ANSWERS TO FAQ´S:
****PLEASE READ BEFORE & AFTER ARRIVAL****
* Rental PRICES are in PESO´S & all present tenants get first option to book for the following season.
* When booking terms of 3+ months, deposits can be taken up to one year prior. For terms under 3 months during December to March, owners prefer waiting until September to accept reservations.
* Properties are NOT available to rent for the months of July/August, UNLESS specified with a ´YR´ for year round. Majority of rentals are summer homes for locals who do not use them in the winter and also need them to be vacated for the two weeks before Easter, as they celebrate Semana Santa.
* Properties can be rented for less than a month, however, the full month will be charged as the home requires opening, full pre-maintenance, cleaning and preparation. *Casa Mayamar & Cheen Ha can be rented by the week in off-season.
*Rental dates are NOT restricted by days of the week or exact dates. A 2 or 3 day range either way can be negotiated if dates are flight dependent. Please try to arrange arrival before 8pm. For early morning departures, deposits will be returned the day prior and we will advise where to leave the keys.
*For the immigration or luggage form requiring address of destination, please use: Barloventos, Calle 80 #109 x 21 y 23, Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico 97320.
*For arrivals into Mexico after 8pm, we recommend: Hacienda Inn by the Merida Airport or Comfort Inn Cancun Airport. For early morning departures please arrange for a day prior for deposit refund.
*Number of tenants must be disclosed and agreed upon at confirmation of rental.
UTILITIES:
* Basic wifi (ADEQUATE FOR ONLINE WORK) is included in all properties. If an upgrade is requested, it is at the cost of the tenant, STARTING FROM 500 mxn/mo+. Network & passwords are on the modem, and if service fails, please try restarting the modem/router first. Cable is not supplied. Tenants can use their Netflix, Firestick, Roku, or an HDMI cord.
* Electric is NOT included in the rent as AC can DRAMATICALLY increase the cost, please conserve energy where possible to ensure your electric remains as low as possible. Per kwh costs vary depending on location of house, time of year, consumption of previous tenants, size of house and amount of items drawing power. As an example…a studio apartment can be from 200 to 2,000 pesos per month, depending. All electric owing MUST be paid prior to departure. PLEASE USE AC sparingly! What you use can affect the 6 months after you leave by increasing the per KW rate drastically. All owners will monitor your usage and you may be asked to pay double your electric bill to compensate for excessive AC use. A great tip is to use the ´dehumidify´setting on the remote, designated by a ´drop´ or ´dry´ symbol. This works extremely well to cool and uses 1/10th the amount of electricity!
* Please expect occasional brief outages of wifi, electric or water. This is normal in Mexico. The most consistent services are in Progreso & Chicxulub. Chelem, Chuburna and Uaymitun service can vary greatly.
HOUSEHOLD ITEMS:
* All rentals have screened windows, at least one set of linens for beds, and basic towels.
* Please keep in mind these homes are used by their owners only in the summer and/or for Semana Santa (two weeks during Easter). They often use hammocks to sleep in, and bring a lot of items for the house with them every time. The houses are often left empty for the remainder of the year, unless rented out. Quality of household items cannot be guaranteed, but will be sufficient.
* The most common bed size is matrimonial (double). Occasionally there is queen or king size. As in many foreign countries, bed softness is not always what visitors are accustomed to at home.
* Kitchens have very basic cooking pans, dishes, plates, cutlery. Microwaves & coffee makers are often supplied. Toasters are seen as a draw for ants and are rarely included. Some houses do not have ovens. All rentals have at least one tv, size varies.
* There is no standard list of household items supplied, as each owner varies in what they supply. Tenants often choose to purchase any missing smaller items for the kitchen that makes their stay more comfortable, such as a water jug or a fruit bowl, at a local dollar store, of which there are many.
* Spices, seasonings, condiments, light bulbs, toilet paper, dish soap, cleaning supplies, paper towels, napkins, etc. may be left in the house from previous tenants, but are not supplied. We recommend you always bring sunscreen and earplugs with you.
* 5 gallon bottles of water can be arranged to be delivered. Tap water is safe for cleaning and household use, we do not recommend drinking it due to its high salt and mineral content.
WATER DELIVERY, please WHATSAPP: Cristal 999-438-6173 or Vital 999-154-7680 (both are Spanish speaking only).
TOILETS:
* As in all of Mexico & Central America, with the exception of all inclusive resorts, NO paper, wipes or feminine products are to be flushed in toilets. The waste systems are not suitable to handle it. Hence, you will always find a garbage can beside toilets. Flushing of paper is only to be done on the rare occasion of dire necessity, as it will clog pipes, and hinder proper drainage underground. Damage to the piping and/or cement removal to repair, is the financial responsibility of the tenant. It happens every year in rentals and it is very important to be respectful and dispose of toilet paper in the garbage!!
* Please note in Mexico, toilet seats are seen as unsanitary and you will occasionally find them missing in restaurants and public washrooms. All of our rentals will be supplied with basic seats.
MAINTENANCE, WHAT IS INCLUDED & SAFETY:
*Prior to departing the rental home, please place all dirty linens and towels in the bathroom, for quick pickup and laundering after.
*Please do not place clean sheets on the bed when you fly home, as the cleaner will not know if they are clean or dirty. Dispose of all perishable fridge items, and set garbage outside the home, so as to deter bugs in the house. Food items can be donated to the local food bank (Chicxulub Soup Kitchen). Key pickup and drop off procedure will be dependent on the property owner and your time of arrival & departure.
* Pool care & chemicals, gardeners and cleaners are the responsibility of the tenants. A list can be supplied for trusted providers. Pool care is approximately 300 pesos/week, house cleaning from 200 to 300 pesos per visit. *Please do not pay more, for example construction workers make 200/day and these cleaning staff are being paid extremely well already. Some property owners have people they require you to hire if you need service. Services are common practice here and generally are done weekly at a predetermined time that is convenient for the tenant. Occasionally tenants opt to do their own pool care, house & yard cleaning. ALL POOLS WILL BE FILLED PRIOR TO ARRIVAL.
*For propane gas refills, please message and we will arrange. Tanks are usually on the roof. One full tank is supplied upon arrival, cost of refills are the tenants responsibility. Hot water systems vary in type, please ask if you are unsure of how to use.
*Garbage pickup is generally a set day. We recommend asking a neighbor or watch when others put bags out. Please bag soda cans/soda plastic bottles & beer cans separately from garbage, the collector will recycle them. There is no recycling of tin cans, milk jugs or glass jars/bottles unless you take them to the bins at the SMAPAP building on Calle 80 next to the INM office.
* Houses often have cisterns, pumps and tinacos (rooftop water tanks). They should work automatically, and it is common for the tinacos to overflow when filling. Hot water is supplied by a hot water tank, electric with a button nearby to turn on prior to using, or gas outside with a pilot light.
* A lot of houses have hot water in the showers, but NOT in the kitchens. Sofas are often wicker with cushions, as mold is an issue for cloth or leather furniture.
* There are a few of our homes outside of towns that are not accessed by city water, and rely on water to be trucked in. These tanks will be filled for your arrival, additional fills are at the expense of the tenant.
* Majority of homes here do not have laundry facilities. Lavanderias are everywhere, and they wash, dry & fold for a very small fee! PROGRESO: La Burbuja Lavanderia on calle 50 y 27, 969-935-5435, HOURS M-F 8-1 & 3-5, Sat 8-3 OR Yucalpeten Lavanderia on Calle 31, 122 y 124. CHICXULUB: Lavanderia Splash on Calle 10 y 27.
**Please lock ALL doors and windows before leaving, when outside in the back or front yards or on the beach.
* Break-ins are exceptionally popular during the tourist season, as they know there are computers, phones and cash to be had. Safes are rarely supplied. Please note, 911 is available here in Mexico, and you can also search the local FB pages for emergency numbers. We ask that you message us, or call if it is an emergency, with any house maintenance issues or concerns. We ask that you avoid contacting the owners, as they have hired us to assist you.
PETS & SMOKING:
* No pets are allowed to stay on property unless discussed prior to renting, and put on the rental agreement. If damages occur due to a pet, the cost of repair will be deducted from the deposit. Cleaning up after the pet, inside and outside, is the responsibility of the tenant. Most owners will allow pets, but please be aware that there are many street dogs and cats in Mexico, and your pet must be supervised at all times for their safety. There are local people that do occasional random poisonings of the street animals, so be sure your pet does not eat anything on the streets. There are organizations here trying very hard to change animal treatment in Mexico. The street animals here in Mexico tug at everyone’s heart, but please do not feed them from the front of your house. They become dependent and will faithfully return looking for food , even long after you’ve gone home. There are considerations to be taken into account before feeding and helping them, please ask others that are familiar with animal care in Mexico. For the most part you do NOT have to fear street animals. I always pet them all! 🙂
*Smoking is not permitted in any of the homes. Outside only, and all butts must be placed in the trash.
AREA INFORMATION:
*Get your bearings on a map for where you are staying. (See our General page.) The ocean is always north from the beach towns, we are located on the south end of the Gulf of Mexico, directly south of New Orleans. We are approximately 4 hours from the Cancun airport. We are a 2 hour flight from Mexico City. Progreso has about 40,000 people, Merida about 1 million. Be familiar with north and south, and keep your vacation address and an emergency contact number with you at all times! Make sure someone here has an emergency contact for you, in case of the unforeseen!
* For flight or bus options, recommended drivers for airport pickups or tours, grocery stores, restaurants, banks, hospital, pharmacies, doctors, events, etc., we have listed some or we recommend trying Google, Trip Advisor and/or Facebook Expat pages for this area. You can either fly into Cancun and take ADO bus to Merida (Altabrisa station) for about $40 US, or fly directly into Merida. Francisco, Cecilia and I do have extensive knowledge of the area, and are happy to help! 🙂
*Pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way on the streets. Please look BOTH directions before crossing and ALWAYS assume the cars will NOT stop. Drivers DO NOT stop at stop signs unless there is traffic. Street & house addresses at the beach can be a challenge, often owners do not know the actual address, only the directions to get to them.
*Progreso, Chicxulub Puerto, Chelem, Chuburna, San Benito, Telchac Puerto & San Crisanto all differ in amenities, transportation choices, wifi options & other things to be taken into consideration. Please be sure you are precise about what you want and advise us, so we can help you make the right choice to enjoy your stay.
*When flying to Mexico, each person is allowed to bring only one laptop into the country. If you bring an additional one….you must pay taxes on the value and a receipt is required. Each person is allowed to bring a maximum of $10,000 US dollars without declaring it, otherwise you can declare amounts over that. Meat, vegetable or fruit products are not allowed, but home baking and packaged goods are fine. Be prepared to exit the airport within 15 minutes, or it could take 2 hours, depending on the red/green light process of determining whose luggage is searched. Don´t worry, it´s pain free, just time consuming! 🙂
PLEASE RE-READ ALL OF THE ABOVE VARIOUS TIMES AFTER ARRIVAL! This will answer a lot of questions that come up during your stay. If there are still concerns, please email sonya@yucatanparadise.com or yucatancecilia@gmail.com.
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