The villa is as beautiful as pictured and functions very well. Our family of 15 customized the space by moving furniture so that we could all sit together for meals. We enjoyed the pool every day. Many of us also snorkeled in the waters right below the property. Water shoes are a must, and care needs to be taken when entering and exiting, but even the children were able to swim and enjoy the amazing number of fish in the villa’s backyard.
Other positives—the open floor plan allowed beautiful breezes to circulate through the home, which was important, as it was very warm and the a/c units are in the bedrooms only. The breezes also kept the bugs away. The villa is located near several lovely beaches. Our favorite was Grote Knip—mostly sandy bottom, cliffs for jumping, and lots of shade. A highlight for us were the three catered meals we arranged with Lisa from Seaside. She and her husband Olaf prepared and served delicious, buffet-style meals, keeping food allergies and preferences in mind. It was a treat to work with them. They are also lovely people and shared recommendations for beaches and restaurants with us.
The only negative was a relative lack of clarity on how to operate some appliances and lack of communication from Brigitte, the property manager. We arranged to meet her at the property when we arrived, but she did not seem prepared for us. She then ran us through the home very quickly, briefly showing us how to use the public areas like the kitchen and the home cinema, but never even entering the bedrooms. She left in a hurry and promised to check back in. We never saw her again. We had a problem with an a/c unit that we researched and fixed ourselves, and there were other issues—with the washer and dryer, microwave—that came up. Brigitte was not easy to reach—she said my texts are not coming through, and cell phone reception was poor—and there were no written instructions at the house, which is not typical in our experience. But these issues were minor and could be easily addressed. Creating a manual to the home would be a great first step, and scheduling a check-in with Brigitte after the first day would also help. She needs to be a bit more available.
Our family has stayed in other villas in Europe and the Caribbean to celebrate important birthdays and anniversaries. This one was special, and we would all love to return!
