Comments about LocoGringo Casa Houston:

Casa Houston has the potential to be rated 5 stars, but our one-week experience was more like a 1, so I compromised by rating it a 3. Locogringo.com would get a 5 star rating, and we will definitely rent through them again. Please read my whole review to get a more complete picture.

The best features of Casa Houston are location, beach, and privacy. The beach is as beautiful as pictured and we all spent hours swimming in the ocean with the boogie boards provided. Because you're in the Sian Ka'an, there are no crowds, yet there are plenty of good restaurants close by at Tulum Beach (15 minute drive). We also enjoyed an occasional meal at Cesiak, which is less than a km up the beach.

As this is in the Sian Ka'an, power and hot water are not abundant. Unfortunately we lost our power entirely five days into our visit and had to move to a different rental property altogether for the last three days. We never received a clear and complete explanation of what the problem was, but it had something to do with a broken cable to the wind turbine and insufficient fuel in the backup generator. Because it was the week between Xmas and New Year's, there was no hope of getting it fixed (although we suspect that the problem existed even before we arrived as the power was flickering from day one of our stay). We were told by the caretaker that this wouldn't have happened if the property manager (Bobby Sapia) had been there, but he was on vacation during our visit. Who knows, although I note that none of the other reviewers mentioned any problems with power.

I was always able to get a brief hot shower, but my husband and children did not, so I don't know what more to say on that score. If endless hot showers are important to you, then you probably would not be happy staying anywhere in the Sian Ka'an.

The house is comfortable and tastefully furnished. We couldn't get the gas oven to work, but given the power issue we didn't pursue it. The satellite TV didn't work and we were told to forget it, but we never count on TV in Mexico for entertainment.

My children (ages 17 and 19) and I would return to Casa Houston; my husband would not. I would recommend it to others, but only if they know what they're getting into – risk of losing power, limited hot water, no TV, in exchange for stunning setting, beach and privacy.

Locogringo.com was terrific. Once it became clear that power at Casa Houston could not be restored, they moved us within hours to another rental which was very nice.

Comments about LocoGringo Casa Houston:

Well equipped kitchen. The house is just the right size for a couple. Very clean and nicely decorated. We felt compfortable as soon as we walked in. Outside there is plenty of seating to enjoy different views of the ocean/sunrise or lagoon/sunset. If there was one thing I could wish for it would have been a small firepit or BBQ outside. Other than that, this place is perfect!

Comments about LocoGringo Casa Houston:

Fabulous and compact house that felt like home as soon as we walked in. Great views, well equipped kitchen, wonderful experience. Beach is quiet with only a few other people at any time. Plenty of good places to eat within half hour drive, gorgeous sunsets and sunrises and the eternal sound of surf. Couldn't recommend highly enough for those looking to avoid the craziness of all-inclusives!

Because it's in the Sian Kaan biosphere, there is a premium on water, and as a result the shower can be a bit tricky--which is only a minor challenge and the only difficulty we had with our stay. This is an incredibly well designed house and we would not hesitate to go back again.

Comments about LocoGringo Casa Houston:

The staff Genero and Nettie were amazingly helpful and accomodating despite not speaking english very well. The beaches were beautiful and surprisingly private.