Casa Jessica is one of the best oceanfront properties in the greater Puerto Viejo area, no doubt! What a delight to be right on the water in the small "Barrio Organizado" community. Private (enough), little traffic, feet from the beach. Simply sublime.
Our host, David, was excellent. A wonderful communicator before and during our stay. Full of really good information and helpful details on the area and what activities to do. He reached out to local contacts on our behalf, even arranging surfing lessons for one in our group. Plus, David is just a really nice, decent human being.
Our group's disappointment was with the living quarters. The structure of the property is excellent, it has "good bones." But much about the property is outdated, from kitchen appliances to electrical connections, to water supply, to general cleanliness (kitchen, appliances, bathrooms, water supply, bed linens) to creaky wooden doors. In our opinion, the owner of the property would do well to update his investment with a general cleanup and uprade of the facilities. We left a few specific suggestions before we left but here are a few I remember: ditch the broken rice cooker and blender (and any other appliances) that don't work. Replace them. If a microwave oven isn't feasible, help the renters heat their food easily. Toss obsolete kitchen utensils and upgrade with newer and fewer items in the utensils drawar. Not sure the pressure cooker is the best largest pot in the 21st century. Stabilize the water supply. We gladly limited our water usage but we shouldn't have to limit showers to the extreme. Ensure all windows can be opened and screens function so that there can be some cross breeze (especially the bathrooms). Fix wooden doors that creak so loudly that sleep is disrupted. Replace lamps and light fixtures that are broken. Make sure a laundry line is easily available (we used the dog run line). Create a composting system that renters can feel is sustainable rather than just throwing it in the "jungle."
The price point was reasonable, however, some of the negative aspects left us feeling like the owner needs to up his game to make vacationers feel "whole" while enjoying their stay in this beautiful Playa Negra location.
Thank you so much, David. We hope you are able to work with the owner to take Casa Jessica to the next level. We're very happy to have met you!