Palmetto Guesthouse

I feel quite bad writing this review, but I also need to be honest for future travelers. I'm going to start with the positives: The hosts were superb and could not make me feel any more welcome. They enthusiastically went over a map telling me all the best places to go and eat. They were really helpful with any questions I had about the island, and even let me keep the key to my room on the day of check out till my flight at 5pm so I could use the bathroom and store my things. The bed was comfy and the shower powerful with hot water. Air conditioner was noisy, but did the job just fine. The guesthouse is in a good location far enough from the main area to be quiet. A few minutes walk down the road is Carlos Jeep Rental and a supermarket with everything you would need at a decent price. However, now the negatives. The guesthouse does not look like what it does in the photos which were taken several years ago by the looks of it. I appreciate that this is a small island with a simple lifestyle, but the property was a little too 'island life' for me. The room was very small with nowhere to store anything. This was fine as I was traveling solo, but two people would really struggle. There are marks all over the ceiling from damp, calcium build up all over the bathroom taps, and old painted and dirty furniture. The sheets however were clean although you could tell they were old. The shared areas were filthy. The cooker had dirt all over it and the sides and all utensils were sticky. I should point out that I am a bit OCD and have a thing for cleanliness, but I would rather spend a fortune eating out every night than cook there. It needed a total deep clean. Also, there are no smoking signs but I think the owners smoke so there's a smell that lingers. The garden also does not look like the photos and needs clearing. I have a feeling that the positive reviews are from regulars that have become the owners friends as all other guests knew them personally. One guest had known them for 30 years. I appreciate that this is a 'home style' guesthouse/hostel, but out of all the 5 places I stayed whilst in Puerto Rico, this was one of the most expensive and the worst conditions. I suppose it depends what you're looking for. If you want a true feeling of island life and are happy roughing it then this is perfect. If you're a bit of a stickler for cleanliness then I would avoid. I feel like I must finish with the fact that the hosts are what make this place and have never been somewhere more welcoming. Saying that though they would need to do a full deep clean of the place and get it back to what the photos look like for me to stay again.

We were surprised at how uncomfortable we were based on reviews we’d read before booking. The rooms are tiny and the shared spaces are not very relaxing. The outdoor space is nice but there were bird droppings on everything and there were tons of mosquitoes. In the room, the bed was old and my spouse and I didn’t sleep well because we were sinking in towards each other. The toilet didn’t flush well and we had to pour pots of water to get it to flush. The rooms are directly outside the shared kitchen, so you can hear and smell whatever is happening there. If you want more privacy, I would not stay here. As mentioned by many reviewers, the hosts are very friendly. Overall, the guesthouse could use better upkeep and updates to beds and plumbing.