Sunset Shores Beach Hotel

My friend lost her phone on a local bus, and the hotel manager went out of her way to help. She called people near the phone’s identified location, then drove us there herself so we could get it back. Other staff helped too and checked on us throughout. That care and dedication went far beyond what we could have expected, and showed us how people on a small island help each other and get things done. We’ll remember it for a long time. The hotel is right beside the beach, which was the best part of our stay. Our room was clean and well maintained, but the property feels dated and could use renovation and some freshening up.

There’s potential here, but our stay was a letdown. The room felt old, with a rusty bathtub drain and dirty-looking, possibly moldy caulking by the sink. The sink pressure was so bad that I unscrewed the bottom part and found lots of dirt- or sand-like bits. It stayed very weak afterward. The TV sat by the sliding glass door, which wouldn’t stay shut unless locked, so using the patio meant leaving the door open. My husband got eaten up by bugs out there, and the space wasn’t pleasant to sit in. Meals were frustrating too. Most of the wait staff seemed bothered when we sat down for food or drinks, and a few young women were especially rude. The menu looked decent, but many items were unavailable every day. My breakfast was missing the hash brown more than once, and on the last day the pancake was also unavailable, so they substituted toast. The food wait was ridiculous: it took ages to get a menu, then to place an order, and then about 30/40 minutes for the food. We saw other guests frustrated by the long waits and missing menu items, and some just got up and left. There weren’t many nearby breakfast options, so we ended up eating at Mango’s down the beach. We were stuck because of the Venezuela situation and couldn’t stay here longer. They had no room for us, so we moved next door to Beachcombers for another five days. It was a nice place, with a beautiful property, lush landscaping, cleaner and newer rooms, better food and a little coffee shop. This hotel needs staff training and some TLC.

We booked 10 nights at Sunset Shores Beach Hotel, but less than 24 hours before our flight they messaged to say they’d overbooked and would move us next door for the first two nights. I replied right away asking which hotel, but got no answer. At arrival the front desk sent us to Paradise Beach Hotel, where the room was a downgrade. Neighbors smoked on their patio every day, so we couldn’t enjoy the view. The room smelled moldy, the AC unit had visible mold, and there was no hot water. After two nights, checkout was at 12, but Sunset Shores wouldn’t let us check in until 3, even though the situation was their fault. They gave us a hard time, then offered a “complimentary” dinner. We got into a room, but within five minutes it was clear the AC didn’t work, so they moved us again to what they called their “best room.” That room was unacceptable too, with mold throughout, poor contractor work, a broken exhaust fan and another moldy AC unit. We decided to cancel the rest of our stay. At first they wouldn’t work with us on canceling and said we had to speak with the manager. We’d been trying to talk to him since the day we arrived, but each time we were told he wasn’t there. He never showed up. The “complimentary” dinner also had undisclosed restrictions: when we tried to order, we were limited to the cheapest menu items. Service was slow, unfriendly and indifferent. The whole experience felt disorganized and dishonest, like they were trying to take advantage of guests. We left as soon as we found another hotel with availability. Read the reviews before booking this hotel or Paradise beach hotel next door. I’d strongly recommend staying elsewhere, or at the Mariners Hotel down the road, which is 100% better than these options.

The location is beautiful, right on the beach with sailboats and sunsets in view. Our room was pretty good, and so was the food. Still, there were several problems. They gave our higher-priced room, which we’d paid for in advance, to someone else on the first night without compensation. The restaurant was used for a private wedding all day and evening on Saturday, with deafening music until 10pm. Food was often VERY slow, and our room door didn’t lock. Be sure you’re willing to accept those risks.