Mio Mio Beach

Update: my stomach is still bad, and I haven’t received a refund or compensation. Don’t stay here. The man running the place was lovely, welcoming, cheerful, and tried to help us, even picking us up. He earned the three stars for service; the chef and cleaner lost the other two. It’s beachfront, but costs twice as much as hotels in Cartagena while being half the standard, and the beach isn’t as nice as the photos. We were served raw swordfish and I’ve been ill since. I have to fly now, so thanks to the chef. They still wanted us to pay for it, but I managed to get them to charge half. The room was dirty, with poo in the toilet when we arrived. The sheets were sandy and stained, so clearly hadn’t been changed. They were replaced, thankfully, but the pillow was still dirty. The woman who changed them gave my wife death stares in the morning, which was unpleasant. There was no fan as listed on booking.com, and the neighbours were loud. We woke to a water barge pumping. We left a day early, but were still asked to pay for both nights. I’m still waiting for the refund. Honestly, skip this area and stay on Isla grande, or save beach holidays for a country where the beaches haven’t been overrun. There are hundreds of shack hotels here, and it’s as crowded as Thailand. It’s basically a posh hostel at 4-star prices.

The view over the ocean and its clear blue water is beautiful, and we loved the location. The owner went out of her way several times to point us in the right direction, and the staff were amazing. The food was spectacular and the drinks were great too. We planned to stay three nights, but the weather was so nice and the place so beautiful that we added another night. I’d highly recommend this hotel and would go back without hesitation. Absolutely loved it 😍

Obi is very nice, and it’s a lovely small beach club with really attentive staff. One key detail: every property on the island gets water from a boat that fills its tanks. If the tank runs dry while the sea is too rough for the boat, there may be no water until it can get through. Please conserve it, take very quick showers, and check with the owner that they have water before you go. She tries to warn guests if supplies run out and may help with bottled water during an outage. The phone number listed on Google is wrong, and the owner has tried to correct it. Her number is +57 304480017. Contact her there or through the booking app, not through Google. Reaching the place from the boat or taxi involves a long walk, so a water taxi for about 20 to 30k pesos is money well spent.

The turquoise water and setting at Mio Mio Beach are gorgeous. We picked the restaurant partly because it looked nice, and the prices seemed more reasonable than other places nearby. The food and service were another matter. We waited at least half an hour for mango juice, a beer, and cheesy chips. When we asked for an update, staff said ten minutes, but it took longer. We asked if they could bring the drinks first and were told they couldn’t, that they’d arrive with the food. There were no updates at all, and the mango juice was the worst fruit juice I’ve ever had. When we complained about the service and said we hadn’t agreed to the 10% tip added by default, a staff member shoved the remaining change into my hand and marched off. The place is beautiful, but they need to improve communication, wait times, and customer service training.