After a wonderful 2017 visit, we were disappointed this time. The house still looks just like it appears in the photos. It is beautiful, but there were issues with the staff. Last year Raquel and her family made us feel so welcome. This time was different.

When we arrived we noticed 2 ceiling fans in the bedrooms didn’t work. The lamp cord in the master suite had a frayed lamp cord with exposed wires.

The biggest difference though was that Raquel, who had been the heart of this home, was rarely there. Raquelita told us she’d taken a job caring for the house next door, although the house was empty. The meals were not as good. When we requested dessert we were told to buy it in town. ( a 45 min ride) Raquelita offered to make a birthday cake for my husband. That am she said she didn’t have time, suggesting we buy one in town. The whole fish stuffed with shrimp and cheese my husband requested from the menu turned out to be cut up white fish with no shrimp or cheese. On Friday and Sat. the normally quiet beach was filled with cars, tents and ATVs. The beach is public. No problem with that, but did not enjoy all the noise and traffic. Later we were told Raquelitas family was there and she was with them. Most of the time Maria was left on her own to take care of things. She did a good job, despite understanding no English. We got by with our limited Spanish but we could feel her frustration. She had the remote for the jacuzzi. Everyday you needed to ask to have it turned on. Often we would ask but had to wait until Raquelita returned to have warm water. When the timer went off, the same thing happened. When Raquel gave us her bill, we were each charged for an extra day, as well as the gasoline used for shopping. We did all of our own shopping except the initial trip.The food we purchased was shared by the staff. They took it home. We didn’t mind sharing, it was the same last year, but later when we saw the extra charges, we felt taken advantage of. Raquel must be paid in dollars, not pesos. This necessitated more trips to the ATM. The situation was awkward, making our last few days uncomfortable. Last year we paid all the charges and left a generous gratuity. It was worth every cent. This year though was quite different. Some of us cried when we had to say goodbye to Raquel and her family in 2017. Casa Panga is a lovely home. I hope these issues are resolved so that if you decide to visit, you can experience the 5 star experience we had in 2017.