Hotel Cantamar

The owner really makes the place with his kindness and friendly presence. There are roomy common areas and covered parking, plus the beds, linens, and Wi-Fi were all good. It’s great value. Breakfast costs a small extra fee, and comes with cheese and ham or scrambled eggs, tea, and the usual other items.

The location is the only thing I liked. I’m never coming back, and I wouldn’t spend money here. It cost 80,000 pesos a night, which is not cheap for a place like this. The hotel was old and dirty, with stained bedspreads. The Google photos didn’t match what we found, and there was no pool. I get allergic reactions as soon as I enter dusty, unclean places, and that happened here. We didn’t even want to get into the bed. The breakfast was an extra charge per person, very limited and poor, with cheap instant juice. We asked twice for the maids not to come into our room during our short stay. After we went down for breakfast, I returned before my companions, locked the door, and went to the bathroom. When I came out, the door was wide open. I found a maid in the hallway and asked why she’d gone in, but she denied it. On the way to reception to complain, she brought up paranormal activity, which felt like a deflection. Reception said nothing had happened and told me not to worry if nothing was stolen, but I’m sure something would have been taken if I hadn’t been there. The security guard said there were no hallway cameras, so there was no way to prove she’d entered. I put my complaint in writing. Then I left my car there while I spent the day at the beach. Sandra, the manager, called and messaged me repeatedly to move it because she said it was in the way. I didn’t see the messages right away, since I was at the beach. The car was in a marked space and wasn’t bothering anyone, and receptionists had said I could leave it there. When Sandra arrived, she was arrogant and overbearing, and told us, “You’ve gone too far, we’ve had problems because of your car.” I think she was annoyed because I’d complained. I understand why this was the only place with a room, because nobody wants to stay here.

The rooms are old, and the breakfast was a letdown. We paid 5,000 pesos for what was described as a buffet, but it was just sliced bread that tasted stale, with a choice of ham, cheese, or eggs. There were eight of us, and there are cafés near the hotel, so we could have gone elsewhere. The woman serving us was very unhelpful. They even charged for my two-year-old daughter, though she didn’t eat anything. Such a shame.

I left a speaker on the table before checking out and came back 30 minutes later to get it, but it was gone. Reception said nobody had seen it, and they claimed the cameras happened to be broken. I find the staff really hard to trust, and that’s essential for good service.