Hotel Belmar Galeria

Noise was the hardest part of our three weeks here, from Dec 15 - Jan 5/26 before moving into our apartment. I'm a light sleeper, and light came into the room from every direction. The hotel is open air, so voices carried from the bottom floor all the way up at any hour, and street traffic rarely quieted before about 3 am. The room wasn't soundproof either, and the rooftop bar across the street kept up its boom boom boom late into the night. There was a seating area and loungers on our floor, and other guests would come up, drink, and sit outside our room talking and laughing loudly late at night. There are no room phones, so contacting reception meant using WhatsApp unless I went downstairs. When I did reach them, the midnight shift came up right away and asked the people to leave. We really appreciated how quickly they handled it. If you sleep lightly, this place may not suit you. We had an efficiency suite on the top floor with what we needed to make small meals. The 2 burner hot plate was outdated but worked okay for us. Shower pressure was low, but the water was hot, which mattered most. The white linens were clean and fresh. At first, we had trouble getting the room cleaned because nobody had explained the process at check-in. Adrian later talked us through what we'd missed. There were 85 steps to our floor and no elevator, so it was 85 steps up and 85 back down. We knew about the stairs beforehand, but the climb was tough, especially in the heat. I'm in good physical condition, yet it was a struggle as we're getting older. Anyone with physical problems would find it challenging. We had luggage for 3 months, so we were grateful to Job for carrying it up and Ever for bringing it down. The location was convenient for everything we needed. Adrian, on the afternoon reception shift, was wonderful and helped with every need, including arranging a driver to Bucerias. We enjoyed talking with him. He speaks English extremely well and is very charming. When I was disappointed to hear that drinking water wasn't included, though we'd been told it would be at booking, Adrian assured me it was and sorted it out immediately, carrying it up all 85 steps himself. I also want Gisela, the Manager, to know how far Adrian goes for guests. He also helped another guest we befriended, who became our son away from home, and that guest told us his story about Adrian's help. Job checked us in early and fixed an A/C issue. Ever was kind with our luggage, carrying all 3 bags down 85 steps. He was strong, always smiling, and asked how we were and if everything was okay. I never met Gisela. The good points outweighed the challenges, and I gave the hotel 4 stars because of Adrian. Mary & John.