El Eden Escondido

The pool party hotel across the road played loud music from midday until late at night. We left after two nights. The pictures are misleading, and the place felt cheap and run-down, with nowhere near the minimum comfort I'd expect from rented rooms. The thin plaster walls had no insulation, so we could hear neighbors as though they were in the same room, and street noise as if we were standing outside. The roof was badly finished, with holes at the edges and rusty nails hanging down. Towels were damp, the plastic fan's casing was broken, there was just one plug in the room, no hooks for towels, and no hot water. I could keep listing missing basics. Scandalous and insulting. This place should be shut down. Steer clear!

I left as soon as I saw the room. It was a dark, dingy, hot concrete box, nothing like the pictures, and there was no sea view despite what the description suggested. The spiral staircase up to the rooms looked dodgy, so I wouldn't stay here with mobility issues or heavy bags. The “bathroom” was just a shower, with no basin or toilet, and no ceiling, so it was filthy. Wifi didn't work in the room, and on the balcony it was extremely slow. Construction noise was loud, not relaxing at all. When I asked for a refund, the woman at the property said she'd give it to me just so I'd leave, then told the agent she wouldn't refund me. Absolute scam. Go elsewhere.

Three nights in a row we had the same problems, and eventually we were fed up. We had no proper bathing conditions for three days, despite paying for basics that should have been provided. Our calls and WhatsApp messages to the hotel administrator went unanswered. When we finally got through, we explained what had happened and asked for our money back because we couldn't spend another day there. Please don't waste your money or valuable holiday time here. We booked through Booking, and the photos bore no resemblance to reality. I had asked in advance for an extra bed for the additional person on our reservation, but it wasn't provided, so someone had to sleep on the floor. The first night there was no water in the toilet or showers, no drinking water, and no electricity in the rooms, so we couldn't use the fans. The toilet wouldn't flush, and in the heat the smell was disgusting. We understood that contingencies can happen and went to the beach hoping things would be sorted by the time we got back. Five hours later, nothing had changed. We had a baby and had to sleep with sand on us in the dark. We complained and it was fixed, but when we returned the second night the same thing happened again.

A quiet spot for a remote stay, just 5 minutes from the beach. Not much happening around, but it's a nice location. Drinking isn't allowed. The room was clean and looked good, a bit romantic. I booked a private room for two and got a larger one for free. There's no AC, just fans, and no hot water as advertised, though cold showers suit Puerto Escondido's weather perfectly.