We drove from San Juan to Guanica on our week-long trip to Puerto Rico. (Neither of us had been to PR previously.) We stayed at the El San Juan hotel in San Juan, and this was quite a different experience.

The rooms are, shall we say, 'rustic' and not big at all. The hotel grounds are lush and beautiful, the restaurant Alexandra is excellent and the outdoor, more casual restaurant is very good as well. You really do feel very secluded here. The beach itself is not that great. We were looking for a more tropical beach and decided to take the boat trip to Gilligan's island. We did it on a Sunday and it was super-crowded. We realized that it's a locals hangout on a weekend--and that's fine, but get there early if you want a spot. It would be best to do it during the week and also with water shoes so you can walk through the shallow water without hurting your feet on the rocky bottom. The 'adult' pool was very nice--it wasn't crowded, so it was a nice and peaceful place to relax.

For a low-key atmosphere and a place to relax without all the glitz of a big city hotel, this should fit your needs.

We spent a week in one of the villas at Copamarina, and really enjoyed it.

The resort is small, but had everything we needed - a sandy beach, plenty of chairs and shady areas, several pools, water sports (kayaks, catamarans, snorkeling equipment, dive trips), and a beautiful setting for relaxing. The kids especially enjoyed the large grassy areas, the playground, and the inter tidal zone where they found many sea creatures. Outside of the resort we enjoyed hikes in the Guanica Dry Forest - the Copamarina offers a good trail guide.

The spacious villa was great for us (6 adults & 2 kids). There were 3 bedrooms and we set up 2 cots in one of the bedrooms to accommodate everyone. There was a complete kitchen, dining room, living room, 2 bathrooms, a wrap-around porch with ceiling fans, plus a washer and dryer. Being in the first floor villa, we were able to use the expansive grassy area as our "own" front yard.

And to add my opinion to a couple previously addressed issues:

1. Gilligan's Island - It was a nice boat ride and the snorkeling was fun. I would say it's good for first time or infrequent snorkelers, but if you've done nice reef snorkeling then you might find this disappointing. If you do go, be sure to snorkel all the way to where the "river" almost reaches the ocean, as that is where we saw most of the fish hiding among the mangrove roots. And that way you can swim back on the other fork of the "river."

2. Grassy Water - The water directly in front of the resort did have a lot of sea grass in it, but I didn't find that a problem. (It's just grass, right?) If you think you might be uncomfortable stepping in it, a pair of water shoes would be a good idea.

The only small problems we had are listed below. They're quite minor, and would not stop us from returning.
1. Ice machine in freezer not working, and no ice trays. We went to the ice machine in another building for ice.
2. Bottom shelf on fridge door was missing, which limited storage space.
3. Oven broiler tray missing, so we couldn't use the broiler.
4. Not enough of some kitchen items (knives, small bowls, coffee cups).

A wonderful trip, and we're all ready to go back!

very nice resort. beautifil location. nice pools -- never crowded. all-inclusive package was a bargin for our family of four. $552 a day, including all taxes, meals, drinks, snacks, etc. room was a little small, but we did not spend much time in it. dinners at alexandra's were excellent. breakfast/lunch food at las palmas was mediocre. overall, we were pleased.

My husband and I chose to stay at Copamarina to take advantage of their scuba diving. We had never dove the reefs in Puerto Rico, and their website claims that they are a "world-class dive resort" which was completely false. The first night there we went to the Dive Shop to book a dive for the following morning. The girl wrote us on the schedule with no problem, but then twenty minutes later called our room to inform us there wasn't going to be diving the next day because it was the divemaster's day off. At normal world-class dive resorts such as those in the Caymans and Sydney, there isn't a day with no diving available. That was only the beginning.

We went to the shop again to sign up for the following day when the instructor was to return, and the same girl took our names. The following morning we woke up at 7am for a 730 dive trip, only to find out when we got to the dock that the diving was canceled again. "The weather was too bad." It wasn't raining. There were no waves. More or less, the divemaster appeared very hungover and not in a the mood to go out. We were furious because already two of the four days we planned to dive had been wasted.

Four days at Copamarina for the two of us alone cost $2700, and only $1040 went toward the actual fees for the room. The first meal we had at their on-resort restaurant, "Las Palmas," cost over $50. We had ordered a cheeseburger, a chicken quesadilla, and four beers between us. When the bill arrived, the beers were $6.43 each! We consulted the waiter, in shock that the local Puerto Rican beer, Medalla, would cost that much. He said it didn't matter if we had ordered that or Heineken, that all the beers were $6 flat rate. Medalla at the PR liquor stores were $1 per bottle, so Copamarina definitely got their money off of us.

We did not do an all inclusive package because we planned to go away from the resort a few times for meals and entertainment, unaware that Guanica is in such a remote location that we would have had to take at least a forty minute taxi ride to reach a city. After spending so much money already, we wanted to spare the cost of a taxi, so we decided to do the best we could to eat light and not order any alcohol, which completely ruined the stay. It's very sad that a beer has to break your wallet so much that you're unable to enjoy yourself on vacation. We are always willing to spend money on whatever we want, and we understand that vacations are expensive, but at the same time, we're too smart to get ripped off that much just to enjoy a few brews.

Also make note that if you are looking for any sort of nightlife, this is NOT the place for you! This resort has two pools, many water activities, like scuba (sometimes), snorkling, sailing, and jet-skis, two hot tubs, a fitness center, and two restaurants, both of which are pricey after you add in the drinks (one can of coke = $3, a bottle of water $3) with no refills, as well as a little store with snacks and sunscreen available.

Positives about the resort: The landscaping was beautiful! We could not have asked for a more perfect scenery from our balcony (oceanfront room). There were all varieties of palm trees, orchids, and flowers all around the resort, as well as the greenest grass in all of Guanica. The rooms were very clean and cozy, too. If we had not been there to dive and had we bought the all-inclusive package, we probably would have been more satisfied.