What Should You Bring to Santo Tomás?
If you are unfamiliar with Vacation Homes, here is a quick guide to help you enjoy your stay more. I don’t know about you but when I’m in a hotel I walk around in my robe feeling like royalty. Everything is immaculate when I arrive and, er… less so when I leave. In a Vacation Rental situation, however, please remember that you are in someone’s home. This means:
- Not everything will be as immaculate as in a hotel because people actually live there
- You’ll need to pack necessary items
- There won’t be a maid cleaning up after you, until you check out
We certainly don’t expect you to clean the place when you leave but a decent level of tidiness is certainly appreciated. Santo Tomás is off the beaten path, which makes it all the more appealing. With that said, one needs to prepare more carefully than if you were simply staying in a hotel and can purchase whatever you forgot.
Tell the hosty if there's something wrong
If you’re unhappy with something, tell the host as early as possible. Most will bend over backward to help guests so please be honest if something is wrong. What you shouldn’t do is stay silent on an issue and only mention it in your post-stay review, but please don’t pretend everything is okay only to complain later.
And just like hotels, most Vacation Rental homes offer WiFi, bedding, and towels, however, it is good to remember some items that will make your stay more enjoyable. Local guidebooks and maps are a good idea. Depending on your needs, bringing a laptop or IPad is helpful if you enjoy watching entertainment. Santo Tomás rentals have WiFi but not all of the rentals have TVs. Also, a cooler is a good idea to bring down to the beach if you want to store meals, water, or snacks.
Bathroom
- Toiletries: to play it safe, bring your own (travel size) bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. We recommend buying refillable bottles and stocking up with what you already have at home before hitting the road.
- Towels: Every rental should already have clean towels waiting for you. If they don’t, make sure you make a note in your review afterward. If you find yourself without towels, beach towels are a great cheap and multi-purpose option you can leave behind at the end of the trip.
- Laundry: One of the best perks of a home rental over hotels. Many include in-unit laundry so you can pack lighter for longer trips. Might be worth bringing detergent packs/packets though, just in case your host doesn’t provide this or if you have strong brand preferences.
Electronics
- Router: Rental Homes generally have WiFi available (and you can filter for this when searching on home rental sites). If you’re a heavy electronics user, bringing a lightweight travel router is nice to avoid setting up a new network for every device each time you travel.
- TV stick: Roku (our preference), Amazon, and Google all make streaming “sticks” that are lightweight devices packed with entertainment. Several cable providers now offer full service via WiFi, so you can connect your stick of choice and stream all the channels you’re used to. If you’re traveling internationally, Netflix seems to be the only option that works at the moment, but a good excuse to get outside right?
- Chargers: Most hosts won’t provide the specific chargers you need. Make sure you pack a computer charger (and international adapter if you need it). From there, nearly everything else can be charged via USB cables.
What else?
- Easy recipes
- Mini toiletries
- Dish soap
- Laundry soap, pod/packet
- Chargers
- TV Stick (Roku, Apple TV)
- Travel Router
- Good Knives
- Local Guidebooks and maps
- Snacks
- Water
- Food
- Must have spices
- Ice
- Paper towels
- Garbage bags
- Beach towels
- Beach chairs
- Beach umbrella
- Beach toys (ATV’s and Watercraft require a refundable deposit)
- Matches or lighters
- Charcoal, small grill, & lighter fluid (some rentals have BBQs)
- Flashlights (just in case)
- Batteries (just in case)
- Binoculars
- Wood for fires on the beach
Also, the sky at night at Santo Tomás is beyond imagination, there is an app “Sky Guide” that will help you identify the constellations and stars.
A couple of things to remember:
- If you are unfamiliar with traveling by car in Mexico, please travel during the daylight and do not forget to have Mexico auto insurance.
- Don’t forget your passports and remember to watch the speed limit carefully.
- It is a good idea to use credit cards as opposed to debit cards when in Mexico. The people are kind, friendly, and helpful.
- Once you get to Santo Tomás, you will go through the security guard gate; just let the guard know who you are and in what home you are staying and they will give you the key and show you how to get to the home.
If you have booked through Airbnb or TripAdvisor; please do not forget to leave a Host review and we will do the same for you as a Guest. If you book directly through us, leave a comment on Facebook, Instagram and share your experience.
