This review is for "Alta Cora" which I believe is the given name of the condo we stayed in located…read morewithin the Brisas del Mar complex.
Our friends found this place on VRBO. It's a condo and hotel that share common areas, and we rented one of the condos units for a week. It's very close to the Blue Chair Beach, Malecon Boardwalk, tons of restaurants and shops.
ATMOSPHERE:
The plain white stucco building looks ordinary from the front, but a short walk in leads to a very different scene. A wide open patio laid out in deep reddish/terra cotta tiles greets you with an amazing view of the Pacific & town of Puerto Vallarta. You're actually standing on the roof of the condos below, where we stayed. The property is built on a cliff, with just one street of buildings far below its elevation, so it has a high vantage point with 100% unobstructed views. Also on the rooftop are a good sized covered bar which is used for communal gatherings by residents and renters, a small pool that no one used while we were there, and lounge chairs.
Overall property is in good shape where it "matters," such as the entrance, public areas, and hallways, but walk through the backside down towards Ampas Street, and it looked like a war zone with crumbling concrete, and missing railings.
BEACH ACCESS/SECURITY GATES:
You will learn the numerous ways to get down to the street below. It's quite a strenuous feat, with steep ramps and numerous steps that'll make your legs feel the burn! Definitely not handicap friendly. There are gates everywhere, with a different key for each one. We were provided with 2 sets. Good security measures, but a pain in the arsh especially for 3+ people with separate timelines and activities.
UNIT 604:
It's a 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit with a kitchen, living room, and balcony. The decor is dark and modern. The view from the balcony is gorgeous.
KITCHEN:
The kitchen has granite counter tops, 6 burner gas stove, oven, full size refrigerator with filtered water and ice maker, deep sink with filtered spout and restaurant style spray faucet, microwave, and is fully stocked with plates, pots, pans, and utensils.
NOISE:
The building next door on the south side was being renovated, so everyday except Sunday was filled with construction noise, dust, and shouting men folk. Worse was that the a/c unit in the living room was broken for the first 6 of our 7 days there, so we had to open the windows to get relief, especially in the afternoons. Mind you, we were told of the construction only a week before we arrived (we booked in October 2015 and our stay was in February 2016, so for 4 months it was kept a secret.) Someone came to fix the living room a/c on our last day there, though the leaking a/c in the bunk bedroom wasn't fixed. SMH.
BUNK BEDROOM:
The room we were in, was the size of a jail cell, but with comfy double sized memory foam mattresses that filled the entire width of the room, forcing you to crawl in and out of bed. I have no idea how you'd access the second level bunk as there was no ladder. There are headboards with cubby holes for both bunks, and a clip-on fan. This space did have its own ductless a/c unit, though it dripped profusely from the bottom, forcing us to use a bucket to catch the drips.
GUEST BATHROOM:
Contrary to what we were told in the brochure of "plentiful hot water that may take a while to reach the unit," there was NO hot water. Toward the end of the stay, we learned to run the shower, basin & kitchen sink on hot for at least 20 minutes to receive lukewarm temps at best. The shower had the lowest water pressure on earth, though toilet pressure was normal. We were provided with bar soaps, bath & hand towels, no wash cloths, beach towels, and laundry detergent. The basin had a rancid smell coming from the drain which we smelled around town as well. The bathroom houses a washer/dryer combo for convenience. The washer was stubborn and would stop in the middle of cycles.
MASTER BEDROOM:
Our friends slept here. It's a normal sized room with a king bed, ductless a/c, sliding glass door but no balcony, and a master bathroom done in nice blue tiles. The water pressure here was normal, though water temps were not.
WIFI:
It worked for the first 3 days like a champ, then became slow and eventually died for 2 days, and rose from the grave mysteriously on day 6. Resetting the units did not work. Very frustrating.
OVERALL:
Great location, beautiful views, no hot water, close but difficult beach/street access on foot.
