Hotel Maria Isabel Bacalar

We’d prepaid a lot for three nights, but after just one night we left because the whole experience felt like a scam. I’m still irritated that I couldn’t get the money back. The place is extremely overpriced and underwhelming. The floors had a strange oily feel, and we all felt dirty walking on them; the kids ended up with stains from playing there. It’s far from everything, and apart from access to the water, there really isn’t much to offer. They were burning trash just outside the property, and nasty fumes drifted over the cabins.

The rooms were clean but basic, and the price felt too high for their quality. We booked two cabins for our family of five, but extra beds weren’t possible, so three of us had to share one bed. Noise was the biggest issue: with rooms one above the other, every movement carried through. The team were very nice and helpful. Although it’s on the lake, most rooms are up the hill, and it’s a seven-minute drive to bacalar. Next time we’ll stay in town. It’s a nice place, but the value for money wasn’t good.

I just came back from a weekend at the cabins and had a fantastic time. It was such a great place to unwind and recharge, with breathtaking views and nice, helpful staff. I’d recommend this retreat to anyone hoping to relax.

The lagoon and the view are beautiful, but we booked a "Luxury Cabin" and left early because of a severe bed bug infestation. There were bugs, eggs, and larvae in the room, and I came home covered in bites. It’s been incredibly distressing. When I found them at 12:30 AM, the front desk staff were polite but said their hands were tied. It took a lot of arguing to get moved to another room, and at first they only offered to change the sheets, which is entirely inadequate for an infestation. The next morning I tried to sort it out with management. The owner was hostile and aggressive on the phone. There was no apology or professional handling, just a confrontational response, and we felt unsafe enough to check out early. The aftermath has been costly and stressful: we had to throw away some luggage and take all our clothes directly to a launderette for heat treatment so we wouldn’t bring the infestation into our home. The rooms are basic and have an odour, the air conditioning is noisy, and the stairs are unstable. Getting in from the fast highway is hazardous too. The risk of bringing pests home and dealing with hostile management made staying here not worth it.