Hotel Hacienda San Pancho

Hotel Hacienda is a peaceful place to sleep, with the birds louder than the people. The staff are lovely and very helpful, and the team gives current, useful recommendations for things to do and places to eat in San Pancho. There’s no food service, so bring some snacks and drinks. San Pancho has plenty of great places to eat, though, and heading into town is part of the fun.

The beach pool was nice, though the showers were dated. The pool closer to the hotel had no facilities nearby, so using the restroom meant walking all the way back to the hotel. The rooms were outdated and smelled moldy. We were the only guests during our stay, which felt creepy, with many abandoned units around. Signs said the gym, main gate, and some lounge chairs were for homeowners only, so hotel guests couldn’t use every facility. Someone who lives there told us the hotel hadn’t paid its fees for years and access was now being restricted. Luckily, he let us use the gym. Vacation was the last time I wanted to deal with hotel drama. I’d stay elsewhere or rent one of the private villas on Airbnb so you can use the facilities. The villas have ocean views, but they aren’t part of the hotel.

I spent four weeks here and fell in love with the room decor, the natural vegetation, and the service, especially Adrian and Sylvia. Downtown is an easy walk away, but the place is still very tranquil. Early in my stay I took a clumsy fall that was entirely my fault. Adrian drove me back and forth to get medical care, well beyond what he had to do, and Sylvia checked on me every day. This is a must-stay!

The manager was awful, argumentative, and completely unhelpful. Our sliding door wouldn’t lock, and no one tried to fix it. The TV was broken too, and they made no effort there either. There was no safe, no mini fridge despite the listing, and no ice anywhere in the hotel. No coffee or tea supplies, no hair dryer, and no glasses in the room. The ones we got from the kitchen were filthy. Bathroom toiletries were pathetic, with just one roll of toilet paper. There’s no restaurant, bar, or beach club. There is beach access, but it’s just a public beach with a couple of surf lesson shacks, no loungers or umbrellas. The pool is at least a 10-minute walk uphill from the rooms and lobby, and there’s no food or drink there. The pool was dirty, and it’s a steep walk. The property is dilapidated and poorly kept, with garbage in the flower beds, dried-up rotten grass, weeds, overgrown shrubs, and rotten trees. Driving in felt like a ghost town, which was creepy. The lobby is unattended in the evening, with booking papers and binders left out on the open counter. The room phone was broken and cracked on the night table. The sheets were old, stained, and musty-smelling, and the furniture was in extremely poor condition, water-stained and rotten. The rooms have practically no amenities, bare-bones at best, maybe one star. It may have been a great place years ago, but it’s far from that now. Many reviews are old and outdated. I could keep going, but it would take too long. Don’t waste your money. Don’t stay here!