Hotel Misión Grand Juriquilla

The building and grounds are beautiful, and the rooms were great. But the manager on duty made check-in a horrible experience. We arrived with our dogs because the site says the hotel is pet friendly. The staff looked us up and down, stared at our tattoos, and shook their heads in disgust. We'd been driving from Canada, where we have a house, on our way to Belize, so we weren't dressed very nicely. They called an employee from the restaurant who spoke good English, and he was delightful and a huge help. The manager first said dogs weren't allowed, then claimed only small dogs were accepted, even though the website didn't say that. A medium-sized dog later came in with other guests, so I pointed it out. They had to call the big boss for approval before finally letting us in. After I freshened up for dinner and put on a dress, the front desk staff seemed to treat me differently. It felt like a real “pretty woman movie” moment. Such a shame to be judged that way.

The hotel has a beautiful setting, a good location, spacious rooms with nice balconies, and a decent restaurant. The bones are good, but the rooms and common areas feel dated, and the whole place needs updates like new lighting, carpet, and TVs. It seems geared toward business travelers. Service was lackluster, though. On days one and two, their keycard system was down, so we couldn't get keys and needed an escort every time we wanted into our room. It was a long walk back and forth, and sometimes we waited up to 10 minutes just to get inside. Room service took an hour and a half for lunch. We eventually went to the restaurant to cancel, and it turned out they'd lost the order. They were mildly apologetic but offered nothing for the hassle. Breakfast at the restaurant was convenient, but didn't impress us. Poolside service was slow, though available. I'd probably stay somewhere else next time.

The place is lovely, with plenty of parking. The buffet was very good, and the coffee and service were great.

I won't return. The rooms have gotten very old, and so has everything in them. It started raining, so my two daughters and I went back to shower and get ready for dinner at the restaurant. While I was in the shower, the waiter came to my room and refused to leave, even after we said I would eat at the restaurant and pay the whole bill together. That's no way to treat a paying customer. The pool was extremely cold and the food tasteless, too.