Recently stayed 5 days in this house with a group of friends. The house is in a good location (although up a rather steep hill), with a great view of SJDS. It's well furnished, and a really pleasant place to stay. The pool is very nice as well (note: it is a shared pool, although when we were there the other house was empty), although the adjacent hill blocks the sun towards the end of the day bringing the temperatures down a bit.
The owner will recommend Katalina as a cook, and she is phenomenal by all measures. The food is delicious, and her company while she cooks is fantastic as well. In addition, she will buy groceries for meals which she does not cook. She's a genuine, kind person and would make a fantastic addition to any trip.
However, during our stay, members of our group were robbed on multiple occasions. Cash and phones were stolen from the house while we were away.
The description describes this as a gated community. Please note that the "gate" was open 24/7 and the guards provided very little inspection of those entering the community. The guards themselves did not inspire much confidence either, as evidenced by multiple bottles of rum and beer located near their guardhouse.
Furthermore the locks on the sliding doors and windows of the house are very basic, and one could easily imagine someone being able to work around the locks to get inside.
Finally, the property management person used by the owner was entirely unhelpful, unreliable, and untruthful throughout the ordeal. When told about the robbery, he expressed no remorse or interest in fixing the situation, letting us know that "this happens" and that was that. He failed to tell the owner of the house, and in fact denied the fact that we got robbed. It is our suspicion that this person, who has access to house keys, may have been behind this incident...
The owner was uncooperative in dealing with the issue following our trip, despite ample evidence that this house was not properly secured and/or managed to ensure the safety of the guests and security of their belongings. With hundreds of dollars worth of cash and belongings were stolen despite our best efforts to lock down the house, the owner was unwilling to provide us any compensation.
I hope he addresses the security of his house for future guests. In the meantime, I hope this honest review provides ample warning to potential visitors.
