Coral Princess Hotel & Dive Resort

The staff were mostly very friendly and kind, and the beds were comfortable. The AC worked really well too. Still, at this price I wouldn’t come back. We chose the place for sea access and snorkeling, but although the water was clear and the nature beautiful, the currents were extremely strong and dangerous. Repeat guests said it was always like that, and there were never staff or lifeguards around. The balconies also felt extremely unsafe, with a huge drop from the room level and a low rail that you could easily go over. It’s a very strange design. It was oddly difficult to get a knife and plate to cut some fruit we’d bought. The restaurant was poor and closed at 5pm, with nowhere nearby to eat. We had to pay 10USD each way to go into town for dinner.

The staff were polite and friendly, which was the one good thing about the stay. The overall experience was disappointing and poor value for money. At check-in, they charged another 700 MXN on top of what had already been paid, calling it hotel charges and environmental fees. That felt excessive for an ordinary hotel. The place itself was mediocre at best, with very few amenities. The bed had only a duvet cover and no duvet, which was uncomfortable and odd. Light from the hallway came through into the room at night, so I had to stuff jackets into the gaps around the door to sleep. It wasn’t a comfortable place to spend time, more somewhere to leave your bags, go out, and return to sleep.

Everything apart from breakfast was very good, and I had a great stay. The large breakfast was poorly organized, and staff kept urging guests to pay extra for the buffet even though breakfast was included. My eggs were undercooked, and nobody apologized when it was dealt with.

The pool area was so relaxing, with plenty of lounge chairs and nice public bathrooms by the swimming area. Parking was convenient with a car. On foot, town is about a 30-40 minute walk, but it’s a pretty route with a good path away from traffic. The rooms are older and basic, but clean and nice. I don’t remember much noise, though I’m a heavy sleeper. Everyone working there was kind to us. We also really liked the waterfront restaurant. If you want something a little more American, it has good fries, burgers, and salads. The snorkeling was a highlight, maybe some of our favorite ever, and we’ve done lots of tours. There aren’t huge reefs, but the rocks have a wide variety of sea life. We saw eels, rays, barracuda, needle fish, all kinds of tropical schools, parrot fish, angels and clowns, nurse sharks, huge puffer fish, and once an octopus. We really enjoyed our stay.