We rented a car in San Juan and drove to Copamarina. Just before Ponce we detoured to Tibes to see the very interesting native museum and reconstructed village. The guide was very knowledgeable. It's a challenge to find with few road signs but it's worth the effort and a visit.

The resort is down a very narrow, twisty, hilly road. Once you finally get to the hotel the grounds are beautiful with manicured lawns and lots of flowers and Palm trees. The parking lot was full but the resort never felt crowded. There was enough room for everyone to spread out and find a quiet spot. The many beautiful pictures people have posted of the grounds are accurate.

On the other hand, there are few pictures posted of the rooms which tend to be dark, small and rustic. We had an ocean front room in building three on the second floor with a balcony. Being an old resort the walls are not very thick so it's possible to hear conversations in the rooms on either side of you. There are vent windows over the shower in the bathroom that open onto the walkway and people should know their conversations in the bathroom can be heard by people passing by. Since we were on the second floor we didn't hear anyone walking above us but that might be a problem in the first floor rooms. The bathroom had obviously recently been renovated and was nicer than the one we had in San Juan with a big tiled shower. The room furniture could stand an updating. And as someone previously said the pillows were small, foam and not very comfortable. We used a back cushion from the chair as a pillow and that worked better.
The balcony fan didn't work and two requests to have it fixed were ignored. The balcony furniture was stained and the privacy dividers were lattice so they gave little privacy. However, the view from the balcony was lovely.

We ate dinner both nights at the Alexandra Restaurant. Usually we'd go off site after the first night but the resort is fairly isolated and the thought of driving the twisty road in the dark to return to the resort after dinner discouraged us. On the other hand, we had excellent meals both nights at the Alexandra. We ate one of the chef's seafood specials each night and each was delicious. They were of equal or better quality to the dinners we had in San Juan and of comparable cost. The buffet breakfast at Las Palmas was good with a cook making omelots and waffles but at $16 per person it was expensive for what each of us was able to eat.

The pools were clean and beautiful and it was great that there were two adult pools, two kids pools, two whirlpools, as well as the beach. The water in the pools and at the beach was very warm which I really liked. The beach was very shallow which was fine for me but swimmers walked to the end of the long dock to find deeper water to swim in.

We took the ferry to Gilligan's Island Saturday morning. The ferry and the island were very crowded. Even though only 200 people are allowed on the island each day it's a small island and it fills up quickly. It's a favorite daytrip for local extended families and they know the best places to go early to set up their grills, chairs. etc. There are no services on the island so you need to bring everything you'll need. The resort doesn't rent folding chairs but that would be very helpful since many of the areas have roots and stones which are not particularly comfortable for sitting. We snorkeled along some mangrove island roots and saw lots of Yellow Jacks. The current was very strong but we drifted with it so it worked out okay.

All in all, the resort was pretty much what we expected as far as the rooms but the views, landscaping, and Alexandra's were better than we expected. Copamarina was a restful, quiet break from the hubbub of San Juan. I'm glad we decided to explore the south side of the island. It's a beautiful and peaceful area.

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.