We stayed at la posada de piedra in el cortecito in October 2006. After reading some postings about it and looking at the website, it seemed like it would be a nice alternative to the resorts. I like to have freedom to walk around town and see the local customs and taste local food. One concern that I had though was whether I would be able to withstand the heat since there is no a/c there. I was told the ocean breeze would cool us off since it?s right on the water and they have a few fans also. There were a lot of pros to this hotel but a few cons too.
Pros:
Terrace ? The terrace overlooking the ocean was great. Although the view was obstructed a little by the cabanas on the beach and a few souvenir shops, you could still see the blue-green ocean and hear the waves crash into shore.
Location ? The location was very convenient. It is directly across the street from an ATM. It?s a short walk from a grocery store. It?s about 4 doors down from the famous Captain Cook restaurant and near a few other good restaurants too. And of course, you can walk out of the back door onto the sandy beach.
Owners ? The owners, Gaudalupe and Alberto (I think that was his name) were very friendly. Guadalupe gave us a lot of suggestions on what to do while staying there.
Spacious ? There was a lot of room in our bedroom with one large bed, a smaller bed, and a couch. And the room opened up to the back terrace and a front balcony overlooking the busy street.
Price ? Although the room had an ocean view, it was still very cheap (just 45/night). I thought this also included breakfast but found out that it was a little higher to get the breakfast included.
Cons:
Heat ? I knew it would be hot but I thought at night it would cool off and we would have a nice breeze in the end of October. It didn?t work out that way. We were very uncomfortable and had trouble sleeping. A fan stopped working that pointed towards our bed the second night (later we found out the plug which was on the other side of the room was loose). But even with it (it was just a little oscillating fan screwed sideways to the way near the foot of the bed), you could barely feel it. There was a ceiling fan but it wasn?t over the bed and didn?t make much of a difference either.
Noise ? Another reason we had trouble sleeping was noise. Since we had to keep the doors open to get some ventilation, we had to hear the street sounds of karaoke from a nearby bar, people laughing and shouting, motocochos puttering back and forth, cats in heat screaming, and rain pounding on the tin roofs (it rained the first night but not the second).
Mosquitos ? Again since we had to keep the doors open, we got eaten alive by mosquitos during the night. It was so hot, I slept in just shorts and everywhere my skin was exposed, I had several bites.
D?cor ? The place has nice potential but it seems like they haven?t put a lot of money into it lately. The bathroom had old wallpaper that looked like it was from a baby?s room with little fish and trucks on it. It was partially peeled off and other walls had different paper on it. The fixtures and towel racks were pretty rusty and old. The furniture in the room was a little worn down too.
Privacy ? One of the pros is also a con. It?s night to feel like your staying with a family instead of in an impersonal hotel or resort but at the same time, it would be nice to have some privacy too. We wanted to sit out and talk on the terrace and enjoy the ocean some nights but it was a little awkward because we could hear the owner?s family sitting below us outside having their evening meal. Her daughter?s room was right next door to ours. And since the front and back doors had to be kept open, people walking on the street could look right into your room and people and vendors on the beach could look into the back.
So after the second night, we decided we would go across the street and stay at the El Cortecito Inn. Although it was far from perfect too, it had a/c and a small fridge to store drinks in. We had been buying a bag of ice every day in La Posada to have a drink in our room.
On a positive note, the owners did give us back our refund for 2 nights (we lost one night?s cost). They mentioned we could have told them about the fan even though it was late and they would have done something about it, but the fan wasn?t the only reason we left. I think that La Posada de Piedra is a good place to stay for some. I did miss the view after we left. However, for us wimpy spoiled Americans, we needed our a/c. My intention is not to discourage you to stay here but to give you both sides of how we saw it so that you will know exactly what to expect.
Vince D
Pros:
Terrace ? The terrace overlooking the ocean was great. Although the view was obstructed a little by the cabanas on the beach and a few souvenir shops, you could still see the blue-green ocean and hear the waves crash into shore.
Location ? The location was very convenient. It is directly across the street from an ATM. It?s a short walk from a grocery store. It?s about 4 doors down from the famous Captain Cook restaurant and near a few other good restaurants too. And of course, you can walk out of the back door onto the sandy beach.
Owners ? The owners, Gaudalupe and Alberto (I think that was his name) were very friendly. Guadalupe gave us a lot of suggestions on what to do while staying there.
Spacious ? There was a lot of room in our bedroom with one large bed, a smaller bed, and a couch. And the room opened up to the back terrace and a front balcony overlooking the busy street.
Price ? Although the room had an ocean view, it was still very cheap (just 45/night). I thought this also included breakfast but found out that it was a little higher to get the breakfast included.
Cons:
Heat ? I knew it would be hot but I thought at night it would cool off and we would have a nice breeze in the end of October. It didn?t work out that way. We were very uncomfortable and had trouble sleeping. A fan stopped working that pointed towards our bed the second night (later we found out the plug which was on the other side of the room was loose). But even with it (it was just a little oscillating fan screwed sideways to the way near the foot of the bed), you could barely feel it. There was a ceiling fan but it wasn?t over the bed and didn?t make much of a difference either.
Noise ? Another reason we had trouble sleeping was noise. Since we had to keep the doors open to get some ventilation, we had to hear the street sounds of karaoke from a nearby bar, people laughing and shouting, motocochos puttering back and forth, cats in heat screaming, and rain pounding on the tin roofs (it rained the first night but not the second).
Mosquitos ? Again since we had to keep the doors open, we got eaten alive by mosquitos during the night. It was so hot, I slept in just shorts and everywhere my skin was exposed, I had several bites.
D?cor ? The place has nice potential but it seems like they haven?t put a lot of money into it lately. The bathroom had old wallpaper that looked like it was from a baby?s room with little fish and trucks on it. It was partially peeled off and other walls had different paper on it. The fixtures and towel racks were pretty rusty and old. The furniture in the room was a little worn down too.
Privacy ? One of the pros is also a con. It?s night to feel like your staying with a family instead of in an impersonal hotel or resort but at the same time, it would be nice to have some privacy too. We wanted to sit out and talk on the terrace and enjoy the ocean some nights but it was a little awkward because we could hear the owner?s family sitting below us outside having their evening meal. Her daughter?s room was right next door to ours. And since the front and back doors had to be kept open, people walking on the street could look right into your room and people and vendors on the beach could look into the back.
So after the second night, we decided we would go across the street and stay at the El Cortecito Inn. Although it was far from perfect too, it had a/c and a small fridge to store drinks in. We had been buying a bag of ice every day in La Posada to have a drink in our room.
On a positive note, the owners did give us back our refund for 2 nights (we lost one night?s cost). They mentioned we could have told them about the fan even though it was late and they would have done something about it, but the fan wasn?t the only reason we left. I think that La Posada de Piedra is a good place to stay for some. I did miss the view after we left. However, for us wimpy spoiled Americans, we needed our a/c. My intention is not to discourage you to stay here but to give you both sides of how we saw it so that you will know exactly what to expect.
Vince D