Hotel Casa Bárbara Holbox

The attached coffee shop and bakery were nice, and the room itself was fine. But we had no hot water for all four nights, and the water was out for part of our stay before they fixed it. The lights and AC kept flickering on and off. I told management, but nothing was done. Without steady AC, we were uncomfortable. There’s a sports bar right next to the hotel, so late nights aren’t quiet. If you need peace or hot water, I’d stay somewhere else.

For the price, this felt perfect. The hotel was really nice, with a pool and everything we needed. Its location is just a five-minute walk from the center, but far enough away from the music and activity there. Everything went smoothly.

I never felt safe at Hotel Casa Barbara, and the theft left me stressed for half my vacation. My suitcase was locked with a padlock, but a significant amount of money was stolen. There was no safe in the room, despite what Agoda/Booking advertised. The owner said it was a “first-time occurrence,” but when I looked into it, I found other guests had reported similar thefts of money and valuables. The manager refused to refund my remaining nights, even though security was so lacking. Privacy was also a problem. A housekeeper came into my room while I was showering and ignored the “Do Not Disturb” sign. The room was dark, smelled damp, and had no soundproofing. There was no hot shower water, no mini-fridge, and the TV was useless because it had no cable. The staff’s behavior felt toxic. This place is a scam, and I strongly advise anyone wanting a peaceful stay in Holbox to avoid it.

I went to Casa Barbara at 1pm to check the WiFi because I work online and the island can have power cuts and no WiFi signal. I couldn’t get a clear answer about whether the rooms had a good signal, and they wouldn’t let me connect at reception. The man who runs the place told me to wait two hours until the 3pm check-in and see for myself. When I said whether I booked depended on the WiFi, he offered to let me test it for half an hour until 3.30pm, then refund me if it didn’t work. I didn’t trust him given his attitude, and didn’t want to spend the day checking in and out of different hotels. I’d walked over just to test the connection, so I couldn’t see why that was such a problem. The rudeness felt pointless and made me wonder if they wanted to make money at all. I walked a minute down the road to Villas Ponto, where the woman at reception was lovely, let me use the WiFi, and insisted I see the room. For the same price, I was offered a whole apartment with its own kitchen. Everything happens for a reason, and I’m glad I didn’t spend my money at Casa Barbara. There’s a sports bar at reception, so the reviews about noise and drunk people seem believable.