La Fortaleza

They ignored me when I asked about the state of the place and the extra charges, and refused to refund the fees I hadn’t agreed to. The walls were stained, cockroaches were everywhere, the bathroom was filthy, the kitchen greasy, and the WiFi didn’t work. Then they charged me made-up extras as if this were a luxury property. It felt like a scam, with false charges used to take money from guests.

We couldn’t sleep because of the constant noise from nearby bars. When we raised all the problems with the host, they ignored us, then charged extra cleaning fees that hadn’t been mentioned in the listing. The photos had little in common with what we found, and the place smelled awful, with dirty sheets and hair on the pillows. The entrance code didn’t work, so we waited 30 minutes for the host to arrive. There wasn’t even toilet paper or soap when we got there. The air conditioning barely worked in the middle of summer, and the WiFi was almost nonexistent. The location may be close to the beach, but the hassle and stress weren’t worth it. This felt like a complete scam for the price. STAY AWAY!

The pool was great, with places to sit and relax, and it was fun seeing little lizards in the yard and the pet turtles. It’s right off fifth and a walkable distance from the Marina. I also liked that the doors, from the entrance to the room, use code locks. No keys or cards to lose. My room wasn’t anything special, but it suited me. For a place costing 50/night, I wasn’t expecting a 5star hotel. The WiFi and AC worked well, the shower had hot water, and the fridge kept my drinks cold. The pillows weren’t very comfortable, though I’ve slept on worse. There were no bugs in my room, and even if there had been, bugs don’t bother me much after traveling in the tropics. Good value, and I’d happily stay here again when I return to Playa.

We stayed one night in room number 3. The pool was clean and nice, and the turtles around the area were cute. The host was quick to respond and flexible about check-in, letting us arrive early. The room itself wasn’t clean. The fridge had mold, the counter sink was rusty and didn’t work, and the bathroom was dirty with cockroaches. One night was manageable, but I wouldn’t recommend staying longer.