Totobe Resort

A cozy room, a wonderful location, and really nice people made this a place our family of five loved. The steps are steep, and it’s in the middle of nowhere, so don’t expect everything to be flawless. That’s part of the experience.

The beach is right in front of the property, and the two ladies who come each morning to clean are very kind. Their breakfast is excellent and worth the US $10 per person, though the place was supposed to include breakfast. At US $121 a night, I didn’t think the stay was worth it. The room is basic, with one queen bed, a bunk bed, and a ceiling fan. It gets terribly hot at night, and opening the doors or windows means risking mosquitoes and other critters since there are no screens. The location is also very remote, and the rough unpaved roads make driving stressful. There’s a route called Juan de Leon. If you rent a car, don’t get a regular one, rent a 4x4. In rainy season, even a 4x4 could get stuck in runoff, and there’s no cell service. The owner should give guests directions that explain the route in good condition.

The location puts the beach right in front of you, and the two ladies who clean each morning are very kind. They also make an excellent breakfast for US $10 per person, which really deserves five stars, but breakfast was supposed to be free. They’re usually gone by 1:00 PM, and there’s nobody in charge after that. The room is extremely basic: one queen bed, a bunk bed, and a ceiling fan. With the weather around 87 °F (30°C), the fan isn’t enough to make the nights bearable, especially on the lower bunk where the air doesn’t reach. Keeping the doors and windows shut just makes the fan blow warm air, while opening them risks mosquitoes and other critters because there are no screens. Even the bathroom feels like a sauna from the heat and humidity. Getting there was stressful. The property is in the middle of nowhere, with badly maintained unpaved roads. The Juan de Leon route is too steep for regular cars and needs a warning that only four-wheel drive vehicles should use it. Rain runoff can leave even a 4x4 stuck, and there’s no cell service. The owner should provide safer directions. I also tried to ask him for a refund for two nights after my arrival and departure flights changed, but he lives in Norway, I never got to meet him, and he didn’t even reply. I felt robbed paying US $121 a night for a one-star place, especially with two nights lost.

The people are nice and the location is great, but the rooms are far too expensive. This is a hostel, not a hotel, whatever the price might suggest, and it hasn’t been maintained for a few years. I don’t understand why the owner thinks it can charge as much as, or more than, some boutique hotels nearby. Compared with the market, I wouldn’t price the room with a view above $60. We stayed at other lovely boutique hotels on the same beach for less, so I’d look around.