Hotel Playa Catalina

Davide, Micaela, and Joseph deserve a shout-out for making this family-run hotel so welcoming. It’s handy for the cruise port, and there’s a great chicken place just two blocks away.

The pool looked clearly neglected, with more than just a few leaves in it. That was a bad start. Later, we asked for a simple mojito and they didn’t have the right liquor to make one. There was hardly anyone around, and when somebody finally appeared, they didn’t seem interested in helping. We were charged 1,600 pesos for fried shrimp and fries, a dish that probably takes ten minutes to prepare. When we questioned the price, they barely tried to accommodate us and acted as if it were normal. It felt like the business cared more about charging tourists as much as possible than keeping customers happy. To me, that’s robbery in plain sight, along with bad service. I don’t usually leave negative reviews, but I want others to know about this experience. Do yourself a favor and avoid the place. There are better spots that treat customers fairly and offer real value.

I’m a travel agent and booked this property for my guest to stay two nights before their cruise. Airline delays meant they couldn’t check in on the first night, through no fault of their own. The owner charged them anyway. When I called to discuss it, he hung up on me. Very unprofessional. I wouldn’t stay here.

We left at 6am, as soon as we could. I felt like I was in jail: there was a concrete desk, and the hotel gate was locked, with nobody there to let us out. There was no food in the room, so you have to eat outside or buy their food, and put up with the mosquitos. There was no hot water after 9pm. It also felt dangerous to walk outside, and there was nothing to do nearby. You’d have to drive 35 min to get to a place to eat. One star was far too generous.