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3 Bedrooms • 2 Bathrooms 2 Baths • Sleeps 8Welcome to Casa Mañana. It is a third-floor, beachfront penthouse that is a jewel in the sky: light, airy, and with all that your family (whether bio- or logical) needs to find joy on the beach. We designed the rooms to be beautiful, all-natural/sustainable, and functional for families on vacation. You'll find a fully-stocked kitchen, bedrooms with all-natural linens on memory foam mattresses, comfortable living and dining spaces - both inside and out. We are also happy to share our surfboards, stand up paddleboards, beach chairs, beach toys, coolers, sun hats, snorkel masks, and beach towels to make your beach days comfortable and fun.
Casa Mañana was built in the mid 1900s as a shared investment by two San Juan families who wanted a place to vacation together. The grandparents lived in the two penthouses, and they hosted late night parties on the terrace with dominoes, live music, and rum drinks while the cousins slept on mattresses around the edges of the terrace. The grandparents passed it down to their children, who passed it down to their children. Several of the second and third generations of the two families are still owners in the building, and you can feel the memories in the walls of the building. Our favorite memories include morning coffee and play time on the terrace, reading in a hammock swing after a day at the beach, and leisurely evening drinks on the balcony. We're honored to offer you a chance to create memories here, too.
Casa Mañana is perfectly located for vacation. From Casa Mañana, you can walk east to the famous kioskos, which are comprised of a row of around 60 family-owned kiosks selling food, drinks, and souvenirs. They're all open air, and while some face the street, others have beautiful views of the beach. In the other direction, you can also walk along the beach, ford the Rio Mameyes (stopping to take in the hands-down best view of El Yunque on the island), and stop in for a drink and snacks at the outdoor bar of the Wyndham Grand Rio. Along the way, you'll likely see folks fishing where the river meets the sea or horseback riders on the beach.
Within a five minute drive east, you'll arrive in downtown Luquillo, with a plaza that hosts farmers markets and dances; cafes, restaurants, and bars line the plaza and surrounding streets. Luquillo has its own baseball stadium and a performing arts center. Luquillo also has a Walgreens and Amigo, a full-service grocery store owned by Walmart. Driving five minutes in the other direction, you'll enter Rio Grande, home of the El Yunque National Forest. Rio Grande has one main street with some of our favorite places to hangout - Degree 18, Lluvia Deli Bar and Artefacto, and Bungalu Rest & Bar, to name a few - and a couple of souvenir shops.
Ten minutes away is El Yunque. El Yunque National Forest is the only tropical rainforest in the national forest system. At nearly 29,000 acres, it is one of the smallest in size, yet one of the most biologically diverse. It has breathtaking scenery, clear mountain rivers, and outdoor recreation opportunities year round.
Also ten minutes away are two 18-hole golf courses at the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Golf Club. The River Course is by Greg Norman and Ocean Course by Tom and George Fazio. Ocean Course comes by its name honestly, with views of the sea and beach on the back nine. Likewise, River Course features the Mameyes River snaking throughout the property.
While we're closer to Fajardo - and the ferries to Vieques and Culebra - than we are to San Juan, both are easy day trips from Casa Mañana. If you're feeling up for an adventure further afield, the coffee plantations and west coast are doable - albeit long - day trips, too.
About the Owner
Our family spends most of our time in Madison, Wisconsin, on land original to the Ho Chunk people. We engage in our community through the arts, sports, and politics. We love to hike and be outside, listen to live music, and make and eat delicious foods. And our favorite Beatles songs? Here Comes the Sun, All You Need is Love, Eleanor Rigby, and Yesterday.Amenities
| Property Type | Condo on the 3rd floor |
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| Accommodation | Entire Home |
| Check-In | Smart lock |
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2 Bathrooms
2 Baths
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3 Bedrooms,
sleeps 8
There are three bedrooms in Casa Mañana. All bedrooms have a closet with hangers and dressers so you can unpack while enjoying your stay. Also, we're a family of readers and night-time phone viewers, so we supplied all the beds with reading lights and power strips with USB ports and standard plug-ins. We also left some of our favorite books - feel free to borrow, feel free to add to the collection! We love to sleep and so we pay attention to the details. The bed linens are all-natural fibers (cotton or bamboo) washed in eco-friendly detergent. All the mattresses are memory foam and wrapped in allergen-barrier protectors. And, there are lots of pillows! One bedroom has a king-sized bed and a pack-and-play; one bedroom has a queen-sized bed; and the third bedroom has two bunkbeds. Extra bedding and blankets are in the closets of each room. |
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Our neighborhood, Playa Fortuna, is a typical residential neighborhood, with a mix of single-family and multi-family buildings and some bodegas and churches squeezed in between. You'll likely see horses, dogs, cats and chickens sharing the streets with the folks who live and visit here. Because Puerto Rico is still rebuilding from Hurricane Maria, abandoned buildings are next door to million-dollar beachfront properties; graffiti and street art intermingle on neighborhood walls. An oceanside basketball court is right around the corner from a pinchos stand that sells kabobs and burgers on the weekends. It's vibrant, friendly, and a mashup of all things Puerto Rican.
If you arrive at night, you'll notice that the street lights contain red bulbs. This is to protect our sea turtle population by ensuring that baby turtles don't orient to human-made light instead of the moonlight on the ocean. If you visit during egg-laying season, you'll see nests on the beach surrounded by protective tape and signs; if you're lucky, you may even see baby sea turtles emerge and head toward the water!
We recognized that at this unique moment, investments in Puerto Rico can build a strong, local infrastructure that balances environmental sustainability and keeps the money local. We're committed to doing just that. We donate a portion of all profits to Para la Naturaleza, an organization committed to preserving 30% of Puerto Rico in land trusts by 2030. We hire neighbors for work that needs to be done. When we visit, we shop and eat at locally-owned places, and we encourage you to do the same.