Casona Sforza

We bought a day pass at Casona Sforza. It was a splurge, but worth it for such a peaceful day, with hardly anyone around the beautiful beach and pool. Our pass included food credits that covered meals throughout the day, and all the food was incredible. We also had a private sauna and cold plunge session, plus massages on the beach. It was a perfect escape in Puerto Escondido.

The rooms were disgusting, the service was awful, and they went back on their promises. If I could give zero stars, I would. Just a nightmare. We're a couple from Canada, and we don't usually write reviews because we don't want to interfere with someone's livelihood. We've stayed at more than 15 five-star and Michelin hotels while traveling. This was meant to be an engagement celebration. We drove three hours from Oaxaca to get here, but the small property looked nothing like the photos up close. The pool was dirty, and the property advised us that the ocean wasn't swimmable. We figured we'd stay by the pool and tan, but on the tour we were taken to our room, where the problems became impossible to ignore. There were large gaps around the doors, balcony doors, and bathroom windows, with no seal between them and the walls. Bugs could get straight in. As soon as we entered, there were mosquitoes, a dead spider on the floor, a fly on the pillow, and a huge wasp that came from the ceiling and landed on my fiancée's chest. Before we went in, the guide had said there were bugs and recommended repellent, then laughed about it. With so many mosquitoes flying around and the gaps open to the outside, we expected to be sleeping with bugs circling us. My fiancée has a debilitating fear of bugs. When the wasp landed, she had a panic attack, started crying, and ran out. We lasted five minutes in the room. The sheets were raggedy, what they called rustic, and the A/C was so small it couldn't cool the hot, muggy room through all the gaps. It also looked as though the room hadn't been cleaned properly before we arrived, given the dead spider on the floor. There were no nice in-room amenities, no TV, and the A/C was sad. Dead bugs were in the pool too. We asked the front desk for an immediate ride back and to cancel our four-night reservation. We had been on the property for 30 minutes and hadn't sat on the bed or used the room or any other space. After speaking with a manager, the staff agreed to a full refund. Since we'd booked through booking.com, they said they'd mark us as a no-show and honor it, but that we'd need to talk to booking. We called booking.com, and with us there, they spoke to the hotel staff, who confirmed it. We left when our car arrived. Days later, though, the hotel didn't answer calls or emails about the refund for a while. When they finally did, they said they would only refund 50% of our $4,000 reservation. They'd gone back on the full refund they'd promised us in person, after we'd barely been there and used none of the amenities. We also arranged transport through the hotel for another 1,000. They sent a photo of a new SUV that was supposed to pick us up, but a tiny compact sedan arrived 45 minutes late. They apologized and refunded us $40. For the drive back, we had to pay extra for a bigger car, bringing the total to $1,200. Don't ignore the bad reviews on this website. We booked another Michelin hotel and had an amazing time. It's a shame Casona Sforza is listed as Michelin. The accommodations felt like rustic camping, the service was unprofessional, and it wasn't worth anything close to what they charged, not even half.

We booked a week at this hotel for my husband and me, but our stay was a very bad experience. My room flooded every day. When I asked the staff to fix it, they just put a towel by the window rather than solving the issue. The pool wasn't usable either. Each time I went in, there were leaves and small insects, as well as large, frightening bugs. One time, I screamed and ran out because of what I found. Despite asking for daily cleaning, I also found crabs in my room. I raised these problems with the manager, who promised two free nights at their new location as compensation. Once I was back in Canada, he refused to honor that promise. The hotel is overpriced, seems focused only on taking tourists' money, and doesn't meet the standards its rates suggest. I strongly advise avoiding it.

We had a quiet, peaceful stay at Casona Sforza. The design is beautiful, and the food was excellent. The staff were kind and attentive, and everything made it easy to slow down and relax. We're already talking about when we can return. A few things weren't perfect: construction next door, a bumpy road into the property, being a bit farther from town, and a room that wasn't ready right away when we arrived. The team handled it all with care, and none of it took away from our experience. We'd seen a few negative reviews before booking, but they seemed overblown to us. If you want somewhere cheaper or livelier, another place may suit you better. For a quiet, beautiful escape with a great menu, we can't recommend Casona Sforza enough.