Kaab Coba

The room was comfortable, and the hotel had a nice Mexican feel and a great pool. The WiFi was poor. On checkout day, there was no water or WiFi in the hotel or the town.

The lagoon views are excellent, though you can’t swim there because of the crocodiles. The surroundings and design are peaceful, and the beds and pillows were comfortable. It’s within walking distance of the ruins, and everyone working there was friendly and personable. I had a great stay. I’m a little puzzled by the other poor reviews, and would definitely recommend this place.

The hotel’s setting by the lagoon and among nature is beautiful, but that was about all it had going for it. I’ve stayed in many hotels across Yucatan and Quintana Roo and never had an experience this bad. I’ve also never left a reservation early before. I’m not fussy and can manage very basic accommodation, but this didn’t meet even that standard. The bad reviews about the receptionist’s arrogance and the rooms’ smell were true for me. I was traveling with my seven-year-old son, and our room was at the very back of the hotel. It reeked of humidity, and the bed was extremely hard and uncomfortable. We never got hot water in the shower. The TV remote didn’t work, and the TV screen was broken. I booked directly on the official website, which was misleading: it said each room came with a microwave and coffee maker, but ours had neither. When I asked at reception, they said those weren’t included. On the second morning, we woke up without water, electricity, or WiFi. I couldn’t stay there with a child without running water or power, so I asked to cancel the second night after all the problems we’d already had. The receptionist made excuses, didn’t apologize, and said it was too inconvenient to cancel and refund the night. My son was already asking to leave after the cold showers, broken TV, and lack of WiFi all day. I booked another place in town and left a day early, but the receptionist wouldn’t help with a refund. The photos may look beautiful, but the facilities were terrible, the rooms smelled, and the staff didn’t seem to care about our experience. Avoid this place and stay somewhere else in town.

The lagoon view is wonderful, the pool is lovely, and the clean, comfortable rooms make for a safe, clean oasis in this lonely jungle pueblo. But we’d booked well in advance and still paid more than double the going rate. On a 100-degree day at a supposedly three-star hotel, even a small bottle of water in the room would have helped. Instead, we had to walk through the village in oppressive heat to find a store, while the staff, or perhaps family, chatted or used their phones. They also asked to charge the dollar amount quoted in pesos. I agreed without realizing what that meant, and after paying 250% of the going room rate, I was charged another 2% on top. There was no restaurant menu, just a guy who’d cook something if you asked, and it didn’t smell very clean. It could be a good deal with a discounted room if you don’t plan to eat there. We paid first-world prices for third-world service. It felt like staying with a relative who wasn’t very interested in having us.