October 12, 2022 · Renovation

Before & after: our first year

One year as a boutique rental in La Cruz, and a trip down memory lane to see how far the casa has come.

Today marks a big day in Casa Bella Cruz’s history: we’re celebrating our one-year anniversary as a boutique rental here in La Cruz! Time flies when you’re having fun, making improvements, building a team and welcoming guests. So much has happened this year that we wanted to look back at everything we’ve changed.

Updated in 2026: the “after” photos now come from our latest professional shoot.

New color, who this?

Once we got the keys, we wasted no time! Within the first couple of weeks we gave the casa a fresh coat of paint and added murals. The new color and murals made the perfect canvas for everything that came next.

Before: the courtyard and pool with the old yellow paint — The courtyard and pool

After: the pink casa and pool with loungers and a covered lounge — The courtyard and pool

Before: the plain yellow street entrance — The front entrance on Tiburón

After: the street entrance covered in hand-painted murals — The front entrance on Tiburón

To cook or not to cook?

You’re on vacation, it’s up to you! Our next focus was the interiors, getting the suites ready for our first guests in the new year. The first project was the full kitchen in every suite: we added Huanacaxtle wood cabinets and drawers to create an elegant, stylish space to cook on vacation. Through the year we kept adding details, from new lighting and kitchenware to local art, to give our guests the best cooking experience in La Cruz.

Before: the Sage Suite kitchen with bare open shelves — The Sage Suite kitchen

After: the Sage Suite kitchen with Huanacaxtle wood cabinets — The Sage Suite kitchen

Before: the Orchid Suite kitchen with open shelving — The Orchid Suite kitchen

After: the Orchid Suite kitchen with wood cabinets and granite counters — The Orchid Suite kitchen

Before: the Marigold Suite kitchen with open shelves — The Marigold Suite kitchen

After: the Marigold Suite kitchen with a mustard wave mural and rattan pendant lights — The Marigold Suite kitchen

Soak up the sun

With the kitchens done, we moved outside. The courtyard and pool are the heart of the casa, so we wanted every guest to have room to enjoy them, even with a full house. That meant plenty of comfortable, inviting spots to make the most of the amazing weather here. We want you to feel like you’re staying at your own private resort in the heart of town. We were thinking seating, seating and more seating!

Before: the covered patio by the pool with two plastic loungers — The covered lounge by the pool

After: the covered lounge with a long sofa facing the pool — The covered lounge by the pool

Before: the covered terrace with plastic chairs — The outdoor dining terrace

After: the terrace with a live-edge wood dining table and woven chairs — The outdoor dining terrace

Before: the pool with a few white loungers — The pool

After: the pool lined with loungers under the palms — The pool

Before: the rooftop palapa with a few chairs — The rooftop palapa

After: the rooftop palapa with murals and a wooden dining set — The rooftop palapa

Your home away from home

Next, we wanted to bring that outdoor comfort into the suites. After a long day by the pool, nothing beats coming home to a comfortable room. Those vacation z’s really do hit different, and we wanted you to feel calm and relaxed in your private suite. We focused on a peaceful ambience through lighting, luxury bedding, curtains, comfortable furniture and pieces of Mexico to remind you where you are.

Before: the Sage Suite bedroom with a blue bedspread — The Sage Suite bedroom

After: the Sage Suite bedroom with a wood headboard, bench and reading nook — The Sage Suite bedroom

Before: the Sage Suite living area with a leather sectional — The Sage Suite living area

After: the Sage Suite living area with grey sofas, woven wall baskets and a wood kitchen — The Sage Suite living area

Before: the Orchid Suite bedroom with a colorful bedspread — The Orchid Suite bedroom

After: the Orchid Suite bedroom with white linens and mustard pillows — The Orchid Suite bedroom

Before: the Orchid Suite living room with a brown leather sofa — The Orchid Suite living room

After: the Orchid Suite living room looking toward the arched kitchen — The Orchid Suite living room

Before: the Marigold Suite bedroom with a patterned bedspread — The Marigold Suite bedroom

After: the Marigold Suite bed with olive curtains and a view of the balcony — The Marigold Suite bedroom

Before: the Marigold Suite living area with a dining set — The Marigold Suite living area

After: the Marigold Suite living area with a macramé hanging and grey sofa — The Marigold Suite living area

The guest experience

With all these changes in place, we turned to the most important part of our business: the guest experience. We added thoughtful touches throughout, including super-fast Wi-Fi, a whole-house water filtration system with drinking water jugs in every suite, cooking and bath essentials, welcome guides, guest gifts and much more.

We put a lot of hard work into Casa Bella Cruz and we’re proud of everything we accomplished in our first year, from the big and small changes in these photos to earning Airbnb Superhost and Vrbo Premier Host status.

Thank you

None of this would be possible without the people who helped us get here. A huge thank you to the incredible team at Poltrona Studio for making our design dreams come true, and to our amazing staff for all the hard work that makes Casa Bella Cruz the best it can be.

And a special thank you to our guests, past and future, for trusting us with your trip to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. We hope to welcome you soon!

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