Villa Paraiso

The patios are great for relaxing and enjoying the hotel's peaceful atmosphere, and there was plenty of hot water. It's an awesome boutique hotel and a magnificent gem in La Ventana, with multi-level pools, including a rooftop pool, plus a charcoal BBQ you can cook on. The restaurant and bar weren't open, but there are places within walking distance.

The location and beautiful bay view are the only real bright spots. In our room, the bathroom light and hot water weren't working, though thankfully other rooms were available and the kind hostess offered us a different place to stay. This could have so much potential, but what must once have been a beautiful place has become run down. They're spending money to expand when they should be using it to renovate the facilities.

I was the only guest at this medium sized place, around 20 rooms, while it was being refurbished. They upgraded me to a newly refurbished room. Maybe it used to be a charming local hotel, but now it looks pretty and offers almost no comfort. The brand new kitchenette had convection burners and a full size fridge, but no dishes, flatware, pans, or glasses. There were large windows with an indirect ocean view, fancy roller shades, and a view straight into several other rooms. The room had two ceiling fans and a new TV, but no nightstands, dresser, closet, hooks, or even a towel bar. In ten trips to Mexico, this is the only place where guests couldn't get drinking water. It felt like they had a crude idea of what looked good and paid no attention to what makes guests comfortable. The only employee on site was a very kind, helpful young woman. She said the owners were hurrying to finish the upgrade before a wedding in a month's time. They should have closed for the work instead of trying to scam the occasional shoulder season guest. In short, skip it. Management seems completely uninterested, the rooms are seriously lacking, and the beach isn't much.

The place is a little dated, but for the price it's well worth it compared with newer locations. We really enjoyed our stay at Villa Paraíso, especially the fantastic view and beach access. The hot water worked fine for us, though you need to turn the water heater on when you arrive and give it time. We'll definitely stay again!