The last time we visited Puerto Rico was the same year Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, and since we knew the island needed some time to recover, we waited a while to head back. This year we finally decided to do so and after our trip to Orlando, we headed to la Isla del Encanto.
We arrived from Orlando and were treated to a beautiful hosted stay at the Margaritaville Vacation Club Rio Mar in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. If you’re not familiar with Puerto Rico, Rio Grande is about a 40 minute drive from San Juan and it is where the El Yunque Rainforest is located at; the resort is actually within minutes of it.
We were greeted with margaritas upon our arrival (yay!) and went through a speedy check-in process which is always great because no one wants to start their vacation waiting in line. We were given a beautifully appointed room right in the center of the resort. We had an amazing view of not only the pool and garden, but also of the ocean!
The Margaritaville Vacation Club is located on the grounds of the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf & Beach Resort and it is absolutely beautiful. It all starts as soon as you pass security to enter. You drive through a long but beautiful road lined up with palm trees, golf courses and villas. You finally arrive at the resort on top of a hill and are greeted by a great staff who valets your vehicle.
After valeting your vehicle, you are then escorted inside after asking you where you’re staying. Since we would be staying at the Margaritaville Vacation Club, we made a left upon entering and proceeded to check- in. After we did, we made our way to the room which included a king bed, a sofa, kitchenette with a full size refrigerator and an ocean, pool and garden view all in one! We couldn’t wait to start our vacation. We were in Puerto Rico for about two weeks and this was the perfect way to start it.
The resort is also breathtakingly beautiful and very peaceful but there are a few differences between the two.
- The Margaritaville Club has larger appointed rooms and suites compared to the hotel side of the property. This because you’re meant to feel more comfortable and at home as you are on an extended stay.
- The Margaritaville Club has its own pool and while you are able to access the resort’s pool, the resort’s guests cannot access yours as you need to show your bracelet upon entering. The bracelet indicates you are a guest of the Margaritaville Club. Another plus of this is that upon check-in, you are given the option of your typical all-inclusive type of bracelet or a nice watch looking bracelet. We of course chose the latter because it looked so much better.
- The Margaritaville Club also contains washers and dryers on every floor. That especially came in handy on this trip since we had spent several days in Orlando, so before checking out a few days later, we were able to do laundry so as to not carry around so much dirty laundry as we still had another week and a half to go for our vacation They also provide you with complimentary detergent and you are even given more upon request. There are several machines in each laundry room so there’s no problem in all of them being occupied. You also need your bracelet to enter the laundry room so these are available only for the Margaritaville Club guests.
The Margaritaville Vacation Club Rio Mar is a vacation club where Wyndham guests can join, become members and are able to use more than 220 vacation clubs around the US, Canada and Mexico.
The good thing about the vacation club is that even if you are not a member, you have the opportunity of booking a room or suite there and enjoy the Margaritaville Vacation Club experience.
But I’m writing way too much and I want the pictures to speak for themselves, so here are a few more.
The pool area leads into the beach, and the best part about it is that it is secluded and private so you don’t have unwanted guests while you’re relaxing away.
After a few days of relaxation and enjoying the resort and vacation club, it was time to check out. We really didn’t want to because we had such a great time and every single person on the staff treated us amazing! Nonetheless, we left relaxed and thankful for this wonderful experience. Can’t wait to come back!
If you’d love to check it out during your next trip to Puerto Rico or maybe this visual tour made you want to book a trip, you can book your stay at ExtraHolidays.com and because I want you to enjoy this same experience, I have a special discount code for you! Once you visit the website and proceed to book your stay, enter the code VACAY19 for 15% off your stay!
If you missed my video on IGTV, click here to watch the video of my Vacation Club/Resort and Hotel Room Tour!
I CANNOT THANK MARGARITAVILLE VACATION CLUB ENOUGH FOR OUR HOSTED STAY! WE HAD AN AMAZING TIME!
