This large 2BR, 2BA apartment is clean and modern, beautifully decorated, and conveniently located for the beach, Malecón, shopping and restaurants, and transportation. There is a spectacular roof-deck with 360-degree views of the city, an infinity lap pool, and plenty of chairs and tables in sun and shade, with wi-fi and electrical plugs. The property manager, Karina, was extremely responsive to email requests, although we never met her.

Before booking there are a couple of trade-offs you should be aware of. Although the apartment is close to everything, it is extremely noisy, day and night. The terrace overlooks a busy bus route which produces unpleasant exhaust fumes and engine sounds so loud you can’t hear normal conversation or watch TV inside if the sliding glass doors are open. At night, the bars and clubs go full tilt until 5 am, so you can’t sleep with any of the windows or doors open. Fortunately, the windows are well-insulated for sound and air conditioning is included in the rent.

Second, the apartment is designed primarily for short stays. We were there for a month and were inconvenienced by the lack of any sort of dresser or chest of drawers (there are good-sized closets with a couple of shelves on the bottom and some cubbies, but not sufficient if you’ve brought a large suitcase) and a few basic items which we bought and left at the unit (laundry basket, serrated knife, espresso pot). There are plenty of pots and pans, dishes and silverware, but only 2 wine glasses. And the wire-mesh kitchen stools look pretty but are extremely uncomfortable (left bruises all over the backs of my legs) and the wrong height for the counter.

If you’re planning to spend most of your time on the roof, at the beach, or around town, and don’t mind using the air conditioning, this unit would be a good choice. If you’re looking for a quiet, private spot to read or work and enjoy the tropical breeze, this might not be the place for you.