The condo was generally “good”. It was clean and comfortable in a quiet centrally located area. The kitchen was well appointed with utensils required for small meals, etc. and there were beach chairs, basic snorkeling gear and a cooler bag. Quality Beach towels and boogie boards were also provided. The décor, furniture and TV’s were also nice. We did not communicate with the owner other than when we arrived (she was very responsive and was kind to allow us an early check-in as the condo was cleaned) and to let the owner when we checked out.
As a point of comparison, we had stayed in a similar condo in the same neighborhood (a few spots towards the marina) at the same time last year that we liked a bit better. While the internal layout of the units was quite similar, we liked the outdoor common area of the unit we stayed in last year much better. In this development the common area is not as expansive and there is a hedge of bushes in front of the water that partially obstructs the view of this ground level unit. At the other development there was putting green type of grass with lounge chairs in the back/water-facing common area, instead of the courser type grass with no lounge chairs…….due to the narrower common area there was not room for lounge chairs at this location and in any event the view would also be blocked by the hedge from a lounge chair vantage point. However, to be fair, even from this first floor condo from the slightly elevated outdoor porch area (small table and two chairs) you did have a nice water view, albeit somewhat obstructed.
Other than that point of comparison, the main concern I would express is the air conditioning unit in the bedroom. While the living area has a traditional A/C unit, the bedroom does not. When we inquired about this before booking, the owner was forthcoming about the lack of an A/C unit and advised that a unit of some sort would be placed in the bedroom (I believe the long range plan is that a permanent unit will be installed). However, when we arrived and turned that unit on it was very loud, such that we tried sleeping without it. We tried chilling the room before we retired and then turning the unit off to sleep without noise, but several hours later it became difficult for us to sleep without it as the temperature/humidity was just enough uncomfortable (at least for us) to cause our sleep to be interrupted, at which time we would have to turn the A/C unit back on and its very loud operation. This might not be an issue for some users, as admittedly we like to sleep in a cooler bedroom. Also, there is no iron/ironing board in the unit, I would suggest providing one for future renters.
One other somewhat minor item with the bedroom is that it is adjacent to the trash and recycle bins, and there were a few times when the noise of residents emptying their cans and bottles could be clearly heard in the bedroom. Not a huge issue as most residents were respectful in not doing this early in the morning or later in the evening.