El Rio is a cute original home located by the river at South Golden Beach. It’s at the end of an unsealed road with a large amount of pot holes which can be hazardous for small cars. (No warning of this from the hosts)
The property was clean and had some nice touches like milk, sparkling wine, nibbles and lovely toiletries. However, a few things which should be noted. The bedrooms upstairs are extremely hot with no air con (ceiling fans didn’t help with the heat). The air con unit downstairs is rather old and doesn’t cool down the living areas. The bathroom upstairs is unrenovated with no power points and a shower over the bath. The garage has been converted to a lounge so we couldn’t store our car there. It has 2 bunk beds and contains the only TV in the house, which is a bit inconvenient for rainy days or nights in or if kids are sleeping in the bunks. (We couldn’t get free to air working) Being so close to the river, you have to be mindful of mosquitoes and keep doors closed at all times. We therefore didn’t enjoy the outside areas or BBQ in the evening. We also had an issue with the bins during our stay, although the hosts were quick to respond and get them changed for us.
All in all, although El Rio is in a lovely secluded spot, the lack of air con, living spaces and TV made it feel we did not get value for our money during our week stay.