Hotel Cabanas Maria del Mar

The location is spectacular. We stayed in the cabana rooms right next to the pool. The room was spacious and had good air conditioning. Some fixtures in the room are a bit worn, such as the toilet flush handle and shower head, but they work fine. We had a problem with the shower not working, and the front desk started fixing it promptly. Be sure to try the shower as soon as you arrive. I think they use solar or electric water pumps, since we were told it needed to "charge." It worked fine a few hours later. The cleaning lady came to our room almost every day, although we were told it would be every other day. They also let us exchange our beach towels whenever we wanted, even though they prefer guests to keep them for two days. One thing to know: the WiFi in the rooms is nonexistent. I bought an eSIM and connected the TV to my phone's hotspot so I could mirror YouTube from my phone. It barely worked. I could not use any of the Roku TV apps in the room, including Roku Channel, Prime, and Netflix, so the TV was essentially unusable. Keep that in mind. The eSIM on my phone worked fine for browsing the internet, although speeds varied at different times. The beach right outside the hotel is the best stretch. Maria's has its own chairs just outside the back gate. Two chairs and one umbrella cost 450 MXN. There is no food and drink service for the chairs until you find one of the Las Hamacas waiters. After that, you are all set. The receipts for your loungers and umbrella each include a free bottle of water. I did not notice that until the last day, so make sure to claim yours. I would give Maria's a solid 3.5 stars for its location, big rooms, good air conditioning, and beach access. The property could easily improve the WiFi with a small investment. It is nice to relax and cool off in your room while watching trash TV with your travel companion. It is a time-honored tradition on my trips, so that was a letdown. The swimming pool is clean and small, and it gets very warm by May. As far as I could tell, there are no showers by the beach or pool on the property. That was also a letdown, since sand gets everywhere. Also be careful on the tiled floors in your room and on your balcony because they are slippery. If you rent an upstairs room, the floors and stairs could be tricky if you are older or have mobility issues. There are lots of friendly cats on the property! All in all, I would consider staying again because the value is definitely there.