Hostería Isramar

For $40 a night, we got a room with a bed and a bunk over Mother’s Day weekend. The beach right outside was lovely, clean, and uncrowded at that time of year. Our room and bathroom were clean, and we had a fan, towels, and Wi-Fi, though there was no hot water in our room. There’s a little lobby next door with hammocks and a small table. It’s not a four-star hotel, but I thought it was a good deal for the price.

The gardens and hammock area were what first caught our eye, and the place is only a few steps from the beach. We also found the price reasonable. The owners were patient and friendly despite our limited Spanish. They made excellent pizza and adjusted our checkout time to fit our travel plans.

We paid $25 for the two of us and felt safe there. It was very clean, with a private bathroom and hot water in the shower. There wasn’t air conditioning, but the room had a fan, and the Wi-Fi was both free and good.

The beach was lovely, with warm water and waves big enough for surfing. You can wade quite far out, maybe 75 feet, before the water reaches an adult’s shoulders. The hostal is also close to the beach, about 30 yards away, and it looked quite new, clean, and well cared for. There are lots of hammocks in shaded spots, and a pleasant outdoor seating area near the street where the Wi-Fi worked well and at good speeds. It would have been nice to have Wi-Fi in the rooms too. The bathrooms were clean, though a bit small. Music from the beach kept me awake until it stopped around 11 p.m., so earplugs might be useful. What bothered me most was the customer service. We arrived a few days after Christmas in 2014 without a reservation, with a fairly large group that needed three rooms. My Latina wife, who speaks Spanish, asked an employee for the nightly rate and was quoted $60 per room. When we checked in, the manager of Isramar said it would be $70 per room. It seemed likely the price changed because some people in our group had blond hair: the first employee had only spoken with my wife and hadn’t seen the rest of us. We paid cash. The employee apologized profusely about the increase, but it left us wondering whether staff were actually allowed to quote rates. If you’re quoted a price through a non-Caucasian person in your group, I’d pay right away, since it could go up based on hair or skin color. We also brought takeaway food from another restaurant for our children, but when we asked for a fork, they wouldn’t let us use one from Isramar because we hadn’t bought the food there. The customer service felt nonexistent. We stayed one night anyway because the place looked nice.