My overall rating of the house is a “2.5”. While the house is in a beautiful location and we loved using the pool during the day, we ended up cutting our trip short when I was stung by a scorpion. Thankfully I was not allergic as I subsequently learned that if I were, I could have gone into anaphylactic shock. This would have been a big problem as emergency vehicles would not have been able to reach the house due to the very steep drive and that the closest hospital is 45 minutes away. We were not warned about the potential for scorpions in advance, so we were not on alert for that possibility. Following that incident, my family no longer felt safe staying there and we relocated to a resort in the Jaco area.
Other than the scorpion encounter, I was also disappointed by certain features of the house and the outside living space. Portions of the interior have been repainted. The neutral colors in the online pics have been replaced with a more Caribbean vibe and darker colors which make it much darker inside the house in the evening hours. Sterile LED lights throughout the interior make it feel more like a hospital than a warm, comfortable home and, because of this, there really wasn’t a good place to gather as a family in the evenings.
We would have happily gathered around the pool, but that area is also dimly lit without any working lights in the pool itself or around the pool deck. There is only one LED fixture and a couple of dropdown lights closer to the house by the grill, but this is insufficient as it does not provide enough light in the surrounding space.
Note that the ceiling fan on the pool deck does not work – which makes it hotter than necessary even while sitting in the shade. Additionally, the refrigerator by the pool does not work either. As such, if you want to have food and cold drinks nearby, this makes it nearly impossible and you have to continuously go upstairs to the kitchen for refreshments.
Finally, it’s important to note that while the house is in a secure location, the main gate of the development was wide open for more than a 24-hour period and it is not possible to lock all of the doors at the house. We eventually got over this issue, but it is something to note if you are security conscious.
This house has all the makings of a stellar rental. We really enjoyed the wildlife around the property which has toucans, macaws, and parrots constantly flying overhead. Stargazing is also amazing
