Holiday Get Away

Guest: Virginia (Cedar Rapids, IA)
Date of Stay: 12/15/11 Review Submitted: 01/13/12

Look no further! This property is leagues above everything else. Our family spent a fabulous week right before Christmas and the villa had everything and more to make our stay fun, enjoyable and absolutely perfect. We had our 2-1/2 year old granddaughter and a couple 20-something go-getters and everyone was happy. First -- the villa is pristine and the owners' maid even made sure we had apple juice, cereal and bananas for our little one when we got there. The next thing we found was the doll and stroller, so we knew we were in the right place. All rooms in the villa are spacious and beautifully decorated, the owners have thought of every possible amenity. The beds are heavenly. The beach is across the street; the pool is next door(and we had it to ourselves most times); the beach club is a nice walk or short drive and had a perfectly sized waterplay area for our toddler; the plaza grocery & all restaurants charming & delicious; the marina enchanting. Great location, less than an hour from San Juan, the rainforest, kayaking or taking a catamaran to bioluminescent bay. Take Matt's Cat to the wreck for snorkeling. Horseback riding is wonderful on trails & beach, and the toddler had her own first pony ride on Chihuahua...she is still talking about it! Everything listed here and what the owners share with you is spot on. No surprises except how addictive it is to wake up each morning and have great Puerto Rican coffee on one of the balconies and listen to the waves and the breeze in the palm trees. But the best was we were able to meet the owners who are delightfully fascinating and who have poured their hearts into making sure folks who rent this property have MORE than what they need for a great vacation. We can't thank you enough for generously sharing your beautiful Palmas del Mar villa with us. Every day was a celebration. We will return soon.

Owner response:WOW VIRGINIA - As our website makes clear, we LOVE Palmas Del Mar (we have been in more than 80 countries and it is our favorite place in the world). It is just great to meet people who agree with us !! We try very hard to be sure our guests are comfortable in our beautiful villa and we appreciate your enthusiasm so much. We look forward to your next visit to our paradise in Puerto Rico ! Jim & Joanne

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, age 55+, sightseeing, families with young children.

VERY SPACIOUS CONDO

Guest: ann (glen spey, ny)
Date of Stay: 07/04/11 Review Submitted: 07/18/11

We stayed at this condo July 4th - 12th and found this property to be quite comfortable for our party of 13(6 adults and 7 children). The unit is well equipped and extremely "kid friendly". There are several beach chairs, toys, a beach umbrella, and cooler which made our time by the beach and pool enjoyable. The one thing that was an issue within the condo, was the A/C in one of the upper bedrooms. We had to purchase a fan, because it was too warm to sleep without one. The Cohens are responsive owners, and accomodated us with all our requests and needs. Palmas del Mar is a gated community and the grounds are beautifully maintained. We all went horseback riding within Palmas at "Buena Vista Ranch" and were extremely pleased by both the staff and price of the one hour ride alongside the beach and golf course. There are golf cart rentals and many restaurants, our favorite being "Cafe de la Plaza". Delicious food, nice atmosphere and the staff speaks english. It was so enjoyable here that we truly felt like family! For anyone wanting to travel outside of the resort, there are several attractions within a one hour drive, which were pretty easy to get to with our GPS. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to return!!

Owner response:Upon learning of the problem with the one A/C unit, we immediately had our A/C man there repair it. But we learned, in the end, that it could not be repaired, and have since, at a $2,000 cost, replaced the compressor in the A/C unit. It is now working perfectly. When our guests return, as they say they will, we are confident their review next time will be perfect. As it should be obvious to anyone who looks at our web-site, we love Palmas Del Mar and are delighted when our guests do also. We have been returning to Palmas for vacations for over 30 years and in particular liked our guest's closing comment -- "We had a wonderful time and can't wait to return." As you can see, everything in our guest's comments was very positive, except the comment about "the A/C in one of the upper bedrooms." As noted above, that problem has been fixed.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, sightseeing, families with young children.

Palmas Del Mar is a beautiful place

Guest: Cindy (Sunderland)
Date of Stay: 06/07/11 Review Submitted: 06/17/11

The owners were very responsive to emails and phone calls. The grounds in the neigborhood of this second floor condo are kept extremely well kept. The condo itself is nice and the beds, very comfy. My only complaint is that the air conditioning has to be cranked up to make the second level bedrooms cool enough for sleeping and then the main floor is cold. There is everything you would need supplied, like kitchen appliances, dishes and pots, thick towels, soap, hair dryer, cable TV and internet, washer and dryer, beach chairs and umbrella.The beach is a very short walk away and the little plaza where there are several restaurants, post office in a souvenir shop, ATM and a nice little grocery store is convenient by car or golf cart as is the yacht club (golf cart rentals and a bar/restaurant there).There are more restaurants in another part of the marina away from the yacht club at the other end of the marina. You definitely need a golf cart or car for that. We ate at two of the 3 restaurants there and were very pleased. Having visited in June, the whole area was very quiet. Almost no people anywhere during the week, then on Friday night through Sunday there was something approaching a decent crowd. We were told that this is the slowest time of year for tourists. My teenage daughter and her friend rode horses here and were very happy with their experience. There are many adventurous and fun activities to do within a one hour drive.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, tourists without a car, sightseeing, families with young children.

Great place to vacation

Guest: Anthony (New Jersey)
Date of Stay: 08/01/10 Review Submitted: 12/06/10

Great place and very responsive owners. Made our experience enjoyable. We will definatly return. Our group was large ( 12 ) and yet we where very comfortable. Thanks to the Cohens.

Owner response:We love Palmas Del Mar and are delighted that Anthony and his group of 12 were all comfortable in our condo, loved Palmas and will be back with us again in the furure. Jim & Joanne

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, families with young children.

Beyond My Expectations

Guest: Crissie (Upstate NY)
Date of Stay: 08/17/10 Review Submitted: 08/28/10

After a long search to find a vacation rental in Palmas del Mar for our guests who were attending my fathers birthday celebration; this property matched my critera to accommodate those guests. The Cohen's have made the rental process very simple and remained very professional. Upon opening the door of the Cohen's condo, pictures did not tell the full story, nor did it do full justice. Everything from linens, furniture and decor accessories enhanced the resort in which this condo was located. The Cohen's certainly work very hard to maintain this beautiful vacation home and have made us feel at home; there was nothing we needed to add to this perfect location. The description matched exactly and would certainly reccommend and re-book this awesome condo again. To Mr. & Mrs. Cohen, I will be back!

Owner response:Thanks so much Christine ! We are delighted that you and your guests loved our condo and Palmas Del Mar. As we tell all of our prospective guests, we have traveled to over 80 countries and Palmas is still our favorite place on the planet. We are happy that you love it too. We try very hard to be sure the condo is completely equipped and so your telling us that nothing needed to be added is just great. We look forward to your return visit to this spot which you and we have decided is a "perfect location." Thank you, Jim & Joanne

Recommended for:Girls getaway, romantic getaway, age 55+, tourists without a car, sightseeing, families with young children.

Our Paradise

Guest: Laura and Jim (Westchester County, NY, USA)
Date of Stay: 12/26/09 Review Submitted: 08/16/10

We're back at Beach Villa 160 at Palmas del Mar. When you find PARADISE why try something else. Palmas del Mar has it all - tennis, golf - 72 holes, health spa, swimming pools, expansive white sandy beaches, an equestrian center, a water park and beautiful walking trails. We all rode the wonderful horses along the canals bordering the golf courses. One day we visited Arecibo - the world's largest radio telescope (a little bit of a drive from Palmas - but worth it - a memorable trip, and educational for the children). Our boys loved the water park and we took a fishing trip. Beach Villa 160 is well maintained. The unit was our home away from home. The kitchen is well appointed with utensils for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We made a gourmet meal for 8 people one night and our guests were impressed that a rental unit had so many gadgets that you would find in your own kitchen. What is a little known fact about this side of Puerto Rico is that the sun always shines (well not always, we did have 1/2 day of relief from the sun) in Humacao. The accommodations are wonderful, the kitchen is modern, beds comfortable, TV's in every bedroom, a washer and dryer, and the unit is clean and fragrant. When you find PARADISE why try something else.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, families with young children.

Guest: Laura & Jim Evans (Pound Ridge, NY)
Date of Stay: 05/03/09 Review Submitted: 05/03/09

I do not know how to describe this vacation spot in words that adequately translate the fun, pleasure and rejuvenative qualities of our stay at Beach Villa 160 at Palmas del Mar. My husband and two boys, 8 and 11, spent 10 days in Palmas del Mar during the Christmas season in 2008. We went without any expectations. Prior vacations in Puerto Rico had been spent at conventional tourist traps such as the El Conquistador, and the El San Juan hotel, and we had never before ventured to the Southeast coast of the island. Palmas del Mar has what other hotels on the island have – tennis, golf, health spa and beautiful people tanning and relaxing by swimming pools and expansive beaches. In addition to those amenities, Palmas has an equestrian center, a water park and beautiful walking trails. We all had a blast on the wonderful horses riding along the canals bordering golf courses. The boys loved the water park and took a one day snorkeling trip. Beach Villa 160 had everything we needed. The unit became our home away from home. We were able to prepare pleasant meals with the windows open to let in the sea air. We picked up food at the local grocery stores, if we didn’t feel like eating out at nearby restaurants.What is a little known fact about this vacation spot is the weather and the warm, moist, regenerative air. The children were dispirited when we arrived in the airport; it was rainy, the clouds overcast, and a weather forecast of eight more days of rain. When we entered the limousine, my youngest son shared with the driver his concern about the weather. “What can we do here when it rains?” he asked. The driver laughed and said that the sun always shines in Humacao. And shine it did for 10 days. There was a shower or two, in the late afternoon or at night, but we had 10 glorious days of sunshine while it rained all week in San Juan. I checked the weather history of Humacao compared to San Juan, and the facts backed up what the limousine driver reported – compared to San Juan, annually there is less than half the amount of precipitation, less humidity and the weather is more temperate – it is the weather of paradise. My son who suffers from asthma had an episode-free visit. We all returned to Westchester, NY with good health and clear complexions. The accommodations are wonderful, the kitchen is modern, beds comfortable, and the unit is clean and fragrant. It is on par with many of the luxurious hotels in the area. The beach

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 08/01/08 Review Submitted: 08/24/08

We (6 adults/4 children)rented the 'Beach Villa' for 10 days in July '08. We were pleasantly surprised to see it was beautifully decorated and so convenient to the beach, pool next to building and amenities within walking distance. Definitely would rent it again.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 12/01/07 Review Submitted: 12/28/07

A very nice property and an excellent value. The villa is large, very clean, well maintained, and located in a beautiful resort area. The excellent pool is located right next door and the ocean is across the street. A beach club, with excellent facilities, is a short walk away. We stayed here at Xmas time with 4 adults and 3 children. There was plenty of room and we had plenty of fun.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 10/01/07 Review Submitted: 10/01/07

We had a fabulous time at the villa. It was exactly as the owner's described. The villa, views and pool were perfect. We discovered a wonderful restaurant, Paradise Sea Food Restaurant in Punta Santiago. We ferried to a wonderful beach on the island, Culebra. We night kayaked to the biolumeniscent lagoon off Fajardo which was an unbelievable experience. We checked out the rain forest, Old San Juan and Ponce, all worth the drive. We just loved it. You should go too!!

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