We wanted to spend a week away and get some sun and relaxation without a lot of cost or multiple plane changes. Coming from NY, Puerto Rico seemed like a good option. So we checked out the Trip Advisor reviews, looked at the hotel prices and decided on the Copamarina Beach Resort. We were not disappointed.

We flew from Newark into Aguadilla arriving after midnight and the drive to the resort was straightforward -- though you absolutely need a rental car. From the town of Guanica to the resort, you do have to drive along a narrow, windy road, so drive slowly and carefully especially at night.

The resort was quiet, with excellent facilities. The pools and hot tubs were perfect for relaxation. And it was an easy drive to towns such as Ponce.

We also spent a day going to El Yunque -- a fascinating spot but not an easy drive at all from Guanica -- I'd suggest saving it for a different trip (e.g., from San Juan or the Eastern shores of Puerto Rico).

The hotel's restaurant is excellent, but we wanted to try other places as well. We enjoyed Rincón Argentina in Ponce and Pito's Seafood, on Route 2, East of Ponce -- the service and food was excellent at both. The Blue Marlin in Guanica was fun and provided local color. There are plenty of fast food places around as well if you prefer that.

The hotel staff were friendly and polite. The grounds were immaculately kept. They have a computer set up in a lounge for checking email. When it was down on one of the days, they let us use their office computer to print out our boarding passes.

Some of the other reviews have commented on the beach. My step-daughter complained about sand flies at the beach but was quite content to sun herself by the pool. I went to Gilligan's Island and enjoyed the water, but didn't find it as impressive as the reviews would suggest. And the snorkeling was also unimpressive (lots of fish, but most were fairly drab). Apparently, they had to dock the boat in a different location because of hurricane damage so this may have accounted for the discrepancy in the reviews.

The dry forest was interesting. The hotel distributes an excellent, illustrated brochure for those interested in hiking through it and seeing the botanical and animal life.

The rooms were clean, comfortable and in typical Caribbean style.

One night there was a family with multiple loud children in the adjoining room but they left the following day. We couldn't tell if the walls were thin or the sound was traveling through the door that connected our room to theirs. Or whether they were just extremely loud children. (But we think it was the latter.)

I suspect they were less elegant than the rooms in the hotels on the East Coast; they were definitely less elegant that the rooms in the beach hotels where I've stayed in San Juan such as the Caribe Hilton. But our week's stay cost us about 1/3 of the price that we would have spent at any of those places for 3 travelers/2 rooms.

Overall, the Copamarina was just what we wanted: a quiet, friendly, laid-back, relaxing spot to catch some rays and get a flavor for the area.

We'd be quite happy to return at any time!

The Copamarina grounds are beautiful, but the food at the cafe, which is the only restaurant within miles that serves breakfast or lunch, was horrific and expensive--especially considering the poor quality. Our main complaints were lack of freshness and low quality, which we found unforgiveable from such a luxurious ($$$) property . While our family of 4 (mom, dad, 22 year old and 12 year old) hails from the S.F. Bay Area and has high standards when it comes to food, we travel frequently and try to eat simple local food because it's the freshest and usually the most tasty. Unfortunately, nothing seemed fresh at the cafe. The warm fruit salad looked like it had been stewing in its own juice for quite a while and the shrimp in the casa dia had a decidedly over-the-hill odor. Even just a basic turkey sandwich was made with gelatinous pressed meat and served on squishy bread--hardly what one would expect at a high-end resort where most guests are at least somewhat health conscious. As much as we loved the property, we left after just two nights although we were scheduled to stay for five. Our stomachs was rumbling and our 12 year old was bouncing off the walls since she was pigging out on the only food she could stand: chips and ice cream from the snack shop.

NOTE: We must add that the food at the Alexandra Restaurant, which only serves dinner, is very good. This establishment is formal and not appropriate for small children. It is also quite pricey. Plan on spending at least $200 for a family of 4.

One last thing: there is grass growing in this bay and it is very shallow so unless you just want to get your feet wet in the ocean, plan on swimming in the pools.

Just returned from a 6-night stay with our soon-to-be 4-year old son and LOVED this resort. We had the 1-bedroom suite, which was perfect for us. The pools are all kid friendly. We had read about the beach being grassy, which is was, but thought that the walk to the next beach would be more of a hike, it is literally right there, and grass-free with a better sandy area, picnic tables, etc. Do what we did and stop at the K-Mart in Yacao (sp?) on drive from San Juan to Copamarina. We bought 2 cheap beach chairs and beach toys for our son and just brought them with us to that next beach - it was GREAT.

Staff all very friendly. PR is a very child-friendly place.

Our son was a little sick the first few days and they gave us no problem ordering our food (we were on the all-inclusive) to go, bagging it up for us and calling our room when it was ready to be picked up... even our wine!

TV reception not that great. I know it's a vacation, but if you have a toddler, having the Disney channel keep fading out while you are trying to get yourself ready is a pain. Bring DVDs and your own little player.

Don't know what the fuss is about the SCUBA place. My partner was able to get certified while we were there and had a great time.

If you're a jogger, leave the property and jog to the left. It's a great run and awesome scenery - Caribbean Sea to your right and the dry desert on your left. Also, drive to end of that road (334?) and hike that trail. Really great at sunset - but bring some bug spray!

We had a car and went to Borequn (sp?) beach and loved it... buy pineapple and cold coconut with straw in it from roadside stands along the way. Also spent one morning in Ponce which was very nice.

If you ARE a parent, having the playground area by where you eat breakfast and lunch is awesome. If kids get antsy they can play and you can keep an eye on them.

We'll be coming here again, I'm sure.

Honestly I loved my stay in the Copamarina beach resort & spa ... it was beautiful and lovely! ... We loved everything in the resort. Especially the pools, the beach, the food, the rooms, the service. We we're a little sad because we really wanted to go to Guilligans Island, but they said it was under repair and waiting to get the island to it's natural habitat ( that was fine with me ) ... but we did go to "Whale Beach" ( do not remeber the exact name in spanish ) and was really good, not that deep but good .... The staff was more than helpfull especially Lisbeth and Miguel ( from the dive center and water equipment store ) .. they we're reallty great, always laughing .. making us feel like we we're part of the family and made us feel very comfortable, ( My wife loved Miguel, like Lisbeth said "He's a fashion guru" ). They we're always they're if we needed help or assistance. Staff like them made our entire stay very joyfull and fun for the whole family. ( all the staff was great ) .. Also Ruben 'bellman' he was very helpful.


We can't wait to go back next year, and to see everybody again !!!!!!!!!!!!!



Bradsonwil Family