Luxury. A simple word used by the property owners to describe the experience. A simple word that raised our expectations about what we would find at the home. It is from this perspective that we share these insights:
Upon our arrival, we met the local property manager. He was either checking up on or installing an additional refrigerator because the home's kitchen fridge was not working. It was clear at that time that this fridge was very noisy, but there were no alternatives; loud fridge or no cold food. We were pleased that the situation was addressed before we arrived. Not until the property manager left was it obvious that the noise of the new fridge was so loud that it blocked out the ocean sounds.
The home was advertised as air conditioned. However, upon reading the welcome notes we found that the a/c units must be set at 28 Celsius (82 Fahrenheit) or higher. That's pretty warm.
We were a group of four adults. We intended to spend time around the pool. To do so, some pool chairs were required. There were only 2 rotting lounges at the pool (not 6 shown in the pictures). Additionally, the beautiful hammock pictured on the homeaway site was not there.
Outside Jacuzzi: According to housekeeper, it will work for about 4 minutes, so we did not attempt to turn in on.
Kitchen: The property manager suggested that we don't use the dishwasher as it doesn't rinse the soap off the plates.
Clothes Washer: Not sure if there is a problem with the washer or the way it is designed, but water needs to be added "by hand." Not a big deal since the housekeeper volunteered to run a few loads for us.
The refrigerator, lounge chairs, and hammock issues were addressed by the property owners a few days after we sent them an email explaining the situation. We didn't mind the delay as time moves slower in Nicaragua. Our concern is that the home we experienced was quite different than the home as described on homeaway.
It is unlikely that we would recommend this home to others. If our review does not dissuade you then make sure that the home and the description are one and the same.
Playa el Coco is a great beach, it was deserted while we were there; there are 2 restaurants on the beach and a little shop nearby. Do your shopping in San Juan del Sur. The house is a 5 minute walk to the beach; beware, the walk back is up a steep hill. If you are old or out-of-shape you might prefer to take your car down to the beach.