Wednesday, May 12, 2010

life's a beach.

Planning this vacation was not exactly a piece of cake. It's no exaggeration when I say I started planning our trip to Puerto Rico last November. Originally the idea was to go in January for a winter getaway. Then it was pushed to February, then March, then finally we were able to schedule it for May. All the while I was spending every spare moment searching for the cheapest flights (on our ever-changing travel dates) and scouring sites for the perfect place to stay. We I decided that since we were staying for a full week, it would be more cost effective to find a small vacation rental in lieu of a hotel. And, to be honest, I prefer that over a big fussy hotel anyway. But there were still all kinds of other questions: Did we want to stay in San Juan, or would it be too touristy? What other do the other cities have to offer? How close can we get to the beach? Do we want a place with a kitchen so we can cook some of our own meals to save money? I must have looked at dozens of places, and Todd's inbox was flooded with the options I kept sending him. Eventually I became so overwhelmed with the delays and the starting-overs that I was ready to throw in the towel and cancel the trip. In swooped Todd, and within minutes he had sent me a link to a little place called Coqui del Mar. And we never looked back.

image via Trip Advisor

With only 6 units, this guest house is quiet and private. The main building has two stories, with two units on the first floor and two on the second. (There is a third unit upstairs where the managers, Neal and Noyda, live full time.) Behind this building is a smaller one story building with two more units. There are two small shared patios, (one of which is shaded by a large mango tree - pictured below), a bbq, an outdoor shower for rinsing the salt and sand off after hours at the beach, and bikes, beach chairs, umbrellas, and boogie boards for guests to use. We stayed in Unit C - "La Luna" - in the rear building. It's a nice sized studio unit with a kitchen, a couch and a queen sized bed. The perfect amount of space for the two of us to settle into for a week.


The neighborhood, Punta Las Marias, is just east of Old San Juan. Far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the cruise ships and resorts, but close enough to things like gas stations and grocery stores for our first visit to the island. We were literally one (very short) block from the nearest beach, which pleased me very much. Coqui del Mar id two houses behind the wite and red one you see in the picture below.


If you ever find yourself in the San Juan area - whether for a few days or an extended stay - I highly recommend considering Coqui del Mar. For more information and photos, check out their website (photos of all the units are on their Reservations page) and their listing on TripAdvisor.com (which is how we Todd found them in the first place!)

You can also read our review of Coqui del Mar on TripAdvisor.com!

uncredited photos are my own. click the images for a larger view.

2 comments:

Leah said...

Basically, I want to live where you vacationed. It looks perfect!

stacey erin said...

Next time you and DP will have to join us!