Donaire Hotel Boutique

The restaurant food was great, and the facilities were nice overall, with a good view. The stay itself was fine, but we ran into hidden fees and prices that kept changing. When we tried to arrange a taxi through them, we realized they were charging us too much for a service fee. The fluctuating prices left me feeling they were taking advantage of tourists.

The lake views and lovely pool helped us forget the slow service. We waited quite a while for breakfast, and the owner came over to apologize, explaining that a few staff members had called in sick. The food was delightful: poached eggs with mimosas. It’s a nice place to get away for the weekend, and this little hotel in Chapala felt like a gem.

We’ve stayed here twice and loved it both times. The staff are so nice, and we’re already looking forward to coming back. Each afternoon we enjoy drinks and delicious appetizers by the pool, and the drinks are great. The restaurant has a nice selection and amazing food at breakfast and dinner. They do close at 9 pm, while some places in the village shut at 8 or even 7. We had several other couples stay with us, and none complained about the bill. If you want to stay past checkout, I think you should arrange that before checkout time. If the price is too steep, leave on time. The rooms need to be prepared for the next guests, and a boutique hotel won’t have 10 housekeepers. René, George, Yoli, Chris, Jim, and Julia

The pool, rooms, views, and food were all wonderful, and the staff were generally amazing. I’d consider staying again, but I can’t give it five stars for two reasons. There were mosquitoes everywhere, especially at night, and we couldn’t use our balcony at pretty much any time of day. Plants meant to repel them or citronella candles for guests might be an easy fix. The checkout process was poor. We paid top dollar for a premium location, and I knew checkout was at noon, but I didn’t like being harassed with phone messages right at 12. I’d expect some leeway of 10-20 minutes if the need comes up. We had planned to leave Wednesday, then decided to add Thursday and left Friday. I got those annoying messages on both days. Please stop sending them.