Arena Blanca Eco Hotel

Getting into town was straightforward: a taxi cost USD $2 each way, and the beach was around a 15-minute walk away. We spent three nights at Arena Blanca. The room was roomy, which we appreciated, but the bathroom felt cramped. There were also ants and mosquitoes inside. I understand expectations may be different for an island stay, though I hope the hotel can address the insects. Breakfast was the weakest part for me, since the food wasn't very good. A reasonable stay for its location.

The location wasn't great, around a 15-minute walk from downtown. We also had ants and cockroaches in the room. The rooms at the edge of reception couldn't connect to WiFi, and we had no hot water on three of our four nights. I reported it at reception and was told it had been fixed, but the next day the hot water was gone again.

The staff were warm and looked after us well, and the rooms were kept in good shape. There’s a nice pool and dining space, with breakfast, lunch and dinner available on site. Everything we ate was cooked beautifully. Sometimes the upstairs area is open for dancing. If you’re unsure about drinking the tap water, there’s boiled or bottled water in a large container by the lobby for guests to take back to their rooms. Everyone was friendly, and I’d be happy to return.

The rooms were decent for this area, and ours had both hot and cold running water. There are larger rooms that sleep four, and air conditioning is available. It’s about a 15-20 minute walk to the harbor and pier.