BOK21

I paid $31 USD, which felt well worth it. The usual online price was $80 USD, and I wouldn’t pay that much. It’s a nice, inexpensive hotel with roomy, comfortable rooms, though they’re nothing fancy. There was some sand on the floor, but it wasn’t a big deal. I liked having a balcony for such a low price, and there’s a pleasant waterside walkway nearby with views toward the hotel zone. The tradeoff is the busy intersection close by, with traffic noise all night. I used earplugs to sleep.

Our room had a nice outdoor patio looking over the roundabout, and the neighborhood felt very safe. The room was spacious, with daily housekeeping, a coffee machine, and a large wardrobe that would be handy for a longer stay. There’s no refrigerator, though. The location makes it easy to get between Cancún Centro and the Hotel Zone. It’s near a roundabout with direct access to the Hotel Zone, and DiDi rides to the zone, downtown, attractions, or airport were easy and inexpensive. There are useful services within walking distance, about 10 minutes to nearby hotels and services and 10-15 minutes south to Plaza Las Américas (Urban Center Cancun) for shopping and dining. For two people, this was one of the best budget stays I’ve had. You can visit the Hotel Zone while paying almost one-tenth of what it costs to stay there. A great choice if you’re traveling on a budget and want comfort, safety, and a convenient base.

The check-in mess took about an hour. The room key didn’t work when we arrived, so I had to go back to staff. They sent us to a second room after a delay, but its AC didn’t work, so we were sent back to the original room. There was a dead cockroach in the hallway near our room, and when I reported it again the next morning, I was dismissed and told I should have said something earlier, even though it was our first day there. The towels were stained and dirty, possibly with blood or grime. We were in a rush and took them to the beach, and I know I shouldn’t have done that. I admitted several times that I was wrong and explained that I needed clean towels to shower. The manager said I shouldn’t have taken them out, then eventually agreed to bring clean ones after refusing for several minutes. When she came to my room, she tried to charge me for them. I declined and asked her to take them back, but she said, “nope, I already handed them to you.” I followed her downstairs because I didn’t want to be charged and had already decided to buy my own towels. She argued the whole way while I calmly asked if this was really how they treated customers. At the desk I left the towels on the counter and said not to charge me because they were back in their possession. She remained rude and stubborn, told me to leave them there, and walked away. My boyfriend and I ended up drying ourselves with plain white T-shirts, which was humiliating, then went to Walmart to buy towels. The next morning I returned a heavily stained bedsheet and was refused a replacement. There was also a red stain on the sofa bed. We had no warm water, and the bathroom was so unclean that I bought bottled water to brush my teeth rather than use the sink water. There was only a small bathroom mirror, no proper one. There were several cleanliness and maintenance problems, along with poor service, and I felt dismissed over all of it because of the towels. I wouldn’t recommend staying here. If a disgusting, dirty, grimy room doesn’t bother you, this may be the hotel for you. If you’re like me, stay far, far away.

For the price, this was a great place to stay. Our rooms felt clean and safe. There are cats around who come over to greet you, and they were a friendly, welcoming bunch. If you have allergies, though, this might not be the right place for you.