Tropical Poolside Setting-3 Bdrm/5bath-Near Beach/Town-Reduced

• Attractive house in good location.

  Attractive house in good location.

  • Guest Jessica F.
  • Date of stay 03/13/09
  • Review Submitted 03/22/09
  The house was very comfortable, pretty, in an excellent location, and the service of the house manager and housekeepers were very good. The beach really is only a few minutes' walk away. The rooms are very pretty and comfortable. Shops and convenience stores are close, and a huge market is a short car or taxi ride away. Fifth Avenue with shops and restaurants begins about five minutes' walk from the door. These are not complaints, but recommendations about choosing to rent or not: 1) It is probably not the best for very small children unless carefully supervised, not only because of the pool but a few ledges around the house that some of our children thought looked like good locations to sit, but could have been dangerous! You can lock the doors to the pool/outside at night and put up the keys, though, so we felt secure in that. 2) If you are very afraid of insects, parts of the house are open air so you are bound to get a few inside...I found a very large scary orange spider on my pillow! I wish we could have stayed longer, but the best activities we did were trips to Chichen Itza (note it is a three hour car drive away), Coba, Crococun Zoo, and of course the beach. Ah Cacao cafe has excellent drinking chocolate, and Yax Che, Sur, and Carboncitos restaurants were very good. There were many things we just did not have time to do...maybe on our next trip! I would definitely consider this rental if I were going with a large group again.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, tourists without a car, girls getaway, families with teenagers.

  Owner response: We are pleased that this reviewer enjoyed the beauty of Casa Balam and its great location near the beach and all the attractions of Playa del Carmen's 5th Avenue. Our staff appreciates the acknowledgment of their excellent work (and we feel so grateful to have such dedicated employees). Regarding the spider: what can we say? This is the tropics and critters do get in sometimes in spite of our best efforts to keep them out. We would like to point out, however, that the "open" areas are just the breezeway, terrace and part of the stairwell. All the bedrooms, baths, living room/kitchen and other living areas have screened windows, and all but 2 bedroom doors are screened. We do recommend that guests keep the non-screened doors closed. An orange spider? Cool! We've never seen an orange one, and we want to reassure potential guests that there are no poisonous spiders in our area. Regarding child safety, we do let our guests know at the outset that the pool is not fenced and that they need to take this into consideration when thinking about renting, We have contacted this reviewer regarding the other perceived safety issues to see what we can do to improve things. We encourge folks with small children or elderly or disabled family members to discuss their needs with us when considering rental so that we can all be sure that it will be a good "fit" for all.

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• Guest comment entered by owner

  • Guest Greg & Shari
  • Date of stay 04/19/08
  • Review Submitted 04/26/10
  Our return to Casa Balam this year was just as great as the first time! Esperanza and Alex are perfect hosts and so helpful in every way. If we could hide little Nani (kitty) in our suitcase and take her home, we would....she helps ease the pain of leaving pets at home. Lots of R&R on this trip, but the fishing at Captain Rick's couldn't be beat. Pasqual and Rocky were a riot. The end of day count was 13 sailfish hooked--10 sailfish boated, 3 mahi mahi boated and 1 tuna. The sailfish were all safely released. We kept a little for ourselves and gave the rest to the crew and Esperanza's family. Alex and Espe came over and prepared ours--there's nothing as good as fresh mahi! That was truly an unforgettable day... Playa del Carmen and Casa Balam are two beautiful places etched into our hearts. Our souls are here when our bodies can't be.

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• Guest comment entered by owner

  • Guest Rick & Ilene
  • Date of stay 03/29/08
  • Review Submitted 04/26/10
  Thank you so much for providing our clan with the opportunity to gather in such a magical and fun place. Our children came from the East and West coasts and the rest of the clan flew from Florida. The dinners were great, especially when Esperanza and Alex did the cooking. Each day was filled with a new adventure & the weather was terrific. The locals are warm and friendly, including the cats. The colors of the the environment are vibrant--evident in the plantlife, animals, artwork, food, furnishings, clothing, etc. Our grandchildren-almost 4 and 6 years old-learned a little Spanish and fully enjoyed every new adventure. We are sad about leaving but hope to return again soon. Thanks again for the great accommodations.

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• Guest comment entered by owner

  • Guest Kerry and family
  • Date of stay 07/17/07
  • Review Submitted 04/26/10
  This morning we leave after a wonderful three-week stay at Casa Balam y T'ul. This is a beautiful country and place filled with warm and wonderful people. We especially enjoyed snorkeling at the lagoon at Akumal, zipline & cenote tour, the evening show at Xcaret, Xel-Ha, and walking through the ruins to the "our beach." The swimming pool right outside our door has been fun too. This is a joyful, creative house filled with fun touches. Thank you Esperanza, for your hospitality and for cooking for us. Thanks to all the staff for keeping us comfortable. You are a wonderful team. Hope to see you again.

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• Guest comment entered by owner

  • Guest Brady & Sylvia
  • Date of stay 01/15/09
  • Review Submitted 04/26/10
  Two families, all the way from northern Canada, came all this way to enjoy the sun and the beach and the people and the shopping and the relaxing. For 1/2 of us this was our first visit to Mexico and VERY enjoyable. We will difinitly be back! We would rather stay another week (or month) instead of heading home to the several feet of snow that awaits. Thank you, Esperanza, for your hospitality and helpfulness!

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• Ready for a tropical adventure?

  Ready for a tropical adventure?

  • Guest Paula from Maryland
  • Date of stay 01/29/09
  • Review Submitted 04/02/09
  If you are thinking about a stay at Casa Balam in Playa del Carmen, you are in for a treat. There are three bedrooms, with the option of a reduced rental, if only two bedrooms are to be used. Each room in the house is appropriately decorated to reflect the local culture; they are well maintained, clean, and each has its own bathroom. With three bedrooms, there are actually five bathrooms available to use, one of which is immediately adjacent to the swimming pool and most convenient, when you are swimming. My husband and I have stayed here many times, along with our son's family with two little girls, who are now 4 and 6. They spend most of their time in the pool, when not at the beach, a mere five minute walk away. We have found the house to be safe for children, as long as their accompanying adults are vigilant. This would be as true in Mexico as it is at home, of course. The house is perfectly situated to walk to town, to the ferry to Cozumel, or to the beautiful, almost private, beach only five minutes away. There is a marvelous ocean view from the third floor, which also has an accessible roof top patio for cocktails. You can barbecue by poolside or select one of the multitude of good restaurants along 5th avenue in Playa del Carmen for your evening meal. It is a bit of an adventure just to walk to town in the evening to see all the people and color of this international resort town. The house owners are most responsive to patron requests for information or assistance. Their on site manager speaks fluent English and will troubleshoot any problem you may encounter. As I have read the other review of the property, I must point out that the house manager cannot guarantee an absence of spiders or bugs. This is the tropics, after all, and one must expect to share ones experience with the native flora and fauna. As to flora, the property is beautifully planted and the bougainvilla was particularly lush this year (we were there in February). We ate bananas right from the tree which is planted along the swimming pool! As to fauna, we like to feed the the local house cats and put out food for the native agouti which come into the yard. If you are looking for an independent (meaning not an all inclusive resort) experience, you cannot go wrong in leasing Casa Balam in Playa del Carmen. The house has a well stocked kitchen; the local staff are most accommodating; and the location is perfect for access to town or to local attractions.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, tourists without a car, girls getaway, families with young children, pet owners, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

  Owner response: We appreciate out clients' kind words. Their best testimony is that the family returns year after year! As always, we trust our guests will let us know if there is anything we and our staff can do to make future stays more comfortable and memorable.

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High Season (Jan. 3-April 30) ... $190/nt ..  $1195/wk (2 bdrm option)
High Season (Jan. 3-April 30) ... $220/nt ..  $1395/wk (3 bdrm option)
Low Season (May 01-Nov 17) ... $200/nt .. $995/wk (2 bdrm option-4 persons)
Low Season (May 01-Nov 17) ... $220/nt .. $1195/wk (3 bdrm option-6 persons)
Holiday Rate (Dec 21-Jan 02) (3 bdrms + bunk area) $3200/wk (up to 8 persons max)
25% Deposit secures rental--balance + $500 damage dep(refundable)due 60 days prior
US funds - personal check,PayPal or credit card (Visa, Master Card, Discover).
Inquire about cancellation policy.

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.

Sorry this information is not available. Please contact the owner/manager for more information.