Nílu Puerto Escondido by Selina

I loved the friendly atmosphere and all the places to relax. There are activities and incredible live music, and the service was good. The Wi-Fi worked well when I went out of my room to the coworking space. Some people mention noise, but it’s on a busy street in Mexico, so that’s to be expected. The pools were well maintained, and the A/C worked.

The good parts were the beachfront location and a shower with hot water and good pressure. But this was far too noisy for a relaxing getaway, and I wouldn’t stay again. I woke up at 4 a.m. to Norteña Music, probably from a nearby bar. My room, 3004, had no soundproofing, and the leafy hut roof was loud too, with birds and other animals around. The place isn’t wheelchair accessible, with about 100 steps to reach the rooms. Internet was very spotty. The front desk wasn’t much help when I asked about taxis. First he said he didn’t know how often they came and that one wouldn’t come if he called, then he said they arrived every five minutes.

I mostly use Selina for coworking. The A/C and decent tables and chairs make the space nice, and the internet is good. But after a few years, the place is wearing down: half the chairs are broken, and there’s no cutlery, water, or coffee. The bathrooms are always disgusting, too. They should get a toilet seat and brush. Loud music from the restaurant downstairs often starts around 2 or 3 p.m., so it’s not practical to work there. For what you get, it’s way overpriced, and the value has dropped a lot.

I left after two nights of a four-night trip. The thought of staying two more made me feel like I was going crazy. Since then, I’ve read online that the Selina chain is going bankrupt, and frankly, they deserve it. Nobody should stay here when Puerto has dozens of better options at a similar price. My room was 3003. Several holes in the roof let bugs, salamanders, and large roaches in. Both mornings I found lizards and roaches in the bathroom, and its door wouldn’t close. Pigeons nesting in the ceiling rustled the leaves and cooed at all hours. The thatched roof did nothing to block noise: people were talking, yelling, and laughing outside at 2 a.m. despite the supposed quiet hours, while loud music from the bar across the street went on until 3 or 4 a.m. Two nights in a row, I couldn’t sleep through the worst karaoke I’ve ever heard. Then housekeepers cleaning right outside my room woke me at 7:30 a.m., along with dogs barking or roosters calling at sunrise. The advertised amenities weren’t there or weren’t usable. The yoga classes weren’t happening, the chill-out area was missing the hammocks shown in photos, the library had no books, and the cinema shown on signs throughout the property didn’t exist. The pools weren’t clean. The upper-level bar was closed, so getting a drink meant going up and down 100+ stairs. The kitchen was in disrepair, with not one usable utensil or tool. Staff seemed extremely disinterested and rude. When I approached them, they acted irritated that I existed and had interrupted their phone scrolling. Nearby restaurants were empty even at peak dinner time, probably because they were overpriced and mediocre. As a solo female traveler, I didn’t feel safe walking farther to find more choices. Men kept shouting at me as I passed, and the sidewalk seemed to eventually end. I was also concerned by the well-known local police habit of stopping tourists walking on the beach after sunset, planting drugs on them, and extorting whatever cash they have to avoid arrest.