Hotel Rio Malecon

Although the hotel is pet-friendly, pets aren't allowed in most areas, including the pool and open restaurant. You also can't leave them alone in your room. Those restrictions limited what we could do during our stay.

The room was comfortable, and the shower was fabulous. There's a nice balcony for people-watching, and it was quieter at night than you'd expect. Staff were helpful, and the housekeeper helped us out. The kitchen had facilities but very little equipment. The place has been updated, but there are still a few cleanliness issues, which are hard to fix with older tile work.

Two months after leaving, Booking.com told us the hotel had claimed we stayed for the full booking, so they couldn't help with our refund. We had cancelled after the first night because the place wasn't right for us. At checkout, everything seemed fine, no argument or harsh words, and we were told the refund would take a while. We booked through booking.com, but what's the point if this happens? Avoid this hotel and booking.com. We're close friends with travel bloggers and a few travel agents, and they plan to make a video about the hotel and booking.com. We'll also post on their social media pages, some have 100,000 to a million followers. Shady, dishonest business doesn't pay.

We booked two rooms for my family for May 23/24, with a quoted total of $147.60 US. I didn't have the original card when we arrived, so the front desk charged my husband's card and said we'd still be charged the quoted amount. Once we got home, we saw an extra $65 on the card. I've emailed the hotel three times and heard nothing, so I'll report the charge to my credit card company. I wouldn't recommend staying here.