International House Riviera Maya Hotel

We stayed for three weeks and can't recommend International House enough. The people there were warm and helpful with whatever we needed, from laundry and recommendations to storing our bags on checkout day. Each morning they made fresh, mostly typical Mexican breakfast, which I always enjoyed. They also explained the local way to eat some dishes. We could use the kitchen to make lunch or dinner. The room was a bit outdated, hence 4/5 stars, but it was fully functional, clean, and regularly cleaned. Thanks, IH, for the warm welcome and hospitality.

The room was clean, the staff were friendly and helpful, and the shared kitchen was clean too. It's a nice basic place, and it's cheap, so you get what you pay for. The beds are hard, and the blanket had a few burn marks. What upset me was that $100 usd went missing from my pouch in the room. I wasn't using the safe, to be fair. I wouldn't rule the place out, but be careful with your belongings. In response to the owner: I left at 10am and came back at 4pm. The room had been cleaned and the bed made, so it was obvious someone had been in. My pouch was open, including the inner compartment, and the money was exposed. I hadn't left it that way, and I told the front desk staff. I had only five bills: 1 $20, 2 $50 and 1 $100. It's not a huge amount, so I knew exactly what I had, and it was the amount I had when I checked in. I didn't leave the room between check-in and 10am the next day. The money disappeared sometime between 10am and 4pm. I don't like being called a liar. Staff the next day were rude too. The cleaning lady glared at me, and the front desk acted strangely about the transfer I'd booked through them. I had been saving the $100 for my ride back to the airport. I am grateful they helped arrange a transfer I could pay for by card. This was a very mixed experience, and I wouldn't recommend it.

At least the room was clean, quiet, and had good door locks. The a/c and fan worked okay, and I got a good night's sleep. But I asked for a top-floor room and didn't get one. There were two mirrored “windows,” but even looking hard through them, all I could see was the building's inside walls. It felt like an impersonal box, almost a prison cell, and I found that depressing. The young man at reception barely spoke English, so we used Google translator. He said “no” to everything. There was no soap, so I had to go buy some. I had also forgotten shampoo.

A hidden gem in PDCA, with a great location, only a 5 min walk to the beach, and the best price!