Where to begin? The apartment and grounds are in a SAD state of disrepair and upon leaving, the hosts attempted to charge us $120 for a SINGLE towel replacement and a door key. I found this pretty unbelievable especially after we have stayed in other apartments on the grounds 5 separate times now and have been excellent renters over the past few years. WE have good reviews and are quiet, and respectful couple.
I am curious if the ownership has recently changed both because we have slowly watched the grounds fall into severe disrepair and because $120 for a towel and key is near extortion.
After our most recent stay, I will CERATINLY NEVER being staying at Mara Laguna again. It should be stated that I never write poor reviews as I think it's rude, but our experience at this particular condo was so frustrating I did feel it was worth sharing. Not just because of their monetary request but also because the condo itself is in very poor condition and not close to what is advertised.
About the condo itself:
-When we arrived, well after the allotted check-in time, they were GLUING together multiple cabinets and ask that we might not use them.
-There were 3 broken, rusted, and abandoned AC units next to the front door, and the one AC unit that did work whined constantly, so much I used ear plugs every evening. It should also be mentioned that the thermostat was never able drop below 79 even after leaving it on.
-Once inside we noticed there was mold and the ceiling was crumbling in the restroom.
-The bed was so damaged and sagging in the center, we thought the mattress just may need to be flipped. Upon flipping the mattress we noticed mold absolutely covering the foam topper, an absolute healthy hazard.
-Lamps were broken and not working.
-Closets were locked and unavailable to use, and the drawers of the dressers that were available to us were severely damaged.
-The porch and 'view', which was listed in the add, was covered in grime with broken doors laying on the ground. There were two old and splintered chairs with a plastic plant pot flipped over as a table. There is no breeze as you are sandwiched next to another building, so the mosquitos are bad.
-The washer, which was listed in the add as available to us was used ONCE on the gentle cycle. It promptly ruined 6 articles of clothing along with drenching the entire front stoop.
-A pool is listed in the description as available to us. It should be noted that it is a salt water pool and while that may not matter to some, it did to us and should've been mentioned in the add. After swimming all day in the Caribbean salt, freshwater is a nice change.

-Directly next to the pool are two dilapidated buildings with caving roofs and stairs that are in severe disrepair and dangerous. It's pretty run down, in general.
In short, it's all just in bad shape. Like a cheap landlord trying to paint and glue things back together to make it last longer. Or replacing one AC unit with the next dying one so as not to fork over any extra money to make the place even close to nice. Looking back, it actually makes perfect sense that they would request $120 after the fact for a towel we never lost.
Yes, we did misplace a door key, I will say that did happen. It sunk to the bottom of the ocean. When I contacted the host she was quick to say how it was 'not a problem, they had a copy and could easily make a new one.' Imagine my surprise when I received an invoice for a "full lock replacement". Something which absolutely never occurred.
If you must stay here, DO NOT stay in this condo. There are much better options. For us, we will never be using Mara Laguna again. Stay at your own risk, and lower your expectations. To Mara Laguna: you lost good customers this past trip and we will no longer be recommending you to friends. The way you treated us after the fact felt like sheer extortion. Shame on you.