“Cozy, Semi Secluded. Bad Beach.”
Visited this nice place in December of 2010, right after Christmas. We arrived late at night, and the place was a slight challenge to find in the dark and in a neighborhood i would classify as "a notch above ramshackle". Maybe some will find that charming, and it is, to some degree. You can however feel that when the economy rebounds, the area in the immediate vacinity of the Villas may very well clean up nicely. I was a bit nervous and worried about saftey at first due to many buildings in disrepair close by, but all of that disappeared in a day or two. My first impression of the Villas at night was positive. The sounds of the waves, the Coqui making their tropical chirps, gave a feeling of both tropical beach and tropical jungle. I thought it was very cool. The Villas themselves were clean and modern looking. There was a note on the door for us to contact the manager/owner via phone, and she came right down and got us checked in. Very nice woman, I wish I could remember her name. The inside of the Villa was clean and looked exactly as advertised. The only negative I would give the Villa itself is extremely uncomfortable furniture and bedding. Absolutely horrible. Some may not be as picky as me about mattresses, and maybe the mattresses here are not any worse then a two-three star hotel in the US, but they are certainly bad enough to take away a half a star. If you enjoy uncomfortable futons, then you will love what they have in the main living area. My back hurts just thinking about it. I rate the Villas themselves as "comfortable", but thats for the overall feel, not the furniture. The views from the Villas directly faced what appeard to be an abandoned property. To see the ocean, you need to step out and look left. And it is beautiful. In the distance is the island of Vieques. Vieques has some of the most beautiful beaches, but unfortunately, you wont find a Vieques quality beach here.
The pool was smallish but very clean. Apparently there is a waterfall next to the pool, but didn't seem to be operational when we were there.
When daylight came, I was both impressed, and saddened. Impressed by the beauty of the trees, landscape, ocean, but depressed by the horrid condition of area buildings and the beach itself. The beach was inundated by trash. I really think it is from trash washing ashore, and not locals simply being pigs, but there doesn't seem to be a local effort to beautify the area, which is sad because the area has incredible potential. You have a mixture of abandoned buildings, and high scale homes including the home of the owners directly above the Villas. This resort is definately not for those seeking the night life. There are area drinking establishments, and lots of roadside eateries in the area. If your looking for authenticity, this is a good place. This area is a step back in time, with a splash of modern thrown in so you don't feel totally isolated. Some impressive homes and yet some obvious poverty. The area itself accomadates tourists well. Most businesses have clerks that speak english, although we encountered a cashier at the Burger King a few miles away who looked at us like we were from another planet when we ordered in english. She threw up her hands and had to have someone else take our order. You would do much better in the area if someone in your party can speak some spanish. The Villas does have someone who can arrange tours for you, which we didn't participate in, but I am thinking if you need help finding something to do, the person in the office will be able to accomodate you nicely. The town grocery store had enough Americana to get us through without feeling totally out of sorts, and prices were reasonable. You will find your coke and pepsi, break, milk, cheese, frozen pizza, meats, but don't expect Albertsons/Food Lion/Publix or a super deli.
We used the Villas as a staging point to visit the island. Ponce, Old San Juan, ect. Ponce was quite a trip, as you have to traverse the mountains first. The ability of the locals to build where they build on these narrow roads was astounding. Once your off the Mountain, the roads are very comparable to modern interstates in the United States. The trek to San Juan is easier, and basically a straight shot. Parking is done on an abondoned lot next door, on a soft, flat sandy/grassy area. It is right behind the Villas and takes about 30 seconds to get to once you exit your Villa door. It's not a secured area, but we didn't notice anyone unsavory monitoring the area. Locals visit the beach for recreation, fishing, and some own what seem to be a weekend getaway next door. They look abandoned, but then a family occupies it a few days a week. At night, you can faintly here music from a local establishment up the hill, but its overpowerd by the sound of the waves and coqui. Also expect a few wandering dogs in the area, as well as some nice sized iguana.
Make sure to bring a cell phone as there aren't phones in the rooms. The only internet access we had was through tethering the cell phone to our laptop, and signal was good (AT&T). My girlfriend had Verizon and her signal was good as well.
On a scale of 1-10, I would give the Villas themselves a 8, taking points off for the horrid furniture. For the friendliness of the staff, a 9. The beach gets a solid 5, and it gets that because the beauty of the ocean itself and foilage, rocky cliffs nearby help it. The sand is so-so, but the trash..oh my. The overall experiance for me at these Villas was a 7.5. It felt authentic, was safe, had enough modern splashed in with an old timey feel. Its secluded from big business (good in my view) no screaming kids running around, at least when we were there. I recommend this place, with some caveats. Don't expect nightlife, or a pristine beach. Go to experiance local culture, small eating establishments, and a tropical ocean and jungle feel that is not over priced. The girlfriend wants to go again, but I might prefer a change, for changes sake. We will see.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
