We spent three months at the “Pyramid House” which is a very unique property. We would not stay again nor could we recommend anyone else staying at this venue. The house is well constructed but has a lot of glass, no draperies or blinds, making it a concrete greenhouse. It is very hot and provides no privacy during the day or night. There is no breeze when the windows are opened because of the houses next to it and the outside surrounding walls, forcing the use of air conditioning.

The furniture is very low quality; there is not one piece of comfortable furniture! All the chairs are plastic with the exception of the dining room chairs which have plastic covers on the seat portion. Many of the plastic chairs are cracked and stained. We cannot stress enough how uncomfortable the furnishings are.

Only a handful of towels were provided and there were no wash clothes so we had to purchase our own. The same situation existed with the kitchen supplies.

The other reviewer called Crucita a “shanty town”; more accurately it is simply a fishing village, nothing more or less. No real amenities. The beach has muddy brown sand, more mud than sand. The Beach Street or “Malecon” has many restaurants but only a few felt safe for dining. The village families are very pleasant and friendly.

In August of 2015, an ex-pat couple from Canada was robbed at gunpoint on a side street of the Malecon. Knowing this, we kept our doors and front gate locked; however, during a 5 day side trip to Quito, the property manager cut our lock and entered the house to turn off a few lights we had left on for safety reasons. He told the owner it was to deliver the repaired washing machine but that was not true since the washing machine was delivered after our return. We were very upset to say the least that someone entered our home without our authorization.

One of the greatest challenges with this location is that it is not an easy walk to the beach or town. The hilltop location gave a great view but made it an impossible pleasant stay without transportation. Be prepared to rent a car or budget for a private driver or taxi service at least $600 per month. There is a bus service available that comes with challenges; you still need to get to the bottom of the hill and back up again. In our three month stay we did not find a tuk-tuk driver that would drive up the hill.

Based upon the reasons stated above, we cannot in good conscience recommend this property.

Nice home located on top of hill. No transportation facilities. Crucita is a shanty town. Bad restaurants, third world village, no taxis, bus to Portoviejo or Manta only. We cut short our stay by two months. I recommend a major rewrite of the listing. The other review sounds like the owner wrote it.