Our group of 5, stayed at this property for 10 days in February 2019. The house was perfectly clean and spacious. There were a/c units in every room and ceiling fans indoors and outdoors. The kitchen was amazing. The microwave, stove and refrigerator were flawless. We used the filtered water and ice maker constantly. Each bedroom (3) had a bathroom and individual a/c controls and ceiling fan. There was a formal dining room, lovely living room, driveway to fit 2 cars and washer/dryer in garage. Outside in the back yard, was a sparkling pool, bar and gas grill, and a cabana with a table and chairs for 6. We loved the accommodations. The community pools were excellent. This tennis court...not so much. Security at this property was over-the-top. The front gate was attended by armed guards. They were very careful about who came and left. The entire subdivision was enclosed by a stone wall. We felt perfectly safe here. The only other folks we saw, were permanent resident ex-pats.
The downsides.
1) When entering for the first time, we were made to wear bright green armbands, I suppose so we could be recognized as guests. We also had to put a sign in the window of our rental car. Nothing screams 'Gringo' like bright armbands and car signs. In fact...whilst we were at the beach watching a sunset, one of our cars was broken in to and $500 stolen.
2) This is a neighborhood/subdivision. The houses were so close that one could easily step from one roof to another. When the next door neighbor was cooking bacon...we all knew. The neighbor to the back had a barking dog who also made regular visits (read that messes) in the yard. The home owner sorta tried to clean it up, but didn't always succeed. That meant that with the smell of bacon, we also endured the continuous smell of dog droppings.
3) Some of the closest neighbors had construction projects underway. One was hand digging a pool, so we listened to picks and shovels 6 days/week. Another was using an electric saw and grinder. So only on Sunday, did we have quiet as we used the cabana all day...every day.
4) I rented the property in late June 2018. I had to pay the entire rental and security deposit at that time. There were no payments...just one...8 months in advance. As our arrival date got closer, I sent emails requesting check-in information. Apparently...I was sending my inquiries to the wrong address which seemed to upset the owner/caretaker. All I wanted was re-confirmation and check-in information. I accidentally angered them, to the point that I was just apologizing over and over. They advised that I needed to install the 'Home Away' app to answer my questions.
It turns out that Home Away and VRBO are combined. But when I installed it and signed in, it had all of the information about my rental for the previous year, but for this 2019 rental...it only said "cancelled". Imagine my panic. But again...when I asked for confirmation...I just made them angrier...to the point that another of our group had to take over. This was the major negative in our experience. In this, they were very uncaring and unprofessional.
So...all in all, beyond the email experience, it was a great place to rent. We would highly recommend this property.
All bookings are direct with the owner 