Vacation Rentals by Owner

ENCHANTED

Guest: CB (Nashville Tn)
Date of Stay: 01/07/12 Review Submitted: 02/19/12

Phil & Bernadette, Well, let's start at the gate! As you open it,your breath is taken away.Oh!, Beautiful,WOW! This is reaction of everybody that walks thru your gate.You even threw in a full moon for us. I rented your home for  our family, as we gathered for my son's wedding. We all enjoyed the house & the way it opens to the beach & the beautiful ocean, the breaking waves on the rocky shore. I know that you & Bernadette,love your home, but I wish that you could see it through the eyes of strangers.It is enchanted. We picked a wonderful home, to celebrate the joining of two families.Thank you for sharing that home with us. Whether it is rented to a couple,or a family,or friends,it is a house of celebration,& joy for all who stay there. Our sincere thanks, Carol & Family

Owner response:Carol, thank you for your beautiful letter. The emotions that you share are exactly what Bernadette and I feel everytime that we pass through those gates. We are so happy that we were able to share it with you. Best regards, Philip & Bernadette Efron

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

A great Time

Guest: Yvette & Todd
Date of Stay: 12/10/11 Review Submitted: 01/09/12

Hello Phil & Bernadette, We had a GREAT time in Isla Mujeres and your house was perfect for our vacation!  We have rented houses before through VRBO that turned out to be disappointments, but that was not the case with Casa Serenidad.  It was beyond our expectations.  We loved the location...walking distance to the cute little town nearby, ideally centrally-located on the island, and the ocean view (and sounds)...breathtaking.  The kids absolutely loved the beach and found literally a gallon of beach glass, along with the most beautiful, fully-intact shells we've ever found.  The kitchen is well-stocked, the beds are super comfy, and the house in general is very well-maintained.  Great water pressure, nice hot showers, and drinkable water in the kitchen, gorgeous pool deck with nice lounge chairs, a convenient video library, nice dishes, reliable Wi-Fi, etc...my only suggestion to make it a little nicer would be to consider changing the lightbulbs throughout to make the overhead lighting less harsh.  Drew stopped by our first day and was very friendly and extremely helpful.  The information in the house regarding restaurants was invaluable, and we tried to visit almost all of the recommendations.  We loved the bakery to the right of the "T"...unbelievable cream puffs.  Mango's was outstanding for breakfast, and Monchie's served killer fajitas.  We were extra-fortunate to be in Isla Mujeres during the celebration of the Immaculate Conception, and so there was a variety of celebrations going on, including the bull fights, just down the street from Casa Serenidad!  That was an experience we will never forget.To wrap it up, we were captivated by the charm of Isla Mujeres...the scenery, the people, the culture and of course...the food!!  It felt safe and never did I feel threatened or uneasy.  Don't apply the scary Mexico travel warnings to this island...it may be a 20-minute ferry ride away from the mainland, but it is a world of a difference. Thanks Phil & Bernadette

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Guest: Alicia
Date of Stay: 11/08/10 Review Submitted: 11/30/10

We had the vacation of a lifetime at your beautiful home. The pictures don’t do it justice – it’s a fantastic property with great amenities, good location and an amazing view! We loved hearing the sound of the ocean at night and during the daytime, relaxing outside under the palapas. This home is the perfect size for a group of 4-6 people. If you’re looking for a relaxing getaway and a slower change of pace, definitely head to Isla! -Alicia

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Guest: Dennis & Kari
Date of Stay: 03/15/10 Review Submitted: 11/30/10

Phil and Bernadette A real Pleasure Staying at your home and Villa Bella Next Door, Ashley and Curtis were better than the best, The House was wonderful, we were able to host a small gathering before the wedding and it couldnt have been better, everyone loved the house and the view was perfect, A Thousand Thanks for all you guys did for us and I can go on record saying its been the best, Great House, Great View, Perfect Neighbors with a bar next door!!!! Drew was on it at all times And Our Hosts Thanks Again Dennis & Kari and Kaylee too!!

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Guest: Adolf Zeman
Date of Stay: 02/17/10 Review Submitted: 02/16/10

Bernadette & Philip: We returned from our trip to Isla Mujeres yesterday...it was hard leaving the Island (always is). Just wanted to let you know that we really enjoyed the house - it was perfect for the three couples. It is a beautiful house and is perfectly stocked with everything one would need. We really enjoyed the location and particularly enjoyed walking through the neigborhood and visiting the local restaurants, taquerias, and stores. We look forward to our return and whenever we have a group like we did we will definitely return to Casa de Serenidad. Take care, Adolf

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Guest: Kelsey3 (Virginia, USA)
Date of Stay: 01/15/10 Review Submitted: 01/15/10

My husband and I met Phil and Bernadette on the ferry ride over to Isla at the beginning of the new year. They were very kind and offered tips on places to go and sites to see. We stopped by the b and b next to their home and were astonished by the view! The house looked gorgeous and we definitely plan to stay on our next trip to Isla (whenever that may be). Phil and Bernadette: Thank you so much for the kindness you showed us on our trip and for the great tips! We really appreciated it!

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Guest: Bob & Family
Date of Stay: 08/05/09 Review Submitted: 08/04/09

Bernadette and Phil, We returned from Isla last night and wanted to get off a thank you for letting us rent your lovely home. Not only is the house great, but snorkeling with the whale sharks was unbelievable. We were completely surrounded by dozens on the surface and many more below. I would think the summer seasons could/should increase in demand as word gets out about the whale sharks. We used Enrique's Unique Dives (he as a web site with lots of info) next to his families restaurant "La Tigrena" for our scuba and everyone else we dove with were repeat customers who came back to dive specifically with him. He set us up on the Ixchel II for the whale sharks and they also were fantastic. We found some whale sharks and jumped in to snorkel with them. We were immediately surrounded by so many it was impossible to count as they swam by, under, around, and past us. A really great experience! It is very rare to see so many and I wanted to share the info so that it might help if you wish to promote the summer season. Isla now has something to attract visitors during June, July, and August and word is getting out. We're passing the word to other families who share our interests, and even talked on the way home about returning to Isla to spend more time with all the sea life that surrounds the island. Your emails, hospitality, patience, and help were outstanding. It's why we chose you. Thank you for everything and hopefully you'll consider letting us come back some time if we can. Don't forget, we have a furnished guest house of our own set here in the hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Channel Islands, which is yours should you be out this way. Thanks again and best wishes, Bob and Family BOB, IT WAS A PLEASURE HAVING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY STAY IN OUR HOME. YOU ARE WELCOME BACK ANYTIME PHIL & BERNADETTE CASA DE SERENIDAD

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Guest: Lost in Vacation (Ocala, FL)
Date of Stay: 05/03/09 Review Submitted: 05/03/09

Phil and Bernadette, you have a wonderful home on a lovely paradise island and we appreciate you sharing it with us. We had a wonderful week in both Casa de Serenidad and on Isla. The Casa had all the amenities and comforts of home combined with true island living.....we loved it. Isla is friendly and inviting island. We will certainly visit again. Jonathan and Tonya

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Guest: Nancy Ngo
Date of Stay: 04/02/09 Review Submitted: 04/01/09

Hello Phil and Bernadette; A couple of things...I got to view your beautiful house on March 31st. I am so glad that I finally got to see it. It looks great! Also, I received this nice email from our most recent guest at your house (Mar 24 to 31): Meaghan -- We just got back from Isla yesterday. The place was fabulous -- the pictures didn't do justice to how beautiful it was (which hasn't always happened when booking spaces :)) Thank you so much and we'll be sure to recommend your place in the future! (Also, we're from Minneapolis so that was also a bonus to rent from someone from around here :) ) Nancy

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Guest: Jacque Stein
Date of Stay: 02/24/09 Review Submitted: 02/23/09

Bernadette and Philip, Thank you so much for the use of your beautiful house. We loved the house and location. I can see why you fell in love with Isla and the people. We appreciated the recommendations for meals. I think we ate at almost every one. We had a lovely dinner at Mango's for Valentine's Day. We loved Don Mari and Manilito's in the neighborhood, the bakery was amazing. Thank you also for the beer. We had gone out and were planning to leave a six pack for the next guests when I talked to Drew and he indicated that you had arranged for it to be available. We also met Plu who said that he knew you. We arranged with him for multiple taxi rides including the one to the ferry on our way back to Minnesota. We hope to go back soon! Jacque and Jim Stein Heather and Jay Homuth

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Guest: Jeanne Dorweiler
Date of Stay: 04/07/08 Review Submitted: 04/06/08

Hello! Just wanted to let you know what a great time we had at Casa de Serenidad. We were very nervous about noise at first when we found out the house was next door to Villa Bella, but no worries -- the house was amazingly quiet -- no noise from either the B&B or the road. We loved going down to the beach, wading around, and looking for shells. It was amazing how many conch shells you can find! The pool was a fantastic place to relax after a trip to the ocean, and having the rafts in the house made it even more pleasant. We hit the bakery every day for our treat selection, tried the chicken lady, and of course went to Baseball Tacos! The orange juice at Ronco's was indeed very good. It was a wonderful location for a quiet retreat and yet access to the busy parts of the island. Thanks for a wonderful vacation!

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Guest: Ruth Metterhausen
Date of Stay: 12/23/07 Review Submitted: 12/22/07

We very much enjoyed staying at your house. It couldn't have been in a better location! We spent a lot of time on the patio. Not too much time in the pool, because the weather was a bit cool until the last 2 days. We loved the "turkey lady" although she was not open most of the times we wanted her soup. Luckily, we were able to sample her delicious food on the first night. We also took advantage of "Pollo man". Drew was awesome. He met us at the car ferry and we followed him to the house. That was very helpful since we arrived after dark. Then he checked on us 2 more times and gave us good advice. The king sized bed on the first floor was very comfortable. I'm curious to know what kind of mattress was on it. Thank you again Ruth and family

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Guest: Tonya
Date of Stay: 11/14/07 Review Submitted: 11/13/07

The house was beautiful! I loved being so close to the beach that I spent most of my time sifting through the piles of shells and rocks the surf had washed up. A few of us visitors had pets that we had to leave behind. So, it was nice to hear from Drew that there was a local dog, named KC, who would/ could stay at the house if we let her! she had a bed outside and would follow us where ever we went. She was great at chasing out lizards that were laying in the sun! Drew was just so great! He helped us so much during our stay on the Isla, he was great about answering our many questions and even told us about some great places to eat! There is a bar next door and they're VERY strict about kids under 16 years old entering. But other than that, it was a great place to sit and grab a drink! (they don't serve food!) My friend had asked about a special drink, but they didn't have the right stuff to make it. They told us to come back the following day & wouldn't you know it, they had gone out & specially gotten the stuff, just for us! That's just the way it was on the Isla, everyone was so friendly! A few of us did not speak any Spanish, but the locals did their best to communicate with us! Drew also set us up with his friend, Felix. He took us on a tour of some Mayan Ruins in Cancun, Telum & Coba. While on our trip, he took us out to breakfast at this really friendly place and for lunch we we're off to a family run place that had the best fajitas! Felix was a world a help and information! Swimming outside may be challenging, depending on what time of year you visit the Isla, it's pretty rocky out there. We noticed the Ilsa has many lizards that freely roam around, so be aware. There are so many places to visit on the Ilsa and off. Whether you just stay at the house or you roam around, there is something to keep everyone happy!

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Guest: Dayette O'brien
Date of Stay: 01/10/07 Review Submitted: 01/09/07

Our vacation was everything we expected and more, and everything about the house exceeded our expectations. The house worked out great for the 6 of us. No real problems that I can think of. It was perfect for my parents, as they had everything they needed on the first floor, plus were able to lock themselves up in their bedroom with CNN (in english!!) to stay up to date with worldly events. (Geez I hope I'm not like than when I'm 70!!). The location is breathtaking, and we wouldn't hesitate recommending this to others, or staying there again ourselves. The new patio furniture arrived, and it's really nice and comfy. I think you and other guests will be pleased. Drew stopped by several times to check in with us. Very friendly and informative, and made us feel very welcome. We weren't sure of the cleaning schedule, and didn't realize they were stopping by the first time. We left a generous tip (and a few little gift items) on our last day for the cleaning lady. She did a great job for us, and hope she didn't get too frustrated with all of our shoes. We took off our shoes at the door to help keep out the sand, and she kept lining them up in neat rows for us. Too funny, especially seeing those men's size 12's & 13's clodhoppers all lined up next to my sandals We found the Ronco store (great selections) and bakery, and frequented them almost daily. I think I was doing ok with avoiding weight gain on this trip until we discovered the bakery. Wonderful bread! We even snuck a few filled biscuits with us for the trip home. Sure beat the hamburger Sun Country tried to serve us! Went to Contoy with Captain Tony, and he also arranged a fishing trip for the guys with Captain Pulpo (sp?). Tony is top notch, and went out of his way to ensure my parents were comfortable. We wouldn't hesitate using either of these Captains next time. We wish you much success with Casa de Serenidad. If you are ever in need of a recommendation, feel free to have any potential guests contact me. (I promise to only tell them bad things if they are considering renting a week we are also considering. Just kidding of course!!) Thanks again for the hospitality!! Dayette

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Guest: Bridget Pilloud
Date of Stay: 01/03/07 Review Submitted: 01/02/07

Philip-Hello- I’m Bridget Pilloud, Brian Oatman’s better half. I thought I’d drop you a line to thank you for our stay, and let you know about our experience. We really enjoyed staying at Casa de Serenidad. The house’s location and layout were perfect for our family. What I appreciated most about your house is how it enabled us to enjoy our time together and apart. Brian and I spent many afternoons reading on the first level porch, while our teenagers enjoyed playing their guitars up on the balcony. Our youngest son, who celebrated his 9th birthday at Casa de Serenidad, borrowed the neighbor’s dog every day (She’s the little pit bull mix that lives across the alley from the big orange house across the field from Villa Las Brisas). We didn’t find out her real name, but we called her “Perrita”. Those two whiled away the hours exploring the neighborhood, the fields and the beach. In the evenings, our family would play dominos and card games on the kitchen table. We felt like we were in good hands with Drew and his partner. In fact, when somebody shut off our water one day, Drew stopped by within 10 minutes of us calling him, and turned it back on. Both Brian and I appreciated his prompt attention in our time of need. It was also great to feel like there was someone to ask for a good restaurant recommendation. We’re not used to that level of service with a rental property. We rent vacation houses often in Oregon and Washington, and we’ve never had someone that we could call if we needed something. It’s great. The cleaning lady was really good too. The house was spotless, and she even put our kitchen dishes away. Terrific. We found your welcome book, the map and the printout from the website to be very helpful. We left our Isla Mujeres guidebook for the next guests. We drove around the island and Brian pointed out the other rentals that he had considered. We agreed that Casa De Serenidad was the best choice for our family. Again, thank you for the lovely stay. All best-Bridget Pilloud

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Guest: Joanna Mcdowell
Date of Stay: 07/24/06 Review Submitted: 07/23/06

we stayed in your home march 06 and are going to attempt to plan it again, we are thinking about 2 weeks this time. I am the lady that fell off a cliff... and visited a 3world hospital for the first time. Loved every minute of your house and cant wait to take friends thanks Joanna

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Guest: Linda & Rick Dufour
Date of Stay: 02/15/06 Review Submitted: 02/14/06

What a beautiful home away from home. Quite, relaxing and in my opinion the most beautiful veiw of the Sea. We had a wonderful time playing on the beach and looking for beach teasures ...and we drank many a margarita's on the balcony. The house is situated that you are able to walk the whole island. We set out every morning going north or south and had a great time exploring. We found many fantastic little food stands and talked with many local people. Property Manager, Jorge is a nice young man and stopped by a few times during the week to make sure things were okay. Casa de Serenidad and Isla Mujeres were everything I dreamed they would be and MORE! Hope to return next year. Thanks again.

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Guest: Chris and Phyllis
Date of Stay: 02/08/06 Review Submitted: 02/07/06

"The stay in Casa de Serenidad was fabulous! It was better than anything we could have imagined. It made it so easy to be away from home, because it really was a home away from home. The view really isn't suited to the English language. . . more along the lines of a Spanish poem . . . fragrant and lyrical. We truly loved every moment."

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Guest: Jean & Steve McBreen
Date of Stay: 02/08/06 Review Submitted: 02/07/06

: We had the opportunity to stay at this beautiful home and had a wonderful stay! There's plenty of room, and the house was spotless! The privacy of the beach was nice and it was fun to play in the ocean and hunt for shells. We don't mind walking, and had a great time exploring the neighborhood. We would highly recommend this home -- we spent the first three days of our vacation at an all-inclusive resort on the island and were not happy at all. This home was a godsend . . . thank you

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Guest: Gary & Gwen Miller
Date of Stay: 01/05/06 Review Submitted: 01/04/06

What a wonderful place to stay. Our family (of 6) thoroughly enjoyed our time at this beautiful place. The facilities here are great. The house is gorgeous. Would recommend this house to absolutely everyone. We hope to stay here again! Thanks for renting your house to us and for the hospitality felt even in your absence.

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Guest: Kim & Beth Boelman
Date of Stay: 05/14/05 Review Submitted: 05/13/05

We had a great time on our vacation. Thank you for letting us rent your beautiful house. It was fun walking on the beach and finding shells. Kim enjoyed catching his puffer fish right out in front of the house. I also enjoyed sitting on the top deck and looking at the great view of the ocean. It was wonderful watching the cruise boats go by the house after dark. It is also a great place to watch the sunrise. We were there in February and have been going to Isla for about 15 years. Staying at the house was one of the most relaxing vacation to Isla that we have taken. We love your house and we love Isla.

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Guest: Blakely Rule
Date of Stay: 05/11/05 Review Submitted: 05/10/05

I just had my first full day here on the island and in this wonderful house. It is all very surreal. It's hard to believe that I get to spend the next week lounging around on the beach, but still get to come home to a great house!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

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Guest: Jason
Date of Stay: 05/10/05 Review Submitted: 05/09/05

"I can't even begin to describe how wonderful a trip we had and much of it had to do with where we stayed. Thank you so much for building that beautiful house and renting it to us."

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Guest: Sue Toomsen
Date of Stay: 03/06/05 Review Submitted: 03/05/05

I loved Casa de Serenidad; and indeed for me it was serenity. I felt so at home I actually got tears in my eyes when I had to leave. Listening to the ocean at night while falling asleep - there is nothing like it!! The people on Isla are so, so friendly and I loved that part too. Sun every day and water so blue/turquoise its like a picture. Thank you

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Guest: Dianne Powell
Date of Stay: 03/04/05 Review Submitted: 03/03/05

My self and 9 other women were honored to be the first guests at Casa de Serenidad 1/31 - 2/4/05. WOW! It was everything we had wished for and more! The home sits right on the water with a most incredible view! There is a little sandy 'beach' area. Villa las Brisas is to the north and nothing for a very long way to the south. The rocks are a blast to climb on and look for shells. Serenidad is a good name because there were times best enjoyed by just sitting quietly and letting the awe inspiring waves, fresh breeze, and warm sun refresh your spirit (something very needed for a group of stressed out nurses). Lest any one imagine that I am in some way related or a long time friend of the owners and set up to write this - I am not. I had 10 plane tickets purchased and could not find a place for us all to stay when Linda and Ken came to my rescue as I was pleading for help on-line and offered their new house for us to rent. It was a Godsend and that vacation will always be most special and dear to my heart. Oh I cannot forget to tout the amazing caretakers; they can cook clean and share a great laugh and give you great inside on what to do and where to go on the island. I hope to bring my family to share the Casa de Serenidad experience soon! Dianne Powell and the Group of gals from Anthony Community Care

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