difficulty in getting into the restaurants at the complex (try Chez Daniel at the Old Marina for a fancy French dinner; the Spanish tapas restaurant and Bistro Rico right next door were also excellent). We do imagine that in high season there must be lines at such good places. Blue Hawaii and Flying Pizza are also an option inside Palmas (the exit to the complex is so far away that it can be a little impractical to go outside Palmas for meals without some planning). The kitchen is fully equipped in the apartment so it is really worthwhile doing some of your own meals if you shop at Ralph's in Humacao center, which has a selection very similar to an American supermarket (try the wine section there, very reasonable prices on Spanish and Chilean wines too). Every appliance you need is in this kitchen, including a waffle iron that we used on several occasions to make a better breakfast than you could get outside. The bedrooms are lovely and master bath is like something from a Presidential Suite at a top hotel. We were extremely satisfied and would definitely stay in the place again in the future.

Recommended for:

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 08/25/09 Review Submitted: 08/25/09

444 Marbella Club is a lovely 3BR condo on the 4th floor, overlooking spectacular views of the pool and beach. It was extremely well-laid out, spacious, and comfortable for our family of five (parents and 3 teens), and very attractively decorated. The master bedroom/bathroom suite is opulent, the kitchen is well-equipped and offers beautiful views. The queen bedroom is like a small studio apartment, with a very private bath and kitchenette. As part of the Palmas Del Mar Resort, there is easy access to golf, tennis, pool-lounging and more. Visiting in late August, we had the entire resort (which is sprawling) to ourselves. It is not an intimate setting, but it has every amenity imaginable. We wondered if during peak season it could get very crowded, but we were spoiled by what felt like our own private pools and golf courses. We particularly enjoyed spouting dolphin fountains and oceanfront hammocks at the Marbella Club pool; and a highlight of our four days was snorkeling out of the resort's marina to Vieques Island on "Matt's Cat." Kayaking at Fajardo's bio- luminscent Laguna Grande, and hiking in El Yunque Rainforest were just 40 minutes away by car and well worth the trip. All in all, it was a fun and memorable family vacation.

Recommended for:

Guest: Cassie Hutchins (-)
Date of Stay: 03/14/07 Review Submitted: 03/14/07

We stayed at Marbella 444 for a week in March ’07. We were very impressed with this condo, the layout and the amazing views from every room. Marbella is a new, private, gated community within the gated community of Palmas Del Mar, which is a beautiful, well-landscaped country club development. We flew into San Juan and rented a car there for the week and did quite a bit of driving on the east coast. Palmas Del Mar seemed to be far and away the nicest area. We could have easily spent the entire week just relaxing on the porch or at the spectacular Marbella pool with dolphin fountains, 3 different levels, palms everywhere, a view of the Caribbean and a refreshing breeze to keep you from getting too hot. We felt as though we had our own private pool, because we only saw one or two other families the entire time. We enjoyed the pool area as well as the oversized Jacuzzi. We walked on the beach to the Beach Club restaurant (next door) for lunch. A farther walk down the beach (about 15 minutes) is another restaurant we enjoyed, the Beach Bohio bar and grill, where we sat on the deck watching the waves as we had lunch or enjoyed a pina colada. There are two great golf courses within Palmas, and both have holes on the ocean. We saw large iguanas and several types of shore birds on both. Tennis is available also, but we didn’t have time for everything! There are several restaurants (all casual attire) available without leaving Palmas. The large and well-appointed kitchen made it easy to cook dinner in the unit also. The staff at Marbella, especially the gate personnel, were friendly and welcoming. There is a concierge on staff. There is a small market within Palmas and a supermarket a 10 minute drive away. The owner of the condo was very responsive - answering questions and sending helpful information, contact info, and driving directions to us via email. There was so much to do in Puerto Rico, and we barely touched the surface in our week there. Seeing Old San Juan is a must! We spent part of two separate days there but could easily spend more time. We saw the two massive and picturesque forts in Old San Juan (El Morro and San Cristobal), walked the blue cobble-stoned streets, and ate in a couple great restaurants there. We hiked the rain forest, also on the east coast. We kayaked at night on the bio-phosphorescent lagoon on the east coast (near Fajardo) in a small group with guides. The two young people with us (mid-20s) said it was the best p

Recommended for: