We spent a week in June at Villa Sol Haa with the entire family, ages ranged from three to 73. You can get there by taxi or rent a car, which is what we did. We were welcomed by Jaun, the caretaker upon arrival. He showed us through the Villa and told us how to reach him along with general information. Within an hour Ksenia, the property manager, was at the Villa reviewing a few rules and giving us a lot of useful information including where to shop for groceries, where to exchange money, restaurant recommendations etc.
We had the chef for one breakfast and one evening meal. He was very personable and the prices for breakfast are probably as reasonable, if not cheaper, as any you would find in town. His evening meal was also delicious and the price was in line with most nice restaurants. With our large group I would probably have him for breakfast every day.
Tortugas Beach Club opened about six months ago and is located on the beach near the Villa. It is open from 8 to 5 six days a week. I thought it would bother us but it didn’t. It’s not a bad place to go for lunch and they will stay open for you if you’d like to have dinner. We also went there for breakfast but breakfast is not their forte. Ask for Monkey, he’s great and kept offering us discounts on goods and services since we were staying at the Villa.
Things I wish I had known:
• Along with the coffee maker there was a bag of fresh ground coffee.
• You can ask Juan to have your laundry picked up and, if given early enough, delivered back the same day.
• There are plenty of pool and beach toys ranging from buckets and shovels to pool floats and squirt guns.
• There is a basket full of various types of sun block.
• There is salt and pepper along with basic herbs and spices. Probably left by previous guests.
The only problem we had was with the thatched roof bedroom. My grandson stayed in that room and the visible thatch had a heavy moldy smell. His allergies bothered him to the point that he ended up sleeping on the hide a bed in the master bedroom. Easy fix.
We all appreciated being at the Villa, so much better than staying in a hotel. Juan is a jewel. He would find interesting shells for the kids and always talk to them and help them in any way he could. Juan will also call a taxi if you need it or call for pizza delivery. Bottom line, we would gladly go back again.