Brenda Maria
Reviews
36 total reviews
94% rated 5★
36 reviews
4.92
2015–2026
36 reviews

Hugo
Excellent, 4 months ago
Brenda is a great host, we stayed in her place as a family and we had our 1-1/2 month baby with us, the place is great if you are looking for a quiet, peaceful and in touch with nature stay. There were colorful birds visiting all day, great for birdwatching! We had a great time.

Melissa
Excellent, 8 months ago
Close to the beach, with everything you need. Very good hosts. Thank you!

Suni
Excellent, 8 months ago
Brenda's home was amazing! We had a wonderful stay. The house is close to La Boquilla, a very quiet beach, which made it perfect for relaxing. There was plenty of space to socialize and the ocean views were absolutely beautiful. Brenda was always attentive to answer any questions I had, even before our trip, she sent me a lot of very useful information about activities in the area. We would definitely stay there again!

Valencia
Excellent, 9 months ago
Bren, You have truly been a blessing to us! We came here for a mother and daughter trip to honor our mother who passed away today in 2024! Last night we spread her ashes out in Zipolite last night. This trip has been so amazing and your 2 recommendations from Saul (Tour Guide) and Germaine (taxi driver) and of course Bely were the Best ever! A special shout out to Saul- the Best Tour Guide Ever! His attention to detail, safety and personality and knowledge of the area was outstanding! Thank you so much! This place is so peaceful and beautiful. Thank you for patience, collaboration, recommendations and responsive communication. We highly recommend this place if you want a private, peaceful, natural beauty surrounding you but be ready for challenging walks if you’re older. Whew! God Bless You!

Christian
Excellent, 1 year ago
I loved being at Cactus house It's a beautiful experience Brenda Superhost I'll be back Thank you

Gabriela
Excellent, 1 year ago
Brenda is the best host, always available, she helped us with all our concerns as well as extra things for the birthday of one of the guests. We definitely recommend her space and we hope to return soon

Cesar
Excellent, 1 year ago
It is a place with a breathtaking sea view and sunrise, no noise other than that of beautiful nature with birds and squirrels, plus the guardian who was friendly never knew his name. would only add air conditioning in the rooms for more freshness
Host Response
Beautiful! :) The guardian and Frederika the visitor

Montserrat
Excellent, 1 year ago
If you are looking to disconnect and spend a vacation in contact with nature, Brenda's house is ideal. The place is close to a beach but in 20 minutes by car you are in Mazunte. I love the spaces, all open, ocean view, 🌅 spectacular sunsets and no noise. She is very helpful and her staff is attentive to any needs. Home is in a safe and quiet place. I would return to my future trips to the coast of Oaxaca!

Samuel
Excellent, 1 year ago
The place is a gem of calm and quiet, with a small local beach close by. Brenda is super responsive and helpful and her local colleagues offer all kinds of services upon request from cooking to cleaning to massages and tours. Upon arrival we found thoughtful newly purchased extras for our one year old baby such as a cot, high chair, toys, bath tub, dishes and so on and we never even asked for any of that. Both the house and Brenda and her team are outstanding. The only thing to consider is the relative remoteness of the location. Own means of transport is highly recommended as taxi services would need to be planned in advance to some extent. Definitely recommend, particularly for small groups and families.

Michal
Excellent, 1 year ago
The house is gorgeous, Brenda went above and beyond to make our stay wonderful. We lucked out with moderate weather and not a lot of mosquitos. The beach can be walked to but not really a nice walk so we took the car there (5 min down a dirt road). It was a magical vacation - thank you Bren!

Yedhid
Excellent, 1 year ago
Beautiful house, just as described. Super friendly Bren and attentive to what we needed.
Host Response
What a pleasure you know they had good weather Sean los Bienvenidos at all times greetings to your beautiful family 🙌🏽

Auri
Excellent, 1 year ago
The place is amazing and especular views of the ocean. Brenda’s communication was fantastic.

Eddy
Excellent, 2 years ago
Perfect place to rest comfortably, near the beach (about 8 minutes by car) and has all the necessary amenities

Huy
Excellent, 2 years ago
Brenda is an awesome host. Our flight got delayed and we arrived very late and she picked up dinner and groceries for the four of us. She also made spot on local recommendations and coordinated a very special massage/body/energy work with Eva, a healer who learned the craft from her grandmother. The house was lovley overlooking a small bay and a short walk from a quiet beach.

Luigi
Excellent, 3 years ago
Unique position!

Christopher
Excellent, 4 years ago
Great place with wonderful views and access to lovely cove. Recommended.

Tobias
Excellent, 5 years ago
The stay at Brenda's house was great! She was always very friendly and attentive to all our questions from the day we made the reservation, until the last minute before we left. The house is quite simple, it has an amazing view and we found it very clean! The kitchen is very well equipped and we didn't need anything. Which allowed us to spend a lot of time at home because of the pandemic! La Boquilla beach is a 10-minute walk away. It's an incredible beach that looks like a pool. You can swim without any problems! A little paradise!

Eduardo
Excellent, 6 years ago
Fantastic place, great hosts, very knowledgeable of the area and a pleasure just to be around. Tha ks Brenda and Pio for letter ngs stay in your wonderful home and being so nice to me and my family. Fully recommended .

Joe
Excellent, 7 years ago
I would love to keep Casa Cactus a secret. It has all the elements of a special place you only want your friends to know about -- great hospitality; amazing ocean views; stylish accommodations; everything you need at a tropical casa along with great proximity to a beautiful beach . Casa Cactus is wonderful! My family enjoyed everything about our holiday immensely. We hope to return soon.
Host Response
Joe, be welcome anytime! We really appreciate your visite and the kids are so kind Hope to see you again Pío and Bren

Francisco
Excellent, 7 years ago
The house is comfortable, nice and everything works. The dining room is spacious and has a spectacular view. In addition, it is close to the beach and a few minutes away from the best beaches in Mexico. Brenda is kind, professional and discreet. A first-class host. I highly recommend staying here.

Rena
Excellent, 8 years ago
I barely have enough words to describe how great Casa Cactus is. The views are incredible; the balconies and couches are all set up for optimal relaxation. The kitchen is ideal for cooking group dinners. The highlights is definitely the beach! Playa Baquilla is the perfect quiet little beach with just enough amenities from a nearby hotel, for access to restrooms, a snack, or a cocktail. After traveling around to a couple of the nearby beaches, we ultimately decided none could beat what was available to us by a short walk. It's short, but definitely rigorous, especially the climb back up. Luckily, on the way down you get to cool off in the perfect water on the beach, and after the treck back up, you have a cold shower waiting for you to cool you off! There are four bedrooms - each with it's own bathroom. The bathrooms are open in each room, so work best if you're staying with someone you're close with. Brenda was very helpful in starting us off with some food in the fridge, and made sure we had enough bottled water to last us our 5 day visit. She helped us coordinate taxis to get around. We didn't rent a car and ultimately were glad we didn't - the ride up to Casa Cactus is pretty rough. Unless you're very comfortable driving in rough terrain, I recommend sticking to the occasional taxi ride. There were definitely insect around the house - which is to be expected as the house is smack dab in the middle of a forest, basically. They didn't bother us much (and we're all urban-folk), except for the mosquitos, which by the end of the week were definitely beginning to hassle us. It's kind of par for the course for the environment, and not at all the fault of the home, but worth knowing about if that's an issue for you.

Molly
Excellent, 8 years ago
Casa Cactus is a rare paradise. Brenda has made a stylish home with thoughtful touches that give you a sense of peace and spaciousness inside and out. Sitting on the hills above the ocean you are surrounded by trees and birds and sun. It's a 10 minute walk down to a fairly secluded beach - where often we were the only people swimming. It was the perfect place for rejuvenation. The kitchen has all the tools you need to make good meals. But you could happily eat at the restaurant at the hotel on La Boquilla beach - it's spectacular. There are four simple, lovely bedrooms with well designed bathrooms. The top bedroom is most spectacular with its own deck and amazing morning light. Renting a car is a good idea. You could arrange taxis, but it's a little remote. We rented a small economy car and wished we had rented something a little bigger - more of an SUV for the non paved roads. But even with our little car we had no problems. There are other beach towns nearby that are worth exploring, but we were so enchanted with Casa Cactus and La Boquilla beach we hardly wanted to leave. And our host, Brenda, is a very rare and special person. So welcoming and warm. She is a fantastic host. Always ready to help or answer questions and make the stay as beautiful as possible. We loved every second of our trip and will be coming back to Casa Cactus as soon as we can.

James
Excellent, 8 years ago
Awesome place!!

Iara
Excellent, 8 years ago
We enjoyed our stay at Brenda´s enormously. We felt welcome and at home right away. Pio and Brenda made sure we had everything we needed, and were extremely helpful and kind. The house is beautiful, with an amazing view of the sea from every room. The kitchen is well equipped, all rooms have a private shower and toilet, and the house is filled with books and magazines in case you don´t bring your own. The showers only have cold water, which you´ll appreciate because of the weather, and there is no air conditioning, but it shouldn´t be a problem since the windows let in a nice breeze, complimented by multiple fans in each room. The beach near the house is beautiful and quiet. Some days you are likely to be one of very few people there.

Linda
Excellent, 8 years ago
My inlaws and I spent a magical Christmas at Casa Cactus. I recommend it wholeheartedly, especially in low season. We enjoyed the spacious and well-equipped kitchen, lovely dining table, breezy terraces and magical beach - but if you come in off-season you´d have all that AND the beach to yourself, for a cheaper price. There was space for all our Christmas delicacies in the fridge and the oven was big enough for the baked fish for 7 persons... no complaints whatsoever about the shared areas. The bedrooms all have privacy and their own bathrooms, so you don´t need to share too much with your friends/family in the house. The mattresses are firm, the nights are quiet, and the bedrooms flood with golden morning light. In the early evening, smart "chismosa" birds come by the sunset-side terrace for a sip of water. The view is of the bay in the middle distance, and trees with enormous bright yellow flowers in front. It´s gorgeous, as seen in the photos. Brenda and Pio are lovely and very helpful. Casa Cactus might be a bit tricky with small children, since there are two staircases without banisters. Also, disabled people would need to rig up a ramp to get to the front door and to the downstairs terrace for the bedrooms, but it can probably be done! The walk to the beach is a little bit tricky. My inlaws (in their mid-60s) did it without problems, but if you have bad knees you might prefer to drive up and down. We saw a girl with paralyzed legs enjoy the beach, arriving in a quad bike with a friend. So yep, go ahead and book!

Brenda
OK, 9 years ago
Casa Cactus is definitely a unique space for people who want to enjoy nature. It is located on land near the 'La Boquilla' beach in Puerto Angel. To get to the beach you have to walk about 15 minutes on a terrace path as well as to arrive by car from the road. We do not recommend going in small cars or arriving very late at night as access is quite complicated. The house has the potential to become a true place of relaxation but needs improvement in many aspects: - It does not have air conditioning and the only fans it has are small and are not enough for the heat that you come to feel especially at night and when cooking inside the house. - The showers in most rooms are at a very low height making shower really uncomfortable. - The water in the cistern had a very bad smell. - There are many insects in the house and the mosquito nets were broken and the system they have did not work well. - The hammock on the terrace was broken and inoperable and even though we mentioned it to the host there was no chance for her to change. - The house is marked as suitable for gatherings and large groups and we were given a wake-up call one of the nights for the noise even though it was Holy Week and we weren't doing anything out of the ordinary. Outside of these observations, the house has a very beautiful view where you can appreciate beautiful sunrises and it is ideal to forget about the noise and stress of the city.
Host Response
I'm sorry I didn't fulfill your Brenda expectations, especially that all the national and also international guests who have passed through our place have not lived the same as you, in any aspect of which you point out and thanks to our efforts we had 5 impeccable stars! In all amenities Our place is a place of rest and the neighbors we have also look for it if you party until 4 in the morning with music at super loud volume and the following days I'm afraid it's also painful... The water has not had a problem since it is clean and our water comes from clean pozo that we all use in the area...,..no client before you informed it and for that I was at your service at any time if you considered having a problem you could tell me since I was at your service at all times that you will need it unconditionally during your stay, as I did attending your needs....the insects enter when you leave the mosquito open ...... The mosquito net you indicate in your comments was not in service and I let you know when you arrived. As that window is closed , on the profile of the site it is not indicated that there is air conditioned like this presents house cactus . The house is suitable to receive 8 people comfortably each extra person has an extra cost as indicated by the site and at the last moment you did not anticipate that you arrived with two other people and forgot to pay the extra cost tarmpoco we cannot foresee inflatable mattresses on the floor. I hope we are up to your standards again and you can enjoy our place and the beautiful nature You are our first guest we can't satisfy Regards Brenda

Karim
Excellent, 9 years ago
This place is absolutely magical. If you are looking for some quiet time in a rather secluded area, then this should be your pick. Brenda was great and very helpful. She even filled the fridge upon our request. The property is really beautiful, and the sunrises are fantastic. Note that this property has no WiFi (which is great, because you are here to relax), no warm water (which is fine because the weather was really hot anyways) and the owners stay next door. We would've stayed longer if we could. Hope to come back here one day, finding it exactly as it was.

Lou
Excellent, 9 years ago
Brenda's house is very nice and perfectly equipped. Access to the beach is quick and the beach is splendid. Brenda welcomed us perfectly and was available throughout the stay. We will come back to Casa Cactus without hesitation.
Host Response
Welcome Lou anytime!

Melissa
Good, 9 years ago
Brenda was incredibly nice and helpful - she arranged absolutely everything we needed for a wonderful stay. She is a great host. The house is beautiful and particularly the outdoor space is fantastic. It's a short walk to a lovely beach and cabs are available to other locations along the coast. The house is very private and quiet but also very isolated. We had issues with bugs and heat, the area is a bit rustic. It didn't ruin our stay at all, we had a great time and are grateful to Brenda for all her help.

Patricia
Excellent, 9 years ago
Thank you very much Brenda and Pio for the experience at home Cactus and for all the help they have given us as well as for the recommendations of places to eat and visit in the area. The house is very comfortable and very clean, special for people who want to enjoy nature. The view is incredible and being able to walk to La Boquilla beach is priceless. A recommendation to future guests is that there is a short distance to get to the house that is not paved and that the road has potholes so you have to do it slowly and with time. We hope to come back some day !
Host Response
Patricia, a pleasure to have them at home are welcome anytime !

Luis
Excellent, 10 years ago
Casa Cactus is a wonderful place to rest. It has a privileged view of La Boquilla beach, and it is also very close to the other beaches (Puerto Ángel, Zipolite, San Agustinillo and Mazunte). It's a perfect place if you want to disconnect from everything, bring a book, or eat and sleep lulled by the sea. I will definitely return to this place, I hope it will be soon. Most importantly, Bren and Pio are very attentive people, even before the trip they were aware of buying groceries and giving the right directions to facilitate our arrival. Thank you very much Bren and Pio for all your attention. Looking forward to it!

Gabriel
Excellent, 10 years ago
This is a PERFECT HOUSE. Casa cactus is a wonderful, simple, well designed beach house on a hill overlooking the ocean. 15 mins down the road is the most lovely tropical beach with a tiny hotel that will sell you beer and snacks. Brenda is an amazing host - its really the best. a hidden gem.

Sara
Excellent, 10 years ago
We had a wonderful experience at Casa Cactus. The house was clean and in good condition, true to the description and pictures. The view from the balcony is simply breathtaking! Brenda and Pio were amazing hosts. They gave us a ride from the airport when we arrived and provided us with useful tips and advices to explore the Oaxacan Coast. We had a wonderful time and will be very happy to stay there again. Overall, wonderful place, wonderful hosts :)

Stefan
Excellent, 10 years ago
The hosts Pedro and Brenda were wonderful, very warm and always available if you needed anything. The place is beautiful: spacious, cozy, secluded, great ocean views. A picturesque stretch of beach can be reached in about 10 minutes on foot - with hardly any tourists. Within car reach (about 20 minutes) there is a supermarket and smaller shops, as well as the towns of Puerto Angel, Zipolite and Mazunte. Highlights: The beach in Zipolite and ask Pedro if he will take you with his beach buggy to get breakfast in Mazunte! All in all a fantastic week and highly recommended!

Cristian
Excellent, 11 years ago
Excellent service from Brenda and her husband Pio, from before our arrival at Casa Cactus and throughout the stay they were attentive to us, not to mention the great place and the landscapes it offers. Simply one of the best vacations you could ask for

Jackson
Excellent, 11 years ago
We had an amazing time at casa cactus. The seclusion of the property and a short walk to an empty beautiful beach just added to the whole experience. Brenda was more than helpful loved it.