BEAUTIFUL PENTHOUSE WITH GREAT TERRACE.

I cannot thank Ray and Lisa enough for allowing us to have the use of their home! What a vacation we had; it was like stepping into Paradise and having a true home away from home.
Ray met us in Old San Juan and helped us to find the complex and to direct us to groceries (much needed for us - a family of 6). We had cell numbers to call if we needed assistance of any kind.
There were 6 areas to sit in throughout the condo and terrace, not including the dining room table. The rooms were big and bright, with extra linens and beach towels. They had everything I needed for cooking, including an espresso maker!
The grounds were beautiful, as I mentioned above, I felt I was in Paradise every moment I was outside. We used all the pools, walked along the beach and our favourite was the winding river. From the living room you have the best view of the entire complex - palm trees, flowers, the river - AMAZING!
We had plans to do excursions, (our son and daughter-in-law did) however, once I arrived I did not want to go anywhere else.
The terrace was used constantly, our best times were coffee in the morning and watching the stars in the evening. Truly wonderful!!
Thank you so much, your home is beautiful, thank you!!
Melody

My family of five adults and a baby stayed at this condo complex for two weeks in February 2013. We found communicating by email with the owner, Lisa, very easy and effective and made all our arrangements in this way. The condo turned out to be exactly as shown in the pictures, spacious, clean, comfortable, seating arranged in groups to encourage conversation. We never felt cramped or in each other’s space. Three distinct seating areas are the living room, the loft and the terrace. Our favourite was the terrace with its patio table, umbrella and chairs and loungers. The walls are just high enough to ensure privacy but standing you can see the resort grounds, the ocean in the distance, the rain forest and more stars than you thought there were.
The apartment was well stocked with towels, linens and other supplies which you will need during your stay. Everything is brand name, Frigidaire, Cuisinart, Sony, Bose, Weber with no “no name” stuff, like moving into your home, not an investment property designed for renters to live in. Well, ok, I didn’t check ALL the frying pans but there were six of those so I lost interest. Yes, Virginia, the kitchen is adequately equipped.
The unit is located on the lazy river (really a lazy lake – it does not flow) and one of our big questions was “how far to the beach?”. Answer: 0.31 miles, not as the crow flies but as the path wanders. (Don’t ask how I know – just accept that I’m a geek.) That’s 545 yards but don’t be concerned because on the way you will be entertained by five swimming pools, four covered shelters, three hot tubs, two playgrounds and a Club House for your exercise. The beach is adequately wide and offers shade until your skin colour (now you know I’m Canadian) catches up to the locals and you can walk west along the beach farther than we ever felt the need to go. On the way you will pass two other resorts, both condos but somewhat plainer than Aquatika and this will reinforce that you chose right when you booked this lovely vacation home.
The grounds are superbly landscaped and kept in top condition with palm trees, flowers and bushes everywhere. The view out the condo window is of palm trees and blue blue sky.
So, make like Nike and “just do it”. Commit with Lisa, cash in your Air Miles, rent your car and give up the idea of steak on the bar-b-q because, if you’re like us, you can afford the condo or beef in Puerto Rico but not both.

It was our first time using VRBO.com and we were a little nervous about it. The condo was absolutely beautiful and was completely stocked with EVERYTHING you could possibly need. The kitchen had plenty of pots, pans, baking dishes, etc. The 3rd bedroom had a closet full of beach toys, chairs and even an umbrella, (which we really needed on our visit to Culebra...a must see)! They have thought of everything and we were very pleased! Many nights we didn't need the air conditioning and it was lovely to open the windows and to fall asleep listening to the tree frogs croaking! The kids (8 and 10 years old) enjoyed the water park and even the adults loved the waterslide! Aquatika is a gated community and we felt VERY safe, as the Loiza Police Department is right outside the gate! We visited El Yunque Rainforest on two different days and it was literally 15 min. away. We spoke to a local who told us about Juan Diego Falls, which many tourists pass by. We spent the day swimming in the waterfall and it was just us...very private. (We hiked La Mina falls which are VERY crowded, and nothing like the Juan Diego Falls). My husband went scuba diving in Fajardo and the rest of us spent the day at Seven Seas Beach. Our favorite day was when we took the ferry from Fajardo and went to Culebra...the most beautiful island! It had the best beach/snorkeling/clearest water in all of Puerto Rico. We shopped at Ralph's Warehouse for food and its right next to a TJMaxx, which made some in our party very happy! We took Ramon up on his recommendation to eat at El Jefe's located in the Loquillo kiosks...very good, THICK burgers! We also enjoyed eating where the locals eat at El Verde's, no one spoke a word of English, but that was the fun of it! We were there for election week and they take their elections very seriously, and almost every day we were there leading up to election night we saw demonstrations and trucks (with the biggest speakers you've ever seen) playing Spanish music. There were also a lot of roadside parties with music and food...yes, it caused a lot of traffic, but there was definitely an excitement in the air! On election night we barbecued up on the roof top deck and enjoyed listening to music and watching the fireworks on display! Ramon was sweet enough to send us a text telling us that most places are closed on Election Day and to be home early as there is a lot of traffic the night before. A beautiful place to stay, close to everything!