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casa espada

Author: Laura courtney (---.lsanca.dsl-w.verizon.net)
Date: 10-02-06 02:42

my 16-yr old son and i will be staying in culebra dec 30-jan 1. i couldn't find any place to stay that was big enough for us. i found several apartments and villas for rent by their owners but they were all either very tiny (we definately need two beds!) or too large (for a family or two). everything in my PR travel guides was either booked up or they required a minimum of 3 or more nights stay due to the holiday season.

out of desperation i finally booked the downstairs apartment at casa espada. i say "desperation" because this particular villa isn't mentioned in any of the travel guides i have and no one has posted a candid traveler's review on TripAdvisor (a site i always check before booking a place). i didn't want to delay reserving a place since my options were rapidly dwindling with each passing day and i have my heart set on seeing culebra.

has anyone ever stayed as casa espada? particularly the downstairs apartment? i don't think it has A/C and i don't think it has a phone (that was the impressoin i got from their website). is A/C something one really needs on culebra in late dec/early jan? or do the trade winds keep things cool enough to sleep comfortably at night?

even though i'm going to keep my reservation (it's a $50 fee for cancelling, even this far in advance - ouch!) i'd still like to hear from anyone who's stayed there. online the rooms look pretty basic and simple but extremely clean, bright and well maintained. i don't need anything fancy - but clean and well kept? definately! it also has it's own dock and appears to be a bit away from the main town. having never been to culebra (or PR) i'm not really sure how far casa espada is from dewey. i prefer to stay somewhere a little removed from the action (even though the entire island of culebra sounds removed from the action!) so if you know how far this place is from town please let me know.

thank you to anyone who responds. i appreciate it very much!

best regards,

laura

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Re: casa espada

Author: Debbie (---.asm.bellsouth.net)
Date: 10-02-06 07:59

I've not stayed there, but here are a couple of answers for you.

You shouldn't need air conditioning in Dec/Jan, especially since it's located right on the water. In fact, you may be seeking blankets overnight.

Most guest houses in Culebra don't have phones. You shouldn't need one. If you have a stateside cell phone, it should work on island. There was a time when only a couple of US cell services worked on the island, but now there's pretty wide coverage.

One mile east of the airport puts it on the other side of the bay from town. From that dock (unless Cayo Pirata is between it and town), you should have a view across the harbor to the Dinghy Dock and other buildings on the interior bay. Town is south of the airport, and a stone's throw from the Dinghy Dock on the Vieques side of the island. You can walk it; it's not that far. People routinely walk from the airport to town (maybe 2 miles), and it's all flat terrain at that elevation. Or you could walk far enough towards the airport to get a publico (taxi) to pick you up. Publicos are $2 per person wherever you go in town.

Hope this helps.

Happy Diving!
Debbie

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Re: casa espada

Author: Michael (---.nyc.res.rr.com)
Date: 10-02-06 12:32

Laura,

Just one thing about reservations of Vacation rentals and cancellation fees:

As you mention, your options are dwindling fast. VRs in Culebra do not have a lot of rooms, mostly one or two. When they say they have a room for you, they will and that mostly means they are 50 or a 100% booked.

SO to charge only $50 cancellation fee, even though they run the risk of being 100% empty for a room that is hard to get in the first place (= a no brainer to rent), is not all that much! Usually people charge 1 night!

I know Casa Espada and it is a nice and clean apartment - I am surprised they do not have a 1 week minimum for New Years ..

Enjoy Culebra!

Michael

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Re: casa espada

Author: Laura courtney (---.lsanca.dsl-w.verizon.net)
Date: 10-04-06 02:56

Thank you for all the information! I'm relieved to hear it will be cold enough for a blanket at night. That sounds perfect!

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Re: casa espada

Author: Laura courtney (---.lsanca.dsl-w.verizon.net)
Date: 10-04-06 03:00

michael, it's good to hear from someone who's actually stayed at casa espada. i reserved a jeep on culebra yesterday w/thrifty car rentals and the guy who took my order had never heard of casa espada. maybe it's newly on the rental market.

i will post a review of it on trip advisor once we return so in the future anyone else wanting to find out more info will be able to!

Thanks for all the info. I appreciate it.
Laura

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Re: casa espada

Author: Debbie (---.asm.bellsouth.net)
Date: 10-04-06 07:47

Laura,

He didn't say he'd stayed at Casa Espada. Michael is the webmaster of this site, and so is responsible for guest house listings.

I did a search here for Casa Espada, and while I don't know how to get you to the direct link, there is one report of a person staying there and really liking it (from 2/28/06). Also during that search, you'll see the announcement by the owner of the new rental (2003), so it's not that new to the rental market. When you search, pick "all dates" to get the same results I'm getting.

Good luck - I know it's troubling to rent sight unseen, but in the last six years that I've been going, I've never stayed in a place I didn't like. Most places are generally basic, spartan and clean.

Happy Diving!
Debbie

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Re: casa espada

Author: Michael (---.nyc.res.rr.com)
Date: 10-04-06 10:52

The best way to get all the comments and reviews for Casa Espada is:

go to shelter, then $$$, and then click on 'comments' next to the listing you would like to know everthing written here about ...

Enjoy Culebra!

Michael

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