We stayed at Casa Tamara for a week in mid-March. Found the villa online, rented the top floor. The web images show the back balcony and porch, backyard and beach. The upstairs two bedrooms are on the street side (front), one is on the side that borders the owner’s second rental property.

The neighborhood street is densely populated with speed bumps in the road. Roosters, dogs and cats continually run around the street crowing, howling, barking and fighting day and night. Trucks and cars rumble and slam over the speed bumps all night long. A horseback riding neighbor clippety-clopped up and down the asphalt in the wee hours. Construction began at 6 am on several surrounding properties. Same with the large truck traffic. Vehicles with larger than life size, roof-mounted speakers troll the neighborhood blaring Spanish language advertisements from early morning throughout the day.

All the noise drowns out the sound of the surf. None of the six of us were able to get a solid night’s sleep. I attempted to sleep in the living room one night, but the couch was too small for me at 5’4”. The beds are all small. The men who are 5’8” and 6’1” found the beds too short. The indoor tile staircase is steep and long, not recommended for anyone with mobility issues.

The owner telephoned the house twice during our week. The first time was a nice, chatty check-in call. The second time she was abrupt and complained about different issues that were unrelated to our group. It was a confusing, disturbing conversation. I’m sure there are more private, quieter places to stay in Rincon.

The beach view and access is nice. Indeed the balcony was the best thing about the villa! The kitchen was well equipped if you want to cook. The closest grocery stocks a number of organic and natural food items.