More about Palmetto Guesthouse
Lovely Vacation
by TripAdvisor Member Jenn01
I would highly recommend the Palmetto Guesthouse to any travelers who are looking to be welcomed with outstanding cleanliness and superb customer service. Mark and Terrie make it their personal goal to ensure all of their guests are treated like family and enjoy all aspects of their vacation. Their economical room rates do not reflect the quality of the rooms or the invaluable travel "hot spot" information provided by the owners. As a frequent traveler and having stayed at many five star hotels their personal touch exceeded all of my expectations.
Juuuuust right...
by TripAdvisor Member woody0198
We stayed six nights in the Oleander room, which was the only one available upon booking. The bathroom is redone nicely and there's a (small) area to store your stuff. We're definitely of the "we're here to see the island, not our room" type and didn't spend too much time there, but it's on the tight side. The bed was a 7 out of 10 for comfort, the linens were all super clean and soft, and everything was kept clean. The neighbors next door have a habit of verbally abusing their kids at 5am, but you're awake from the roosters by then anyway. We finally figured out to turn on the A/C with the fan only and that provided good white noise to cover and allow a good sleep. Other reviewers are spot on with friendliness of Terri & Mark, price, amenities, helpfulness, etc. We especially liked the surrogate pets Kona, Milo, and "Terrible Two" George, plus "unnamed kitty" who came with the house!
Great Inn at a good price
by TripAdvisor Member galvestonsurfer
My wife and I just returned yesterday from a 6 night stay at the Palmetto. I have to echo most of the comments I read on Trip Advisor - Mark and Terrie are really fantastic. They will go out of their way to do whatever they can to help you make your stay and comfortable and fun as possible. The room was clean and comfortable and more than met our expectations. Terrie provided a very useful map and introduction to the island as soon as we checked in.
We had an amazing time - Culebra is an awesome place to visit if you love the outdoors, especially diving and snorkeling. Flamenco Beach's reputation as one of the most beautiful in the world is well deserved, but all of the beaches are stunning. Food is somewhat overpriced, like mainland Puerto Rico, but we had some nice meals at Susie's and at Heather's Pizza. Stop by Milka's and pick up a bottle of wine before you go to Susie's, as it is BYOB. We did not care for the food at Barbara Rosa's, which is also BYOB. Mamacita's has a nice atmosphere, and the food is prettty good there. Mamacita's also serves breakfast on the weekends, and it was tasty and reasonably priced. Don't miss Heather's, her pizza was very good and we enjoyed talking to the bartender, Carlos.
Comfortable and Practical Place to Stay!
by TripAdvisor Member beachbum4880
Culebra is all about the beaches, and the Palmetto Guesthouse is the perfect place to drop your luggage and start exploring! The Guesthouse is conveniently located to beaches, car rentals, restaurants, and the airport. It's clean, well kept, and Mark and Terrie have all the supplies you'll need for glorious long days at the beach (coolers, beach towels, snorkel gear, etc.). The Palmetto is the perfect combination of comfort and convenience on Culebra.
pleasant stay
by TripAdvisor Member trishaSanDiego
The owners of this guest house are nice people. They obviously try hard to accomodate the people who rent their rooms. The rooms were clean but extremely tiny. The "rustic" bedframe in our room had extremely sharp edges on it and gouged the heck out of my leg. This was due to the fact that the bed sits only a few inches from the wall and was impossible to manuever around the way it is set up. It's a case of you get what you pay for and thats what we got. Probably a good place to stay if you're a young couple traveling without children.
Basic guesthouse
by TripAdvisor Member travelinfamily0f4
We enjoyed our stay at the Palmetto Guesthouse. Our room and bathroom were VERY small and basic. We were there with our young children, and this was probably not the best choice. They do have some nice touches, like free use of their coolers, umbrella, beach toys etc... They'll store your luggage after you check out so that you can continue to enjoy the island in the hours before the ferry departs. If we returned to Culebra, it would be for a day trip only. I would not recommend staying here if you are traveling with children.
Great relaxing stay
by TripAdvisor Member love_to_travel
Palmetto Guesthouse is the place to stay on Culebra. The owners, Mark and Terrie are fantastic. They've traveled a lot so they know what travelers need in order to enjoy their stay. They truly do their best to accommodate their guests.
Everything was very very clean. Our room, the Frangipani, was quite small (anyway, who stays in their room while on Culebra ?!) but the bathroom was fairly big. Beach towels, chairs, coolers, snorkel gear.... are available (there's 20$ deposit).
If you want to relax, go to the beach and snorkel, Culebra is the place to go. For those who want to party, we would say choose another destination. Although it's not an absolute necessity, we recommend renting a car or jeep. It's much better to get to the beaches, go buy food, explore the island instead of relying on the Publico (taxi).
The only downs: noise from the roosters and no wireless internet
Best kept secret!!
by TripAdvisor Member MoreBeach
From the time we made our reservation by phone with Terrie and Mark until they dropped us off (sadly) at the airport to leave we had a magnificent experience.
When we were trying to make our booking with Flamenco Air we were really frustrated because we could not get through to them. Well, Terrie called them on her cell phone while we waited on the line of her regular phone and she seamlessly made the reservation for us in Spanish. She had earlier offered the option of purchasing ferry tickets and mailing them to us if we did not have any success with the airline.
This is just ONE example of the great customer service that we experienced at Palmetto...and we hadn't even arrived yet.
The rooms are small but incredibly clean and cozy. With air con and private bathroom, the use of kitchens, coolers and beach chairs they had jus t about everything we needed.
Culebra is definitely not the BIG city. It doesn’t have any fast food chains or high rise hotels, but if you like hiking, snorkeling, and just relaxing in a natural setting then this is the perfect place for you.
We loved Culebra, and we loved The Palmetto Guesthouse
by TripAdvisor Member homeryostsculpture
Culebra is the island for people who want to swim, snorkeling, surf, and get away from the crowds. And The Palmetto Guesthouse is the place to stay on Culebra for a couple or a small family that wants to visit a community rather than a resort. The owners, Terrie and Mark Hayward, are young, smart, friendly and willing to do whatever to help make your stay a delight. (Terrie is fluent in Spanish, which if you are not, is a must for a proprietor).
They know everybody on the island, and will hook you up with the right folks. They sent us to Willie for a cheap jeep rental. We also hired Willie to boat us out to the little island of Culebrita for great snorkeling and private beaches.
The Palmetto is located in a friendly barrio within walking distance to most places in town. Our 12 year old son was immediately befriended by the local kids next door, with whom he played all week and still communicates by mail.
The Palmetto has all the modern conveniences you need on a vacation: two well-equipped kitchens, a frig in each bedroom and air conditioning if you want it. But we preferred the louvered windows open every night, with the ceiling fan on, so we could have the “coquis” (tiny, nocturnal singing frogs) sing us to sleep, and the roosters wake us in the morning.
And every morning Terrie and Mark brew fresh coffee and put out homemade bread in the common room. That’s the time to trade stories with other guests, consult and make plans for the day.
The best review we can give is to tell you that we plan to return to Culebra and The Palmetto again next year.
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