Amor del Sol 
at Bahia Suites 
on La Playa Madera

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.

 

Some Photos

View from Living Area -- it looks cloudy but that's just a camera thing.  In the left pic the view over the dining table to the right side and in the left is the opposite view, 

Totally neat looking carved chest is badly in need of repair.  Kitchen area is functional but fan hood is very rusty, the toaster didn't work properly at all, the dishes/glasses were totally mis-matched looking like they were bot at Sally Ann or the Mex equivalent thereof,

Although the shower looks to be large, there is actually a wall about where the 2nd door shows thru on the shower doors that cuts, what should and could be a spacious shower, in half.  Mirror over sink is badly de-silvered and is overdue for replacement.  Towels supplied were sketchy rather than generous.

HUGE Master Bedroom but a lot of wasted space.  For such a large room closet space could be
much expanded.  Furniture is/was a Heinz 57 collection --- more shades of Sally Ann.

MB Bed is a king but not terribly comfy.  Lamp shades which didn't properly fit the lamps so they were always falling off if slightly touched; window sills (behind the curtains) that hadn't been cleaned in I don't know how long -- loaded with dead bugs.  Serviceable but not pretty.

Second Bedroom --- what you see is what you get.  No bureau/chest, no closet, not even any hooks.  The area where the chair sits is actually a door to the bathroom.  Useless.  That area should be made into a closet for this room and it should also have at least a small chest of drawers.  The two small drawers on the night stands where hard to open as the pulls were missing.  Simple things to care for but they aren't.

No window coverings which bothered us at first but then we realized the windows are
glazed so peeps can't really see in.  Might bother some in terms of light.

Clear Pool - Looks Good Didn't stay that way and it got worse than this.

Views from Front of Condo - Above and Below

The *Construction Zone* Next Door

We rented this condo for $115.00USD and were subsequently told the price would be $96.00USD (June/July '06).  We paid in full in July '06 for Jan '07.  I guess we should have twigged to something being wrong with the price drop thing but we didn't.  Bad on us I guess.  At the outset we were renting a 2 bedroom place simply for ourselves (two of us) due to the location.  Subsequently there was a possibility my Mom would come down with us however she had a fall, broke her pelvis and the stairs would have proved too much for her.  Subsequently our friends decided o come for 10 days but the price was the same regardless.  

Others may have a higher toleration level than I do but this place simply didn't work for me.  I felt 
taken advantage of and disrespected and that doesn't work for me.
Moreover the owners never contacted us to see if we'd been happy . . . just a case of you pay 
your money and you take your chances.

Amor del Sol Website

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