We spent two weeks at ADS in January
'07. As the owners of this condo lived in White Rock in BC and we
had the opportunity to meet with them (actually with George) well prior
to our arrival, we were somewhat disappointed in the
accommodations. I suppose, in retrospect, we expected a more cared
for condo. In fact it was tired and waaay in need of
updating. What we found most aggravating was that one could have
*fixed* most of the issues with a two week stay and $1000.00. We've stayed in many (tropical climate)
places renting from owners and have not had this experience
before. In a word - this condo is tired and uncared
for. The Good:
This unit has a lovely view overlooking both the pool below
and Zi Bay. It's reasonably large and is in close proximity to
Playa Madera. thus a short walk to the beach.
The Bad:
I would describe it with the terms "old, tired and in need of
updating". The view is lovely but can only be seen from the
living area. Many many maintenance issues were evident; easy to
repair but not attended to.
The 2nd bedroom is
very small and has next to nothing in it other than the bed and two
night tables. No dresser, no closet, not even some hooks on the
back of the door. Zero.
The bath is in need
of updating. While the pics convey a large shower, in fact the
shower is half the size with this weird wall down the middle. The
baseboard tile is sloppily painted with whitewash -- just a terribly
poor paint job -- but if the owners actually cared, it could have been
scrubbed off and brot back to the original blue tile. This issue
was also evident in other areas. Linens were barely adequate, thin
and very well used.
The kitchen was
badly equipped if you really wanted to use it at all. All of the
glassware and much of the dishware appeared to have been purloined from
assorted restaurants. That is - nothing matched. We bot
glasses just to have some that were decent. I don't consider it
asking a great deal to expect owners to supply at least 4 (preferably 6)
matching wine glasses, tumblers, place settings and like that. Not
expecting Waterford but neither Salvation Army rejects. Toaster
didn't work unless you stood there and held down the handle; the
coffeemaker was not supplied with the appropriate filters; pots and pans
were pretty marginal. We didn't cook much but still - can you not
supply the basics in good condition?
The Madera area is
known for it's *water issues* however we felt ours got a little over the
top. The Pool was grungy and stagnant more often than not.
Most days one would not have wanted to swim there. You could see a
slimy foamy stuff sitting on top as the pool circulation didn't work
more often than not. The toilet also had issues being unflushable
for lengthy periods more than once.
The coverings on the
rather ancient bamboo lounges in the Living area were decidedly past
their prime. There was no coffee table of any type thus no where
for most folks to place a drink or a plate or to put out appetizers for
guests. Hey folks - have you heard of recovering - perhaps with
Sunbrella fabric which would last but at least be in generally
presentable condition?
The Ugly:
Unbeknownst to us,
but known for sure to the owners, a new condo was being built next
door. The jack hammering and concrete laying went on from 8AM to
4PM every week day, sometimes later, and they also worked Saturday until
about 2PM. Not pleasant. Had the owner been upfront about
this from the get go, it would have been one thing but we were not
informed about any of this until perhaps 2 weeks max before our
departure and even then told it was not going to be noisy or
anything. NOT SO!
Major ants in the
kitchen particularly but other places as well. Yes I've been in
many tropical places and know you need to Ziplock & clean up
quickly. This place could be spotlessly clean (at least as much so
as I could make it) with nary a crumb about but still there would be
ants EVERYWHERE. Part of this was due to the fact there is a long
counter with a glass top with lots of space around it. Crumbs
would get down in that area so it was a constant ant attraction.
As well (like the window sills) I don't think this long piece of glass
was ever lifted and cleaned around. It was pretty gross.
|