hope to return

Guest: Laurie (Denver, Co)
Date of Stay: 12/22/11 Review Submitted: 01/08/12

Just returned from a wonderful Christmas vacation in the Yucatan. Tim's house I'm Merida was the perfect place to come home to after an exciting day of exploring the area. CasaLaBarenda is beautifully furnished and so comfortable; we felt completely at home. Andrea and Andy from the management company were friendly, helpful and sincere. They had stocked the kitchen with fresh produce and cervesa at our request which was such a treat after the long drive from Valladolid. Clean, friendly and beautiful. Thanks Tim!

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, tourists without a car, people with disabilities, sightseeing.

Response to "not a calm oasis"

Guest: CB (Rockford, IL)
Date of Stay: 01/05/11 Review Submitted: 01/05/12

Four of us stayed in Casa La Barenda during January of 2011. We did not experience the problems of the previous post. The house is well located, and we had a very enjoyable experience. As for toilet paper not being flushed, that is a common experience in the Yucatan and nothing unique to Casa La Barenda. I have no complaints re the property manager and found Andrea and her adult children cooperative. I would not hesitate to rent this home again.

Recommended for:Tourists without a car.

A Fabulous stay!!

Guest: Lulu (Canada)
Date of Stay: 12/11/11 Review Submitted: 12/21/11

Exceeded our expectations! Tim, Andrea and Andy were fantastic people to communicate with and get to know a little bit. We stayed here for 8 nights and it was the perfect place for us - close to the square and the 'hub' of the Centro district. We were down for a wedding and to visit with the brides parents and it was so nice to have a 'home' in Merida ourselves. The amenities in the casa were great - and the terrace/pool with waterfall and the foliage was such a relaxing area to be in. Being able to rent a cell phone was a life saver too! Andrea also helped to arrange private transportation back to Cancun for us - which was a real treat. And we must say that Andy having to wait around for us to arrive (our transportation was 1.5 hrs late in getting there) was such a pleasant surprise. We would have loved to have stayed longer and would certainly recommend the casa to anyone looking for a retreat in Merida while at the same time being close to shops, food & restaurant, We can't say enough about how well we were treated, from Tim down to Andy and how lovely it was to be there. Thank you so very much for making our time in Merida such a wonderful one!

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, tourists without a car, people with disabilities, pet owners, sightseeing.

Not a calm oasis as we were expecting but a noisy run down house.

Guest: RG (Vancouver)
Date of Stay: 11/06/11 Review Submitted: 11/30/11

We are staying at Casa Barenda from November 6th to December 1st. I should mention that this is our 6th trip to Mexico so are well used to different standards. While the Mexican property manager was over-the-top polite I am not convinced that she is totally honest with the owner. Some of the items that we noticed: tile floors felt dirty and after an hour of walking around barefoot our feet were filthy; the towels and bed linens were dingy, stained and worn; the pillows are flat, lumpy and smell musty; the kitchen sink does not have hot water for washing dishes. All the toilet paper has to go in the trash bin NOT in the toilet and you have to deal with that every day. Some of the dishes that I pulled out of the cupboard were dirty with stuck on food, which meant that I had to wash dishes before using them with hot water carried in from the bathroom. You cannot close the house off to keep the mosquitoes out so we were eaten alive until we finally gave up and started to use RAID and kept the AC on in the bedroom every night o you can write off our deposit. Neither of the bathrooms have doors and are open to the bedrooms so lack any sort of privacy. The toilet kept running and emptied the rooftop water tank so we had no water for showers. The kitchen sink leaked on the floor in front of the cabinet, the ensuite bathroom sink leaked too so the floor in front is constantly wet, the sink stopper fell out onto the floor in the second bathroom – these are all things a good property manager would have seen and had fixed BEFORE guests arrived. The fan in the second bedroom stopped working and some of the lights work intermittently. Right now we don’t have any hot water for showers and the stove doesn’t work. I sent a note to the owner and he did get most of the repairs done but it has been a real pain having to deal with it and having the repair people in the house every few days. He promised to replace the linens, but only after we left because he thought it would be too inconvenient for us – I don’t feel confident it will happen at all since the property manager seemed to think the linens weren’t that bad. They will be charging us for getting the towels and bed linens washed when we leave even though they say a move-in and move-out cleaning is included. At this point we are looking forward to leaving this run down house and getting on with our vacation in a place more pleasant.

Owner response:All I can say is please temper what you hear. Although no one wants to encounter an interruption, it can happen. Most of the complaints cited are part of tropical life and living in Merida. Toilets and plumbing in Merida are sensitive and necessitate the paper to be disposed of separately. Humidity of the region can dampen linens and towels that need to air out. Linens were replaced upon request, and the house can be closed off to avoid insects. As stated in the Policies, there is no charge for move-in and move-out cleaning. Local management puts a great deal of effort, and pride in to making sure the casa is ready and in good working order for guests when they arrive. And my local manager was quick to respond to the reported items. As owner of Casa La Barenda, I want guests to have a good time. It is far more important for me to make a good guest match than it is for me to just fill vacancies. But this review brings up an important point--that there are significant differences in choosing to stay in a Colonial home over a hotel. This is independent living and may not be the right choice for everyone. Reviewing the Policies and Amenities pages and opening a dialog with me prior to committing to the rental will help you decide if Casa La Barenda is the right choice for you. Having a good experience starts with aligning your expectations with what you will find. The best way to align your expectations to reality might be to understand what living in a Colonial home is not. Most importantly it is not a hotel and does not include the services or attention that you would expect of a hotel…unless of course you ask. If you want your beds made with sheets and towels changed every day—you can. It’s just not included in the published rates. And so it goes with all the other hotel-like amenities and services such as housekeeping or laundry, etc. You simply must ask for this level of service to be provided—or expect, and even enjoy doing it for yourself. Casa La Barenda is geared to providing comfortable and basic needs with value and affordability in mind. Living at the casa is designed to be a simple, rustic experience with emphasis on living life. You might however experience elements of the home and local living that could either add to the charm or distract depending on your disposition or cultural bias. More on this important topic of Hotels versus Homes and life in Merida are on my Blog.

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