Las Torres Studio

The location is good, about a five-minute walk to the beach and 15 minutes to Main Street. The grounds and pool are also nicely maintained, thanks to a hard-working man, and everyone I spoke with was friendly. But my stay in suite 27, managed by Cast Vacations and booked through airBnB, was a long list of problems. I came away feeling overcharged compared with what other guests said they paid. Five stars aren't necessary, but basic standards are. This is the honest review I wish I'd had before booking. First, the laundry isn't free as another guest claimed. A wash currently costs 1000 colones, and you need the air wallet app to use the machine. It requires verification to unlock, so if you won't have cellular service that supports SMS, download it before you arrive. Laundry is available through the rental manager and requires a card. The units seem to be individually owned and rented in different ways. Mine was a studio with a kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. The kitchen was poorly equipped for anyone who actually plans to cook. Some spices left by previous guests had expired years ago, including one from 2017. Pot lids had broken handles, frying pan handles were loose, the knives were all dull, and there were no food storage containers. There is an oven, but no cookware suitable for it. The coffee maker kept stopping, and it took me 45 minutes to brew a pot. I complained and it was replaced. There were only three clothes hangers, so I had to buy more. No laundry basket, no bath mat, and no shower soap either, so I bought those things myself. There was hand soap at the sink. The bathroom has a pedestal sink with no cabinet, just a bookshelf-style unit, and a bucket and mop with dirty cleaning supplies were left in there. There were a few towels but no face cloths. Half the bedroom cabinet storage was locked and unavailable to guests. The mattress was terribly lumpy and needs replacing. I tried flipping it, but the zipped cover was stained on both sides and underneath, and the floor under the bed was filthy. I washed all the linens as soon as I saw that. There was dirt in the corners and along the cabinet edge, plus grimy handprints on the cabinets, fridge, and TV. I was angry about the $300+ airBnB fee and wondered what it paid for, since it clearly wasn't cleaning. The suite is maybe 400 square feet. I can hire someone to clean 1500 square feet for half that fee, and I doubt the cleaner here is paid well, which may be why the job isn't done properly. Half the light bulbs didn't work, and I asked to have them replaced. The power is unreliable: the kitchen light dims and flickers, especially when the stove is on, and the outside light only works after you flip the switch a dozen times. The listing photos showed a BBQ in the shared area, but it's privately owned and the propane tank is locked up. Since the listing didn't say it wasn't for public use, that felt like false advertising. There was almost no water flow when we arrived. I complained, and was told the water is very hard and has lots of calcium. Calin from Cast Vacations cleaned the shower head, then used vinegar I'd bought to soak the kitchen sprayer. He didn't clean the bathroom sink, so my husband did it. It really seemed like there was no checklist between guests and no quality standards at all, which is shameful given the prices they're charging.

The host was friendly and helpful, and the location was convenient. Nice pool and a well-equipped kitchen, too. Nice!

The people at Las Torres made us feel welcome and were always there if we needed help. It's a great location, within walking distance of Coco beach and several restaurants.

Lovely place with a great community and pool. The main issue was the lighting, which was much too bright, and there weren't any side lamps.