Beachfront 1-Bdrm with Stunning View and Best Location in Isla Verde
Location
Car: Not Necessary
Our unit is on the top floor of a relatively small 12-story residential building located near the tip of a narrow peninsula between the two best beaches in San Juan. On the East side is the Ritz Carlton beach (aka Pine Grove), favored by surfers, and on the West side is the El San Juan Hotel beach (aka El Alambique), with its hard-packed sand favored by joggers, walkers and paddle boarders. The nearby hotels also offer all the typical beach rentals, whether it’s a kayak, jet ski or paraglider, or just a lounge chair and umbrella. In their lobbies you may also book fishing trips and guided tours, as well as one-day trips to some of the neighboring islands such as Vieques and Culebra.
Before purchasing this unit, we scouted the area for several years looking for the perfect spot. During different visits to the island we stayed at the Ritz Carlton and Caribe Hilton hotels, the ESJ Towers, as well as the Marbella, Girasol and Raquet Club condominiums. All of them are right on the beach and offer easy access to the shops and restaurants of Isla Verde Ave, but for our taste they were either too big, too noisy and/or too crowded. Navigating huge lobbies, circling around underground parking structures and fighting heavy traffic on Isla Verde Ave just wasn’t our idea of a nice vacation. Then we found the Amapola 14 condominium.
Only five minutes away from the airport, it is on a quiet dead-end street which is accessed directly from the main highway without having to traverse busy Isla Verde Ave (surprisingly, the airport noise is a non-issue). Since it has only 60 residential units (most of which are not offered for rent), the building is quiet, family oriented and peaceful, yet the hustle and bustle of Isla Verde is always a few steps away, with its top-rated dining, bars, supermarkets, cafes, banks, drug stores and shops.
If casinos are your game, some of the best in the island are right next door, such as the El San Juan, with its lavish lobby, lounge and bar area, the Casino Metro at the Sheraton, the largest in Puerto Rico, with almost 450 slot machines and 16 table games, including blackjack, roulette, baccarat, pai gow poker and three-card poker, as well as the Condado Plaza, the Ritz Carlton and the Marriott.
If you choose to rent a car, our unit includes a reserved spot in the building’s secure parking area, right at street level, in the shade and steps away from the lobby, so you'll get in and out easily. Puerto Rico has many attractions to offer within short driving distance, such as Old San Juan, the best-preserved colonial city in the Americas, the El Yunque tropical rainforest, with its beautiful waterfalls, swimming holes and hiking trails, and the phosphorescent bays in Fajardo and Guánica. You can rent from one of the national chains, Hertz, Avis, Enterprise and National, or try one of the often cheaper local alternatives such as Popular Auto, Target, Charlie or VIAS.
Venturing outside Isla Verde to the neighboring areas, you will find an even wider array of truly excellent restaurants. Lima, in the Miramar area, offers delicious Peruvian dishes and ceviche. The local cuisine has some strong entries, such as José Enrique, near the Plaza del Mercado in Santurce, where crowds gather on weekends to enjoy the popular cluster of bars and restaurants, including the also wonderful El Pescador and Boronía. Other terrific local cuisine choices are La Casita Blanca and La Jaquita Baya, both in Santurce, and Manolín in Old San Juan. Keep in mind San Juan also has the strongest Spanish presence of any Latin American capital, which includes fine restaurants such as Compostela, José José, Casa de España, El Mesón Gallego and El Picoteo, but also the immensely popular and not-to-be-missed Spanish-style delis Kasalta, La Ceiba and Cafetería España, where jamón ibérico, caldo gallego and Spanish wine can be savored side by side with espresso and delicious sweets such as mallorcas, natilla and tembleque.
At Amapola 14 you get the best of both worlds, you can relax in your own private balcony overlooking a stunning view, or walk to one of the many nearby lively casinos, bars and restaurants. You may opt to walk alone on the beach, book tours alongside fellow travelers or drive around the island. It’s your choice.
Owner info
Year Purchased: 2013
About the owner: My wife and I both grew up in San Juan, but for the last thirty years have been living in Los Angeles, CA. It was work that brought us here (I am filmmaker and my wife is an artist and filmmaker), but we miss our island very much. As children, we used to visit the beach regularly with our families, I on the Northeast side of the island and my wife on the Southwest. California has a very beautiful coastline, but nothing compared to the warm waters and palm-covered beaches we were used to. Thankfully, we were able to buy this little home-away-from-home and will be able to enjoy the sunny Puerto Rican beaches regularly once again. Since we live so far away, the apartment is managed by María 'Tity' O'Neill, who will greet you upon arrival and oversee your stay. She manages multiple units in the area and we had been renting from her for years, so when we needed someone to manage our place there was no better choice.
Why the Owner Chose Cangrejo Arriba, Carolina, Carolina, Puerto Rico:
It took us a few years of scouting until we came upon this particular apartment. We decided to buy here as early as 2005, when we rented another unit in this building, but found that few owners were interested in selling, so we had to wait it out. It took eight years of patiently searching the online classifieds until we found this unit for sale, but once we did we moved quickly and bought it. In those eight years we could have purchased many other units in other buildings, some for significantly less money, but none of them compared to this one, so we're glad we waited.
The Unique Benefits at this Apartment:
For our taste, this is the ideal spot. It’s a small quiet building, yet right next to all the happening bars and restaurants. It’s flanked left and right by the two best beaches in San Juan, while tucked away in a narrow peninsula where the visitors are mostly manatees, pelicans and sea turtles. It's right off a main highway (PR 26), on which you can hop on and be anywhere in the city within minutes, but also conveniently located on a dead end street where the only traffic is the local residents. Did I mention the airport is a five-minute ride away? It doesn’t get any better than this.
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Photos
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The view from the balcony. That's the Ritz Carlton on the right.
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The balcony as seen from the living room.
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Behind this dresser drawer is the walk-in closet. Bathroom is in rear.
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That's our building with the blue stripe, with El San Juan grounds in foreground
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Elevators in lobby area. A key is needed to access 12th floor.
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The full balcony view (w/slight panoramic shot distortion).
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Kitchen w/refrigerator, freezer, stove, microwave and convection ovens.
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Part of the fully equipped kitchen.
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This is the assigned parking spot, covered and steps away from lobby entrance.
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Dining room table set up for four.
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A manatee and her baby stroll by right underneath our balcony.
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Coin operated laundry room downstairs. $1.25 per load washers and dryers.
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The living/dining room, w/kitchen on the right and hallway closet in center.
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The bedroom, with AC unit and full ocean view.
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Bathroom with dual mirrors.
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Security doors to reach lobby area.
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The view from the balcony stools.
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Moonrise over Isla Verde, as seen from our balcony.
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4-burner stove with coffeemakers and teapots.
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Secure gate access to the beach and shower area.
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40' Samsung TV, w/Netflix and cable TV service.
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The balcony, with cocktail table and stools.
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Full-size futon, w/washable exterior and interior covers
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We're right on the water, with a secure reserved parking lot in front.
VRBO #561154
This listing was first published here in 2014.
Date last modified - Saturday, September 24, 2016
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