Let me start with the positives:
1. Fantastic location. You can be standing on the beach in less than five minutes. There is not another property to the one side of the complex for miles.
2. Comfy bed.
3. Newer, smart TV.
4. Management company allowed me to change my dates when it became obvious that the weather was going to be terrible during my original dates. I appreciated this.
Now, for the many negatives:
1. Upon opening the door to this unit, the musty smell hit us like a punch in the face. We later discovered several obvious water damage spots on the ceiling which may be the source of the smell. There was also another strange smell in the unit in the back half of the bathroom and the back half of the kitchen, which are on opposite sides of the wall to each other. It’s important to note the musty smell for those who have allergies or asthma.
2. The heated pool was not open. Upon inquiring to the main office at El Matador, I was told that this work on the heated pool had been planned and the owners had all been notified, and that the person who listed this on Vrbo should have given people a heads up that there would be no heated pool on these dates. Because the weather was quite chilly and the regular pool was like an ice bath, there were effectively no pools to use at this complex. This was extremely disappointing that nothing was posted in the Vrbo listing that the pool would be unavailable in this time frame.
3. Old and absolutely garish decor and furnishings. It was obvious from the pictures that the furnishings were not modern, but I wasn’t expecting them to be this bad. There was an old velour green recliner that had to have been from the 1980s that did not properly open and close and sat in an angle when open. Two of the four chairs out on the balcony were cobbled together out of PVC pipe, and upon sitting in one I wondered why I felt like I was leaning to the side. I discovered that the supporting mesh underneath was ripped 3/4 of the way across. Someone is eventually going to sit in that chair, break through, and hurt themselves. (Don’t they inspect the condition of the furniture?) The sofa sits next to the TV, so it’s very difficult for potentially half of your group to watch TV. There is a huge metal office desk that looks like it’s from the 1960s occupying an entire corner.
4. There’s a sizable gap between the door threshold and where the tile starts.
I’m running out of room, but bottom line: invest in your property.