El Momo Cottages

The owner and personnel are really nice people, explaining everything, good sense of humour (at least I thought so as a Dutchman), the accommodation is on top of a hill, so it's quiet with lots of wildlife around and provides great ocean and mountain views from the cabin. Because it's on a hill, you automatically get some decent excersise after having dinner or drinks in town. I felt quite fit after a few days. You take drinks from the fridge based on trust and the location near Windwardside is very convenient. The owner checks after booking that you know what kind of accommodation you have booked, because it's not the right fit for people who want luxury. The shower was surprisingly good though, and it's the back to basic hostel like atmosphere and the setting of the place that also make it good.

The mosquito net didn't fully close, there was still a gap through which a moth managed to get inside the net, causing mayhem. Which was kind of hilarious, but not good for a good night of rest. The fan is very loud, so we decided to turn it off. In March this was still manageable, but I can imagine in summer it might be too hot then. The toilet was cracked, so the bathroom smelled like urine. It was quite a challenge to make number two go down the toilet, because the gap wouldn't fully open when pressing the lever.

El Momo is located in a beautiful (and yes, steep) spot. The views from every part of the property are stunning. My cabin was not as small as I expected, based on other reviews. And breakfast was excellent. I appreciated some of the nice touches - honesty bar, books and raincoats available etc.

There’s nothing I did not like, but potential visitors should know it is on the rustic side, albeit with all the conveniences.

Pool area very nice. View from our room was great.

about 4 flights of stairs to front desk/pool and then we had the highest room so another 4 flights more. Lots of climbing and a little worrisome when the stairs are wet. We were warned, by the way, in other reviews so it was on us to not realize this. Bathroom was very basic.

The (fill-in) hostess helped arrange a cab to collect us from the ferry and get us to the base of the cottages. The hike up to the room was challenging, but we were warned. The view was amazing! We had a lovely sitting area outside our cottage to take in the view - AMAZING! We walked to/from restaurants and bars in town, definitely earning our food and drink in the process. The surrounding neighborhood is residential, and I felt safe walking solo (as long as you are mindful of oncoming traffic). There was an "Honesty Bar" that provided water, beer, wine, and small snacks. The cottages are very peaceful and quiet.

Upon arrival, the pool was green, unskimmed, and not circulating water. They explained they were waiting for a replacement part. The (fill-in) hostess brushed it off and said we would be fine to swim in it; other people had been! We witnessed this once when another couple jumped into floats for about 2 minutes and immediately got out... no one put their head under water. A heads-up before arrival would have been nice, as the pool photos were a main selling point. We were advised that we had to manipulate our cottage's toilet (turning the water on and off between uses). Eventually, we just started walking to the "lobby" toilet near the Honesty Bar. My husband was bitten about 100 times by fire ants while we were using our sitting area. He was sick and vomiting the next day, canceling our hiking plans. So watch your step.