Lovely Beachfront Villa in Palmas Del Mar in Puerto Rico

Casa Del Mar is a 2013 sq ft, three-level, three-bedroom villa in the Crescent Cove complex in Palmas Del Mar, 50 minutes away from San Juan International Airport via four-lane highways and toll roads.

We purchased Casa Del Mar in early 2006 and completely refinished it with new decor and paint, new bamboo curtains throughout, all new linens, bedwear and bathware, new impact-resistant windows in the living room and penthouse terrace, new AC units and new terrace, living and dining room sets. The kitchen was completely redone in April of '08 with new cabinets, granite countertops and new stainless steel appliances. Some bamboo curtains were replaced again in October of '08.

The villa's first floor (the building's second level) contains the foyer, kitchen, living room, dining room with seating for six, a half-bath and a small terrace. The master bedroom and one guest bedroom (each with ensuite bathroom) are on the second level while the third bedroom (also with its ensuite bathroom and balcony) and the large terrace are on the third (penthouse) level. The twin  beds in the two guest rooms can be brought together to create a full king-size equivalent arrangement.

The fully-equipped kitchen and place settings will serve eight guests. Custom-crafted bamboo shades hang on the windows and balconies and all bedrooms have roll-up privacy curtains behind the bamboo shades. Several oils and giclees from Cuban and Puerto Rican artists and various pieces of metal art grace the walls on the lower floors and landings.

There are three flat-screen TVs in the villa: a 37" unit in the living room, a 32" unit in the Master Bedroom and a 22" unit with built-in DVD in the 3rd (penthouse) bedroom. The villa's cable service was recently upgraded to include four dozen additional channels.

The state-of-the-art AC units were the first of their type installed in Palmas Del Mar and are almost inaudible. There are two separate units for the ground floor and bedroom areas, eachcontrolled by individual, programmable thermostats. Both air handlers (blower coils) are equipped with MERV11 anti-allergen filters for your comfort and well-being. The villa is internet-ready via cable modem and the complexes' WiFi. Its password will be provided before occupying the property.

In short, our villa is practical, comfortable and elegant; considered by most of Palmas De Mar's property managers to be one of Palmas Del Mar's nicest beachfront rental properties. With our family in Puerto Rico, we visit the villa regularly and on each visit, change, fix, or upgrade something. It's our home away from home and is decorated, outfitted and maintained accordingly. Please
email us for a dozen more pictures of the property.

Casa Del Mar is 200 yards from the best section of beach in Palmas Del Mar, protected from the prevailing swells by a reef a quarter-mile east. The villa has a desirable southeastern exposure, facing the prevailing Trades of the northern Caribbean and allowing its deck to be in shadow from mid-afternoon on. The Crescent Cove complex has a large outdoor courtyard facing the ocean containing a large swimming and smaller children's pool. The villa's two parking spaces are less than 30 feet from the front door.

Palmas Del Mar is one of Puerto Rico's oldest residential/resort communities. It's also one of the newest, with seven new developments built in the last five years. Palmas offers two completely different 18-hole championship golf courses designed by Rees Jones and Gary Player. There are more than two miles of sandy beaches within the resort proper, a full-service hotel, casino, a dozen restaurants and bistros, a full-service marina, more than 20 tennis courts, an equestrian center and both SCUBA and deep sea fishing charters are available at the Palmas Marina.

Golf carts are the preferred method of transportation within the resort proper and cart rentals are available through BDI, a golf cart rental company located adjacent to the Palmas Marina. Reservations are strongly recommended for any golf cart rental extending more than three days and over all long weekends such as Labor Day, July 4th and 25th, Memorial Day and other holiday periods. Please contact me for the phone numbers for these two cart rental companies.

The villa has all the expected facilities such as washer/dryer, dishwasher, linens, bedwear, towels, beach towels, dishes, pots and pans, coffeemaker, blender, and internet access. Maid services are available at additional cost.

Between November and April, the waters off Palmas Del Mar have some of the best wahoo (ono) and yellowfin tuna (ahi) fishing in the Caribbean with fish cruising the drop three miles offshore. Several fishing charters from the Palmas Marina provide half and full-day charters to these prolific fishing grounds. My friend Mateo runs Maragata Charters, providing a choice of two excellent boats for either fishing or half and full-day charter trips to Monkey Island and Culebra and Vieques -the Spanish Virgin Islands. Both Culebra and Vieques offer unspoiled, pristine beaches, excellent snorkeling and calm water where 75-100 feet of visibility is the norm. Please contact me for Mateo's phone numbers, if you are interested in these activities.

Apart from all the typical resort activities available within a short walk from the villa and within Palmas' 2700 acres, Palmas Del Mar is just 50 minutes away from the four-hundred year old Walled City of Old San Juan and its cobblestone streets, fabulous shopping, local and Caribbean art and the El Morro and San Cristobal fortresses.

Heading east, Palmas Del Mar is 45 minutes from the roads that lead to El Yunque -the Carib Indian name for the Caribbean National Forest and its miles of trails,waterfalls and unique flora and fauna. Some of the walking trails lead to the summit of the three mountains, Mt Britton, El Yunque and Pico Del Este, all over 3000 feet of altitude.

Two hours northwest of Palmas Del Mar, Puerto Rico is home to one of the worlds' largest natural limestone cave systems, the Cuevas De Camuy. The government maintains a visitor center and provides walking and trolley tours into some of the cave's chambers, but for the real 'inside earth' experience, make an appointment with Rossano Boscarino's Aventuras Tierra Adentro for a six-hour expedition into the heart of the caves and its subterranean river system. Not cheap, but it's an adventure of a lifetime as you swim across underground lakes, see eyeless crabs, float downriver inside massive, cathedral ceilings, and more. Book this well in advance, as he is always very, very busy.

An hour east of Palmas is the Cabezas de San Juan bio-bay, a mangrove lagoon that contains the highest concentration of bioluminescent dinoflagellates in the western hemisphere. We recommend Yohaku Kayaks for this not-to-be-missed adventure.  

For SCUBA diving, we recommend La Parguera, with its spectacular Wall which drops vertically from 65 feet to water to almost 2000 feet. You will almost always find pelagic species here, along with beautiful spotted eagle rays and other spectacular marine life. We recommend West Divers for diving this area...six divers to a boat and very well organized and professional.

Weekly rates by Season

Apr 23, 2009 to Aug 14, 2009    $1,725.00

Aug 15, 2009 to Sep 30, 2009   $1,475.00

Oct 1, 2009 to Dec 14, 2009      $1,925.00

Dec 15, 2009 to Jan 6th, 2010   $3,050.00

Jan 7 2010 to April 22, 2010      $2,325.00

April 23 2010 to Aug 14, 2010   $1,725.00

Stays longer than a week will always be quoted individually and will be discounted from above weekly rates by season. Minimum stay is four nights per Crescent Cove's HOA statutes

Some returning guests will notice that I dropped my published rates.
During '07 and '08, I was posting higher rates posted and then offering rather generous discounts during the inquiry process. I realized that the higher posted rates might just be making potential guests move on to another property showing lower posted rates, so instead of publishing high rates and discounting, I am publishing my 'real' rates -those I usually discount to.

Please note that the special, late summer rate of $1475.00 per week will not apply to rentals across the Labor Day weekend. For rentals across the Labor Day weekend, the regular summer rate will apply...

A 15% deposit up to $500.00 required to confirm rental and it's fully refundable up to two weeks prior to the move-in date. The villa's pre and post-occupancy cleaning costs are included in the agreed-to rental costs, nor do we charge a security deposit. Please send an email inquiry for any stays longer than one week because we will quote you very attractive rates, even during high season....

Property management and on-site guest support will be provided by Marsters Realty, Palmas del Mar's largest property management company. Marsters recently instituted a 5% surcharge on all balances paid via credit card so consider the use checks or money orders to satisfy your open balance(s) when you arrive to collect the keys.....