Reviews for Condado Vacation Rental - VRBO 368460ha - 1 BR San Juan Area Apartment in Puerto Rico, Enjoy Ocean Breezes in This Comfortable Beachfront One Bedroom

Rundown

Guest Mary-Margaret M.
Date of stay 03/09/13
Review Submitted 04/09/13

My husband and I stayed at this condo for one week in March. We were very disappointed in the quality of the accommodations as well as the general upkeep of the building itself. We would not recommend this accommodation. The condo is in major need of renovations and updating. The kitchen had broken, chipped, mismatched cutlery and dishes. There was no dishwasher nor was there a proper sink plug or dish pail provided. Needless to say, the cleanliness of all was sketchy at best and I had to wash every item before we could use it. The bathroom was small, poorly lit and ventilated by a rusty, dusty tabletop fan which was mounted to the wall with a makeshift bracket. The bathtub, again had no plug, and the enamel finish was completely pealing off the bottom. This was covered by a rubber suction mat. The futon in the sitting area was as hard as a rock with grungy accent pillows. The queen size bed had a mattress that must be at minimum 15 years old. It was not comfortable. The sheets, pillow cases and towels were cheap, warn, mismatched and hardly good enough for the amity bag. I made the mistake of looking underneath the pillow case and was completely disgusted...stained, and in great need of proper laundering. I might also add that there were no proper night tables or plugs in the bedroom to even put a lamp beside the bed should you want to read. The only thing this condo had going for it was the location. However, the building was extremely shabby and poorly kept. The elevators creaked and groaned and made me wonder if we were going to make it safely up and down every time I stepped into one. The pool, which was quite large, was cold, though we did swim in it and there were plenty of lounge chairs to use around it. The beach is not safe for swimming as it was far too rough and dangerous. All in all, this condo is highly overrated. Obviously it has never been updated and has been furnished with cheap, inexpensive, garage sale finds.

Owner response: I am stunned by your review! You bring up issues that are beyond reason and out of our control. Your review is extremely unfair. For instance, I don't know how the pool could have been "cold", since the temperature when you were there was between 75F and 84F degrees. The beach directly in front of the building is a well-known surfing spot, especially in winter. Had you walked a few yards east on the beach in front of the building, as we said in the materials that we sent you, you would have found a much calmer part of the beach which is safer for swimming. It is quite unfair that you fault us for things that are completely beyond our control. For these reasons, we find your review very unfair and misleading. We have over 40 reviews for three apartments in the same building and your review is the first one that is less than 5 stars. We have been renting our apartments on Homeaway for 7 years and we pride ourselves for giving excellent service. I guarantee you that the few valid comments that you make will be corrected, such as openning the new dishset and putting it out so that it is accessible and the dishes don't look "mismatched". Our property manager lives a block away and she provides additional cleaning if guests find anything to be unsatisfactorily clean upon arrival. Had you read the materials that we sent you, you would have known to call the property manager if you found that something was not properly clean when you arrived. This apartment was completely gut-renovated a year ago, including new floors, kitchen, windows, etc. All appliances, including the mattresses, are new. Instead of posting this unfair review, a quick call to the property manager would have saved you the trouble. In fact, there were new sets of linens in the closet if the ones that were on the bed were too "cheap". There are no dishwashers allowed in the building, so I am not sure how to respond to that. The building is directly on the beach, so things tend to rust easily and maintenance is a constant struggle. In fact, the lobby of the building was being prepared for re-painting while you were there so that may be why you found it to be "shabby". A new elevator is being installed. In short, we would have appreciated the opportunity to address any issues that we could have improved for your stay. We couldn't have made the temperature any warmer or the waves any calmer, but we would have happily changed the linens and dishes for you.

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/3

Best Location, Hospitality, Clean and Modern

Guest Mayra K.
Date of stay 12/31/12
Review Submitted 02/11/13

Dear Luz, Thank youfor setting us up for our most recent visit in the one-bedroom. We loved the renovation! My husband and I slept so very comfortably with the cross ventilation we just left the windows open and didn't use the air conditioning. My daughter loved sleeping in the alcove area with the sound of the beach on the futon pullout. Again, I really appreciate the cleanliness of both apart!ments, how close it is to absolutely everything and how safe the building and neighborhood was. Finally, we really appreciate the friendliness of the building staff and our communication with regard to picking up keys, deposits, was seamless. We will definitely be in touch the next time we come to San Juan and will recommend you to our friends and colleagues looking for a place in San Juan! Kind regards, Mayra Kalisch

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

Beyond Expectations

Guest Derek P.
Date of stay 10/01/12
Review Submitted 11/19/12

This place lived up to all my expectations and more. Luz is exceedingly professional, starting from providing you with a comprehensive guide with everything need to be known, to responding to any concerns with great expediency. Her property manager was also helpful and responsive. Luz was also very generous and flexible and helpful in extending my stay during hurricane Sandy last minute and returned all of my deposit. The apartment itself is beautiful, exactly as pictured, with the ocean breezing and always pleasantly audible. The location is perfect, the pool always inviting and low traffic, as well as the beach. Plenty of nightlife in the immediate area, and a very trip to Security is taken seriously by the condo's staff, so that is never a concern. Overall, highly recommended, & will stay again.

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/4

The Perfect Relaxing Get-Away!

Guest Carol K.
Date of stay 09/22/12
Review Submitted 10/22/12

What a great apartment! It has everything you need for a short or long-term stay. It's a super-cute place and the views are fantastic. The beach is just steps outside your door and I thought I'd spend all my time there, but I really, really enjoyed the pool. It's a large pool with about 8 lanes -- 25 yards or 25 meters long (I'm not sure) so it's great for swimming laps and it wasn't crowded so I very much enjoyed swimming after the sun went down. Everything you need is within walking distance -- from grocery stores to night clubs to parks to fabulous restaurants. Don't miss Pinky's. :) I would recommend this apartment to anyone who wants to be in a lovely, comfortable place right on the beach. Can't wait to return!

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/5

So nice and clean!

Guest Marsha P.
Date of stay 07/20/12
Review Submitted 09/28/12

This apartment is new. Everything is clean and pristine from floor to ceiling. The amazing view and the breeze were great and very relaxing at night. Everyone in the building was very attentive, from the guards to the people by the pool. Also the location is exceptionally perfect! We had rented a car and hardly used it! The best advice that I could give potential guests to this apartment is: Save your money! Only rent a car for when you need one. This apartment is perfectly located for walking or taking short taxi cars everywhere. The restaurants and nightlife near the apartment are superb. We enjoyed the casinos and even an outdoor concert that we only found out about by looking out the window of the apartment! We highly recommend this apartment for anyone who would like to have a wonderful, relaxing and fun vacation on a budget.

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 6/6

The perfect apartment for your vacation!

Guest Vanessa C.
Date of stay 04/11/12
Review Submitted 04/20/12

My husband and I stayed at this wonderful apartment in Condado and loved every day we were there. Luz and Lorena are wonderful at communicating, setting expectations and making the stay as smooth as possible. It was an easy transaction all the way through. The apartment is the perfect size for a couple or a small family and the location couldn't be beat. You're right at the beach and if that's not your thing the pool is huge and there were barely any people there the entire week we stayed at the apartment. There's also a ton of restaurants, bars, hotels, and if you're a runner it's a beautiful location for a run. We highly recommend it and will definitely go back!

Owner response: It was so very nice to have you stay in our ocean view one bedroom apartment. As this apartment is newly remodeled, we have been in the process of fully equipping it. We just installed a new water heater and will continue to make improvements. Thank you for the wonderful review and please consider this your home-away-from-home.

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 6/6

Simply the best!

Guest Esther T.
Date of stay 04/01/12
Review Submitted 05/24/12

We could not have asked for anything better. This apartment is just awesome, especially when you consider the low price. This was our first time renting an apartment as we always have stayed in hotels when we go to Puerto Rico, so we were a little nervous. But the owner was very professional and had great credentials. It was nice to receive the travel materials that she sent us before our trip. When we arrived there, the manager greeted us and everyone was super nice in the building. This apartment was better than any hotel we have stayed in. It is very comfortable and very clean. Everything was new in the apartment, the owner told us that they had finished renovations recently. My sister and I could not have been happier in this place. We had rented a car, but we hardly used it as we spent most of our time laying by the pool or at the beach. We walked everywhere from here and felt very comfortable and safe. This was one of the best travel experiences we've ever had.

Recommended for: Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 6/6

Great Rental

Guest Greta R.
Date of stay 02/18/12
Review Submitted 07/07/12

My husband, adult daughter, and I stayed at this lovely studio plus apartment for 10 days. It's very well located and within easy walking distance of plenty of great restaurants. Grocery nearby, convenience store across the street. Gated parking. Right on the beach. Clean and well maintained apartment with everything you could want or need. We did not need to use the air conditioning at all - very breezy with nice cross ventilation. This unit has a separate bedroom with full sized bed, a futon/full bed in the living area, nice dining table, small kitchen with apartment sized appliances. Kitchen equipped sufficiently to prepare light meals. Beach towels and coolers available for use on the beach. Laundry in basement of the building. Plenty of towels in bath, we left a hairdryer for the next guest. The building security and tenants were all very friendly. Very minor items: water pressure was a bit low and the hot water was a bit tepid. One elevator was out during our stay. Both of those issues really were minor in the grand scheme of things. The property manager was prompt and accommodating, I don't speak much Spanish and she not much English - but we were able to work things out. Owner was efficient, prompt, helpful, and very pleasant to deal with. I'd definitely stay here again or another property owned by this owner. Excellent rental. We'll be back!

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 7/7

Great, great, place.

Guest Amelia P.
Date of stay 10/22/11
Review Submitted 11/22/11

Our friends in this apartment while we stayed in another apartment that the owner has in the same building. I could not believe the low price for this beautiful and spacious apartment! The view is magnificent and the apartment is totally pristine. The apartment was just tastefully renovated and it is truly a jewel. Great space for a great price. We were all very happy here.

Owner response: I am sure you will love the apartment even more now. We have added wireless internet access and curtains that block out the sun in the bedroom. We are constantly improving the apartment. When you come back, the apartment will be even nicer. Best wishes and many thanks!

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 6/6

Great apartment, great location!

Guest Andres R.
Date of stay 09/17/11
Review Submitted 10/04/11

The apartment is excellent, everything looked clean an new (it had just been renovated before our stay). It is much bigger than one would think from the pictures. Absolutely comfortable, with enough room for 3 adults with big luggage! The bedroom is huge, air-conditioned (could have a bit more powerful one...) with cable TV and internet modem (no wifi though). We decided to switch the dining and the living areas so we could have breakfast with the wonderful ocean-view. The kitchen is small but more than enough for the typical holidays cooking needs (basically making coffee, toasts an preparing some drinks... there´s a full size stove and oven if you feel like cooking or baking a bit more than we did). The pool is great (and huge!), with lots of chairs and nice under-the-leaves shadow for the most wonderful naps! There´s a lifeguard on weekends and you can use the nearby bbqs. Condado is the neighbourhood to stay at: clean, crowded, safe (I had never seen so many policemen!) and close enough to the airport, Old San Juan and Isla Verde. The beach is steps away, though you have to walk some 100m to get to a more crowded (and safe to swim) area. Ocean Park beach, where locals go is just a 10 minutes walk away. There´s a portable cooler you may want to fill with Medalla Light bottles and ice for a great afternoon at the beach. Many nice restaurants are just around the corner, go to Pinky´s for a great wrap and "batidas". If you arrive late, there´s a 24/7 store right across the street and a Burger King about 4 blocks away. Great supermarket just 3 blocks away. Wallgreens and many other shops are a very short walk from the condo. Security personnel are nice and helpful and would call a taxi for you everytime you need one (you can also walk and catch a taxi in front of the casino, just 3 blocks away). Cheap buses to and from Old San Juan stop right in front of the condo. Lisam (administrator of the building) is very collaborative and nice, and you will find dealing with Luz (the owner) as easy and nice as it can be (while she remains totally responsible and trustworthy). I cannot reccomend this apartment enough, and Puerto Rico as a destination as well: Great people, paradise beaches, delicious mojito, medalla and mofongo and challenging salsa... enjoy!

Owner response: Thank you so very much for your thoughtful and detailed review. Please note that when you came, we had not finished remodeling the kitchen. It is now complete and we have added a countertop. Also note that the beach right in front of the apartment is a popular surfing spot. There is even a surfing class that meets there on Saturday mornings. The tide is calmer during the summer months. The Ocean Park section is more popular with younger people (like you :) and it is very lively and fun atmosphere as you observed. Because the beaches in front of our building are popular with tourists and also with locals, there is the special tourism police, which is what you saw around there. Again, thanks for your comments. We would love to have you back.

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/5

Awesome place in the best location in San Juan!!

Guest Alexia M.
Date of stay 07/01/11
Review Submitted 07/19/11

We stayed in this fabulous apartment on Condado Beach. The only suggestion that I have for the owner is that they should post better pictures. The pictures do not do it justice!!! The apartment is much bigger, beautiful and fabulous than the pictures shown. We have rented apartments before and we liked the process that the owner has for this apartment. I have previously felt a little dubious, but this renter is very professional and organized. I liked that she is verified with PayPal, so the payment process was easy and secure. She even sent us a package with travel tips and information. That was such a great thing! We used the information that she sent us to plan our vacation, and everything went very well. We also loved that she had the manager greet us at the apartment. It was so nice to have someone to go to in case something happened. This made us feel very confident about our stay. I can thank them enough for their hospitality. The whole process was super smooth and we felt comfortable there. We were worried that our teenager would be bored, but actually he joined a surfing group on the beach (and we could see him from the window of the apartment), he made friends and had a great time. Overall, a great experience.

Recommended for: Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Owner response: Dear David, Thank you for suggesting that we include better pictures. We have done so and we made a video tour that should help travelers get a better idea of the apartment before they book. Thanks again for your nice comments and for selecting our apartment for your vacation in Puerto Rico.

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 6/6

We LOVE this place!

Guest Esther T.
Date of stay 06/27/11
Review Submitted 07/18/11

It was our first time to Puerto Rico. After calling and emailing MANY places on this website, we chose this apartment because we felt comfortable talking with the owner. She also told us that the property manager lives in the building. This gave us a lot of confidence in renting from them. They also have other properties in the building and their reviews are excellent. Our family stayed in this fantastic apartment (couple and one child). The apartment was tastefully renovated and it is a great use of the space. The apartment is comfortable, super clean and what a view! We all commented that we had the best sleep that we've had in a long time. The new bed and the nice breeze makes it perfect for a wonderful and relaxing night. It is exactly what we needed after many months of hard work and school. What was even more spectacular was the pool. We had lots of plans to go many places in Puerto Rico, but instead we spent several days just lounging by the pool and on the beach right in front of the building. It was easy to walk to lovely restaurants nearby, some of them right on the beach. The owner had given us a very useful list of recommendations. It was also nice to be able to save some money by cooking at home. Especially, there is a nice supermarket about two blocks away, so this made it easy to get all our favorite foods to make at the apartment while also sampling the local fare. We made friends with the neighbors who invited us to a BarB-Q. All the people we met were extremely nice and friendly and most spoke enough English. It was great to feel like we live there. We absolutely loved this place and would gladly stay here again. The best things about this place are the view, the price, the location, the pool and the beach. We Highly recommend it.

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

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 6/6

Amazing Location and What a View!!

Guest Esther T.
Date of stay 05/01/11
Review Submitted 05/15/11

We stayed in this apartment (wife, me and 10 year old son) for one week. There are many awesome things about this apartment: the perfect location right on this beautiful and clean beach. We didn't even have to rent a car. We walked everywhere and had a lot of fun on the beach and pool. Our son even had a surfing class right in front of the building! We also had our adult fun, plenty of nightlife and casinos nearby. We had a couple of salsa dances, which was amazing given my two left feet, but my wife was happy. Besides the location, the apartment is clean and comfortable. What I liked the most is the breeze across the apartment. Because the apartment has one front and one back balcony, it has an amazing breeze coming in from the ocean. We enjoyed our evenings watching the sunsets in the balcony looking at the ocean. Truly wonderful. We would recommend this apartment to any couple or family looking to stay in a fantastic place for not a lot of money. Rental was easy and the service was perfect. We highly recommend this apartment.

Recommended for: Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 7/7

Vacation Rentals by Owner

Enjoy Ocean Breezes in This Comfortable Beachfront One Bedroom [#419013] | View Property

Traveler Reviews (13)

Rundown

Rundown

Best Location, Hospitality, Clean and Modern

Best Location, Hospitality, Clean and Modern

Beyond Expectations

Beyond Expectations

The Perfect Relaxing Get-Away!

The Perfect Relaxing Get-Away!

So nice and clean!

So nice and clean!

The perfect apartment for your vacation!

The perfect apartment for your vacation!

Simply the best!

Simply the best!

Great Rental

Great Rental

Great, great, place.

Great, great, place.

Great apartment, great location!

Great apartment, great location!

Awesome place in the best location in San Juan!!

Awesome place in the best location in San Juan!!

We LOVE this place!

We LOVE this place!

Amazing Location and What a View!!

Amazing Location and What a View!!