Estudio cerca del mar, en Puerto Aventuras 201

We visited our friends many times during their six month rental. The pictures are misleading: this small complex is very run down, which is a shame since it isn’t that old. The units and shared areas both needed repairs. There’s no privacy from neighbors or their dogs, which roam through all the backyards. Mosquitoes fill the pool, and golf balls regularly land in the backyards because the property backs onto a golf course, a real danger for kids. The underground parking is effectively unusable because the design makes it impossible to maneuver in or out. Worst of all, the owner, Yvone, and administrator, Gelsy, never returned our friends’ one month rent security deposit. They gave no explanation and ignored all communications. Avoid this place and its administration, and don’t fall victim to theft.

We left after a couple of nights because the nonstop banging from the construction site kept us from sleeping during our short seven day holiday. It went on all night, every minute, from the underground parking and the other condos, and continued in the morning. We contacted the caretaker, who said she didn’t know what it was. At first we thought the electrical panel was banging, but now we think the noise may have been from a gang shooting a few minutes down the road, over the main highway overpass, the night before. These condos are brand new, but unfinished, and we were the only guests because the other units weren’t ready. We wanted a one bedroom condo, but when we booked they said only a two bedroom was available, so I paid more. The caretaker showed us a one bedroom and said it had just been finished. I asked why we couldn’t stay there, and she said someone else was staying there. But we were the only guests! They had me sign a form listing issues on our first day. It had somebody else’s name on it and an end date before our arrival, so I had to cross out their name. None of what they told us added up, and in my opinion I shouldn’t have been charged for a two bedroom. We were only two people, but the hot water tank wasn’t big enough for the two bedroom unit. We couldn’t both shower without turning off the water while washing. The pool had leaves every day, tiles were already falling off, and nobody maintained it daily. The construction wasn’t great, either. One night the exterior lights were all off, including the Baru sign, the potlights above the doors, and the lit staircase. When we arrived, there was water on the kitchen floor with a rag over it. The owner said no one but us had a key, but the next day the rag was gone and the interim caretaker said she’d been inside and had a key. There was no safe for passports. Workers were on site during the day, and there were no curtains on the front window facing the road. We never opened the other curtains because they faced the neighboring condos, maybe four feet away, so workers could see inside. The condo was on a busy road with the main highway just across it. It had a coffee maker, blender, some dishes, and four beach towels, but wasn’t properly equipped for a rental. We feel these condos are only being rented until they can be sold, and that they aren’t really in the rental business. Someone told us to contact Denise, if I remember correctly, their booking person who lived elsewhere. I emailed her and got no reply. Our travel agent tried to speak with them, but they denied everything and weren’t going to refund us. When we left, they offered to move us to another property, but we couldn’t risk ending up somewhere just as bad without knowing where it was. Our agent contacted Expedia, but no one there has addressed it either. After weeks without word from Expedia, I’m not impressed. I held off writing this to give them a chance to make things right.

The pictures make the housing look fine, but there were problems after we moved in. There were lots of cockroaches, the owner didn’t resolve the issue, and in the end the deposit wasn’t returned. A housing arrangement with a catch.

Avoid BARU Puerto Aventures residences. The AC barely worked, and the place was full of cockroaches. Sometimes they fly at night ;( Owner Ms. Yvone kept the security deposit and gave no reason or explanation. Be careful, or stay away.