Karaibes Residence

We stayed at the Karaibes RESIDENCES. The room was spacious and nice, with a beautiful view, and the area is an A+ for beaches, a bus stop, hiking and plenty of restaurants. Restaurants don't open until midday, but there's a small store nearby. Staff were helpful, some spoke English, and they arranged a taxi for sightseeing. Still, check-in was very slow, with lots of paperwork in French only. The room card had to go in a slot for power, which was annoying, as were the closet and shower. The patio kitchen was new and "different." Getting the Wi-Fi activated was tricky. We had roaches on two separate nights, limited toiletries, and no water on our last morning. They keep water jugs in the bathroom for that. I also think breakfast should cost half as much. The booking and finding the place were an absolute nightmare. I booked through a third-party site, then got an automated email demanding extra payment or threatening that I'd lose the reservation. I've never encountered that with a hotel. The fee itself wasn't what seemed suspicious so much as it not being included in the amount I'd already paid. When my attempted payment didn't go through, I thought it might be phishing and nearly canceled my cards and the whole trip. I was genuinely worried we'd arrive on the island with nowhere to stay. I emailed the hotel and they told me to ignore the email. The booking site should have said the fee was already included and the message could be ignored. I still don't know why it was sent. I'd contact the property directly to make sure the room is secured and paid for. My biggest issue was the name and location confusion. The residences property is run by Karaibes Hotel but is actually called "Residence les Yuccas," not "Karaibes Residences" as booking sites list it. "Karaibes Residences" is a separate private apartment complex. Nobody made this clear, and we spent well over an hour trying to get into buildings before a maid pointed us to the right place. We then found we'd been given the wrong room, though that was corrected quickly. The staff weren't the problem, but the property and third-party booking sites need to communicate better.

The hotel was okay. My room was clean and the AC worked, which mattered a lot. Kény at the front desk was professional, helpful and gave me good advice.

I wouldn't recommend this place. The reservation was advertised as free, with payment due when I arrived, but they charged half the accommodation cost to my card straight away without authorization. I canceled immediately, and despite several reminders, the money still hasn't been released back to me. The operator's handling of this was very unprofessional. I'm glad I won't be spending my holiday there.

The rooms are modest and the location is convenient. Daily maid service was a plus, since that isn't guaranteed at every hotel after Covid. During my two-night stay the Wi-Fi never worked, and the outdoor pool is comically tiny. I didn't see anyone use it and can't imagine anyone would, with all the incredible beaches nearby.