I love this place!

Guest: Suzanne (Ottawa, Canada)
Date of Stay: 01/07/12 Review Submitted: 01/24/12

My husband and I recently stayed at Over the Water for a week. It was fantastic! We had a very relaxing vacation walking into town, going to the beach, taking a few snorkel trips. Claudia's recommendations for restaurants and activities were spot on. I hated to go home!

Owner response:i thank you kindly suzanne ! happy to met you :-) hope we see again......

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, age 55+, sightseeing, families with young children.

Comfortable, ideal location,weird coffee pot

Guest: Nancy252 (North carolina)
Date of Stay: 01/14/12 Review Submitted: 01/24/12

Saigon bay is a wonderful enclave of locals and rentals, just the ideal distance from the bustling, tourist oriented town. The view from the orange house balcony was serene. This is a crowded area so not secluded, but never felt intruded upon. And yes we did see dolphins. A few minutes walk takes you to grocery stores, or a pleasant local beach with several typico eateries Taxis are plentiful and so cheap making it super easy to get around. Renting a bike for the week was fun too. The king size bed is upstairs, requiring a little navigation to the facilities for nocturnal visits. (we are in our 60s) Also, it is built against the wall, so one person must crawl out. Ac is only upstairs. We never missed it downstairs. Also no Mosquitos. No screens so that's a good thing. Breeze heavenly. There was a tv, and i am a tv watcher, but we only turned it on once to verify it worked. It came onto CNN. Kitchen was adequately stocked with utensils, pots etc. but nothing extra like many of the apartments we have rented over the years, I mean no salt, pepper, sugar, so u have to buy all that stuff if you want to cook My only minor grumble was a peculiar stove top coffee pot which, when we looked on line to verify how to use it, says it resembles a type which might be seen in modern art museums featuring 1940s industrial design. I love coffee, so we learned to master it. Had to boil extra hot water to dilute. Wifi worked most of the time, but was weak, I think perhaps a boca thing. Claudia and marlin both helpful. Claudia ran out at 6am Sunday morning to find us a taxi to airport when no one answered her calls. A week is not enough time to really appreciate the area. Found myself praying for rain so we could just sit on the porch and hang out without feeling guilty. Although with a hard rain you a forced inside

Owner response:thank's for your feedback ! sorry for the mocca coffee maker ! it makes strong coffee as you found out :-) maybe i need to leave instructions with it !? how is your ecuador trip coming a long ? hope you got plenty warm cloth ! enjoy your remaining trip and hope to see you guys again ! thank's again. claudia

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, age 55+.

Todo Tranquilo

Guest: Brad (USA and El Salvador)
Date of Stay: 12/19/11 Review Submitted: 12/31/11

Just returned from a family vacation in Bocas. My wife, 2 boys (3 years old and 4 months old), and I stayed at Over the Water for 3 nights. It was an amazing experience. If you are looking for a quiet get away where you can just sit back and be hypnotized by the sound of rippling water, this is it. The house is totally relaxed, yet has easy access to the vibrant, lively town of Bocas. Since we have 2 very young kids, we did not do much other than just hang out on the porch of the house which is directly over the water. We did adventure out a couple times and found it super easy to get around. The owners are an amazing family of 4. They live right next door and possess the ability of being super helpful yet totally non intrusive at the same time. Every morning Claudia would ask how we were and if we needed anything, chit-chat a bit, and then that was it. Her husband Marlin is super knowledgeable about the area as he grew up there for most of his life. A total water man, he was always working on something or fishing/playing with his kids. Both of them, and their kids, are easy to talk with. The house is just as it is in the pictures, but more beautiful in real life. The inside is totally clean. Awesome bathroom. Awesome bedroom. Cool woodwork all around. Really though, we just hung out on the porch and stared out at the water. Although no AC, we did not find it necessary. Not sure if that changes with the seasons. We were there in Dec. and sleeping temperature was perfect. Also, we did not have any issues with mosquitoes. I think that without a fan on it might have been a problem at night, but with the fan on we had no problems. The owners have a nice folder of recommended restaurants, activities, and ways to get around the island. We found it helpful, but really, getting around is easy, and there are plenty of restaurants in town to choose from. I would most definitely recommend this house to a friend or relative. I would then envy the fact that they are going there. If we ever do go back to Bocas, we would stay here again.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, sightseeing, families with young children.

It's All Good

Guest: Happy Camper (Key West)
Date of Stay: 02/13/11 Review Submitted: 02/19/11

Yes, everything you've read from other people is true. It's all good: the location, the ambiance, the breezes, the local neighborhood, the quiet at night, the sound of gentle waves breaking beneath you,the sunsets, the most comfortable king-sized bed I've ever slept in (and I've slept in many). Even the wi-fi works! I could go on and on, but come try it for yourselves. We didn't leave voluntarily. Claudia, who is delightful and responsive, had to kick us out.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing.

WOW.....BEST YET

Guest: sophiera (Ontario,Canada)
Date of Stay: 12/05/10 Review Submitted: 01/12/11

We spent a month at Over The Water Rentals and it was fantastic.Cabana was immaculate, sheets were soft and sooo clean AND Claudia is the first to have recycling bins..yahoo.The kitchen was fully equipped with pots, pans and lovely dishes. I have been going to Bocas for 6 years and this was the best yet and I found it by accident just walking down the street,saw the phone number called and lucky me booked it for a month.The owner Claudia was so helpful you felt like old friends within the day. I would recommend this to anyone of any age, guarnteed you will love it. Sheilagh Canada Dec.2010 to Jan 2011

Owner response:thank's girl, i also loved getting to know you and your family. hope things are well for you and the cold weather is having mercy on you. your dog is well, she comes visits every here and there! i would love to get your email someday ! keep in touch claudia

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

Wonderful little casa over the water

Guest: TR (NYC)
Date of Stay: 10/09/10 Review Submitted: 10/13/10

We had a wonderful time staying in this great house over the water. So serene and peaceful and only a 10 minute walk to town. The house is really clean, quiet, very safe and has great views of Saigon Bay. Claudia was very accommodating and made sure we had everything we needed. She was also good about communicating before the vacation and offered some solid recommendations. I will be recommending this house to other friends and when I return, I would stay there again. It's perfect for couples or a girls getaway trip. Loved the tours we took with Jampon too. Must see Zapatillas Island and go to La Casbah or Lemon Grass for a delicious dinner! Loved this vacation!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children.

Guest: marc (-)
Date of Stay: 09/15/10 Review Submitted: 09/29/10

thank´s man, i think you broke the ice ;-) i appreciate you writing your feedback. i´ll keep it up !! have a great time ;-)))

Recommended for:

Great Place to Call Home in Bocas For a Few Days

Guest: Mark (Orange County, California, USA)
Date of Stay: 09/15/10 Review Submitted: 09/29/10

My girlfriend and I recently stayed in this unit for 4 nights while in Bocas and we had a great time. The unit is very clean, with a full kitchen, large bathroom and an upstairs bedroom with a balcony. The owner, Claudia, and her family (and dog "She") were very friendly and she made sure that we had everything we needed while we were there. The house is in the Saigon Bay neighborhood, which is a ten minute or so walk from the main street in town, but we walked it multiple times (And there are plenty of taxis that charge 50 cents a person for the ride if you don't want to walk). Like the listing says, the neighborhood is mixed locals and expats and some rental units, the people in the neighborhood were very friendly and we always felt very safe. Considering that the nightly cost for a very average hotel in town is about the same, or more, than this unit, it's a fantastic deal for your own full house over the water. I highly recommend staying here and I will very likely stay here again when I return to Bocas.

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