I have been coming to Casa Corazon for years. 10+. Every stay was just as expected: quaint and pleasant. CC used to be comprised of two buildings, one known as the "old casa" and one the new. Well now the old "new" is the new "old" as they have knocked down the old casa and built large condos in its place. The quaint feeling of the old Casa Corazon is long gone.
One of the reasons I visited CC so often was the staff - mainly Belen. She was a gem. Very easy-going, responsive to inquiries, offered discounts for travel industry employees, and more. She always took me at my word, and I paid her for everything all at once, at the end of the trip. Last minute changes, because of my ever-changing travel-industry job, were a cinch, and never incurred any penalties because of it.
Flash-forward to today. I did not recognize one person that works there now. The "trust" of years past is gone, payment up front. I had to leave a day earlier due to severe weather issues at home that were completely out of my control. No refund. Not even a partial one and they have plenty of open rooms. The free breakfasts that they used to have for guests are no longer free. I went downstairs to enjoy a breakfast and encountered only three tables, all full. I sat at the bar, ate it, and confirmed that breakfast is free for guests. They asked me my room number, I told them, and their response was "no" and pointed to the sign that said $60 pesos. I just shook my head. I asked about WiFi, and the response I got was "only in the lobby." Seriously.
Gone are the days of $69 rooms - they now want $129 (although they brought it down to $99 for me). It's no longer worth it. Construction noise, no more charm, no more free breakfasts, extremely hard beds, no in-room wifi, beat-up and stained beach towels (that cost $1 USD)... yeah. Pretty disappointing.
I heard through some other employees that the older gentleman who owned the complex died, and everything went south when the son took over and got money-hungry. I don't know the validity of this story, but I did confirm the old owner did recently pass away. It's sad... because the quaint charm of Casa Corazon has set sail. I'll miss the good, relaxing times spent there. read more