What is and isn’t included in the rental payment?

Is there internet access?

Is the electricity supply reliable?

Do U.S. cell phones work there?

Can I use credit cards?

How about travelers' checks?

How do we get from the airport to Casa Colibri?

Should we rent a car?

What about medical care for emergencies?

What about bugs?

Can I bring my dog?

How about tipping?

Is the community pool heated?

Can Casa Colibri’s private kid-safe pool be heated?

What’s included:

• Access to all of Casa Colibri except the laundry area and the closet marked “Private”

• Access to all the community’s common areas and facilities, including the community pool

• Sheets, pillows, pillowcases, blankets, towels, wash cloths, shampoo, conditioner, bar soap, toilet tissue

• Pots, pans, cooking utensils, blender, coffee maker

• Refrigerator, blender, toaster, steam iron, ironing board

• Dishware, glassware, flatware, cloth table napkins, paper towels

• Bottled water for drinking (5-gallon jug replenished as necessary)

• Housekeeper/cook: whether you take the meal plan or bring your own food, she will prepare your meals, set the table, clear the table, wash the dishes, glasses, cookware and flatware and put them all away (but see "what isn't included" below, if you have more than four people in your rental party and do not take the meal plan). She will keep the house clean, including the bathrooms and bedrooms and will make the beds.

• Free in-house WiFi internet. [See “Is There Internet Access?” below]

• Hair dryer in each bathroom

What isn’t included:

• Food and beverages (see the Meal Plan page)

• Heating of the private pool: Due to the high cost of propane, there iks a heating charge of $25 USD/day, paid to the rental manager on departure.

• The $370 Mexican peso daily cost of a housekeeper helper if you have more than four people in your rental party and do not take meal plan. This is because the housekeeper/cook cannot prepare meals for up to eight people, clean up, etc., and also attend to the daily housekeeping chores. The food plan comes with a helper when there are more than four in the rental party; in this case the cost of the helper is not added to your rent or to the cost of the food plan.

• TV or audio devices

• Surfboards and boogie boards (usually available at the gatehouse)

• Pool toys

Beginning in October, 2022 Casa Colibrí now offers free, high-speed Internet via Starlink. There is no data limit, and no limit to how many devices can be connected at the same time. The house has three separate Colibrí WiFi networks, all running off the Starlink system. They all have the same password: 907XXX2143. When you book, we’ll send you the numbers representerd by “XXX.”

We are located in rural Mexico and are, in fact, at the very end of the high-tension power lines. There are frequent brief outages — seconds to minutes — and infrequent brownouts and blackouts that can last hours and, rarely, even days. Casa Colibri shares a 48 kW generator with seven other houses, so in the event of prolonged outages, you will have power for essentials: lighting, refrigeration, water pressure, small appliances, floor and ceiling fans, Internet, charging for cell phones, etc. What you will not have is air conditioning, as using the air conditioners would exceed the generator’s capacity. Prolonged outages are unusual except in the rainy season (June through October), when windstorms and lightning strikes knock out the power lines. The rainy season is also the hottest, most humid time of the year. If you are not OK with braving hot and humid weather without air conditioning, you should not rent Casa Colibrí.

Most U. S. and Canadian cellular carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint)  "piggyback" over the local cellular networks (TelCel, MoviStar, lusacell). Coverage along mountainous parts of the highway system is spotty, however.

The national currency of Mexico is the peso. There are U. S.-friendly ATM's at the Puerto Vallarta airport and at the big box stores (Sam's Club, WalMart, Chedraui, the MegaComercial), along the highway on your way up to Punta el Custodio. All ATM's offer the same exchange rate on a given day, and charge reasonable fees. Most have instructions in Spanish and English. The closest ATM to Casa Colibri is in Zacualpan, about 25 minutes away by car.

Major U. S. and Canadian credit cards are accepted at the big box stores, and in many tourist stores and restaurants in and around Puerto Vallarta, but once you are well north of Puerto Vallarta, much economy is pretty much cash only, in pesos, although more and more of the local businesses are beginning to accept credit cards using smartphones or tablets. Some enterprises will take dollars, but at a poor exchange rate. Try to carry small bills ($20, $50 and $100 peso notes) as many small businesses, such as beachside vendors, may be unable to make change for $200 or $500 peso notes.

Not recommended. Travelers' checks are rarely accepted by local businesses. They can be cashed at banks, but the process is long and complicated.

The rental manager, Ismael Franco, who speaks excellent English, contracts with a safe and reliable van service: the driver will meet you as you exit the airport customs area and will drive you to the house. He will be happy to stop on the way up for you to use an ATM, buy sundries such as sun blocker or bug spray, liquor or other incidentals. Ismael will arrange for the same service to drop you at the airport on departure. Rates are reasonable, and are by the size of the party: 1-3 people: $140 USD, 4-6 people: $170 USD, 7 to 9 people: $195 USD. Prices may vary somewhat based on the price of gasoline. Pick-up service must be pre-arranged with Ismael. His email is: francoimx@gmail.com. His cell number (from the U. S.) is +52.1.327.103.9984

There are many car rental agencies in and around the Puerto Vallarta airport. If this will be your first time coming to Punta El Custodio, renting a car is not recommended. Most flights arrive in the afternoon. After going through immigration and customs, picking up the car rental and stopping along the highway to shop, it will be sunset. In the tropics, dusk is very brief, and then it is pitch dark while you are on rural roads, with essentially no shoulders. There is foot and bicycle traffic at all hours, livestock along the highway, and no lighting outside of towns. The last turn-off from the highway to Punta el Custodio is easy to miss in the dark. Besides, you don't need a rental car to get around: the rental manager can arrange local transportation for sightseeing, shopping and other activities at reasonable rates. Just let him know the day before.

Basic first aid supplies are available at the Gatehouse. There is a good emergency care center in La Peñita, 45 minutes south, where the staff is familiar with "tourist emergencies." For serious conditions, Puerto Vallarta has several well-equipped modern hospitals and access to excellent, English-speaking medical staff, including most specialties. By U. S. standards, medical care in Mexico is almost ridiculously inexpensive.

If you are a bug-o-phobic, our part of Mexico is not for you. There can be no-see-ums at dawn and dusk, and their numbers vary with the tides and phases of the moon. They go for your neck, wrists and ankles. We recommend long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks and scarves for dawn and dusk protection. Bring insect repellent. Although open to the air, Casa Colibri has very few no-see-ums. Mosquitoes are unusual.

Various flying insects breed in the summer and can be numerous at night. These insects, some of them large flying beetles, don't bite, but if you our your family find this frightening, it's better to come at another time of year.

Our staff, employed by the Rental Manager, will work very hard to make you comfortable and meet all your reasonable needs. We recommend tipping for good services rendered. Please consider tipping Moña, our housekeeper/chef, about $5.00 USD per adult guest per day. The housekeepers' salaries bring home about $100 USD/week, and several are single moms. Many work for the benefits, which include free medical care via Mexican social security, paid vacations and other perks not commonly offered in our area.

No. It is far too expensive to heat an outdoor pool of this size over the winter months. However, the water temperature, even in winter, is usually about 75° F. Casa Colibri’s private pool is heated at no additional charge.

Our private, kid-safe pool can be heated on request at an extra daily charge for the propane ($35 USD/day). The pool, immediately accessible from just about any part of the main living area, is a kid magnet. Casa Colibri is the only house in our little development that has such a safe, heated pool. The oceanfront houses have infinity pools with 20 to 30 foot drop-offs onto the rocks below.

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