My wife, I, an aunt and uncle, a cousin and her boyfriend stayed at Casa Hortensias for a week in late October. We were picked up as promised by the optional shuttle that has a friendly and helpful staff – beer and water are offered on the drive to the house. The property manager met us when we arrived and gave us a short tour, explaining everything we needed to know about keys, locks, contacts for various needs, etc. There was even freshly prepared guacamole dip and pico de gallo in the fridge, with a bag of chips to boot, when we opened the large fridge to check it out. While we didn’t spend much time in the house the first few days – on an offshore fishing charter instead – we got back after midnight on the third day and enjoyed a dip in the pool, which was warmer than I expected – a wonderful 88 degrees vs. a pool at another house I stayed at in March that was too cold. The view from the pool at night is fabulous as you can see a large part of the bay around the city, including hotels across the bay as well as the famous Guadalupe church in old town and other hillside homes. The maid comes three times a week and when we returned to the house on those days everything was in perfect order; my aunt and uncle even commented they’d left out some “dirty” clothes that were washed and dried upon their return! I liked that there’s plenty of toilet paper, bar soap, hand soap, Kleenex, and other items I have in my own home, so I didn’t have to go out and buy the basics like I have at other properties. The property offers an optional chef to prepare meals, and we opted for a breakfast by Chef Maria on a Thursday morning. She came with her daughter and they prepared and served a fantastic breakfast – we specified what we wanted ahead of time – that included more food than we expected. They cleaned up before leaving and the food and service left all of us wishing we’d asked for more in-house meals. Although one could walk down to town and the beaches, the street down to the main road is very steep – and slick – in places, so we opted to take cabs and Uber to go places. The prices for transportation are inexpensive compared to the US and our typical ride down to the beach area via taxi was 70 pesos ($3.50 USD), and we got some Uber rides that were less than 50 ($2.50)! A cab service phone number is listed on a card by the phone and we used the service about half the time and the other half we utilized Uber (which we were told has been in service for almost a year). One of the best things about our stay is that the house is away from the main road, so it’s quiet, and it is secluded as it’s surrounded by vegetation and aside from high-rises across the open canyon, others can’t see onto the second-floor pool area. The view from the second floor is fabulous as it’s about eight stories above the canyon floor, wide open, enabling a wide view of the bay. Our return shuttle on Saturday morning showed up 20 minutes early and we reluctantly left after a wonderful stay. In short, we couldn’t ask for more and I highly recommend Casa Hortensias for someone wanting a house to themselves with a great pool view and all the amenities you’d expect in a rental house!
All bookings are direct with the owner 