Bacalar 3.30

The room itself was decent, and the bed was okay. The shower was awful, though, and for the price I suppose we shouldn't have expected much. What made the stay a one-star experience was a worker playing loud music or a TV show right outside our window all night. There were lots of places he could have sat, but he stayed by our window. Around 3 am we knocked to ask him to stop. He went quiet for less than an hour, then started blasting it again through the rest of the night and into the morning, and was still doing it. If you want any kind of decent sleep, go somewhere else.

The bed was generally comfortable, and the location is close to the center and the lagoon, but the room had neither a TV nor hot water. The main reason for our low rating was how the manager handled our booking. We already had a cheaper reservation, but he told us to cancel it and take a slightly more expensive room instead. He also offered four tickets worth 200 pesos each for a bar, supposedly as an after-party entrance fee. We waited for him and he never came. After dinner we couldn't get hold of him, since he didn't answer our calls. Booking.com told us to go to the location, but we couldn't find him there, and the place didn't charge an entrance fee. Don't be fooled. When you book, just expect to get your room.

The one good part was the hotel service from René, a respectful, attentive gentleman. He deserves the two stars. I had a terrible experience with Mr. Oscar Olvera. He made big promises and charged me in Mexico City, but when I arrived he still owed me money for a tour and a car rental. He sent me to Majahual by taxi, which I paid for myself, and never reimbursed me. I also paid for my lodging there and had to beg to get reimbursed, and even then he didn't repay the full amount. He wouldn't answer his phone, and when he eventually replied to messages, he was rude and arrogant. If you want a good time, Bacalar Experiences is not the place. Fury and scams seem to be the norm.

The manager was really kind and stuck to the price we saw online. For what it costs, this little place works well enough to sleep. It's also close to the lagoon swimming entrance, where entry is 40 pesos. A couple of houses away, there's good, inexpensive panuchos and chilindrinas.