Hotel Isla Bela en Islas del Rosario — Hotel in undefined

this is a gorgeous part of the world and we had a beautiful time up until the end, which soured my experience. In staying there, we trusted that our cabana was secure, that our belongings were safe in the “locked” cabana, and that the camera facing the only entrance/exit worked in case anything did happen. Unfortunately, on our last day of the three days there we realized that someone had recently entered into (jimmy’d the door or used a key) our private cabana and they stole my debit card, some cash, and one of my dresses. They also noticeably went through my makeup and jewelry bag, as things were out of place and I keep those two types of items completely separate when I travel. I believe that this occurred when we were doing hotel-provided activities that kept us away from our rooms for specific windows of time and I believe (some) staff are in on it - communicating with other people about how much time the thefts have to enter, steal, and leave.

Upon triple-checking that my items were missing, I alerted management and they told me that the video facing the door does not work and that they would check with staff and the local community about a “forgotten” dress. Management was slow and inconsistent in their responses over booking.com and WhatsApp. I ended up contacting a random woman whose contact info was listed on the hotel site and those were the only prompt responses I received, and seemed to nudge the other team to respond. It took months to resolve with reimbursements and I’m finally able to write this review.

It creeps me out to think about what would have happened if someone stole something expensive like an engagement ring or something important like medication. It also creeps me out to think about if someone is traveling alone and anyone can enter with a key or by jimmying the door while they sleep.

All this said - it is a beautiful place worth visiting if you are open to rustic glamping (and bringing a padlock, locking your items up whenever you’re not in the room, and locking your door with your own lock when you’re gone or when you’re in the cabana sleeping - especially if you’re staying there alone). Some additional info: the hotel requires you to take their own private transportation by boat, which is a pretty big boat. Once you arrive on the island, the staff make you leave your luggage and they forcefully insist on carrying it to/from the boat. In hindsight and with the knowledge that someone literally waited for us to leave our private room and then enter it to steal our things, I would’ve been more insistent that my things stay with me at all times before and after check-in and -out. Just FYI: the water is choppy on the way leaving the island, so I recommend sitting toward the front. There is a cute little shop that you can walk to for big jugs of water and snacks. The shop has an owl (!) outside, as well as some other birds. We went on a walking tour of the island (fully in Spanish) that was interesting and told about the fishing population and economy.

I am sad to write about my experience because I am sad it happened to us - we were kind, courteous, respectful, and flexible. We spoke only in Spanish with the staff and locals (and did not assume that everyone should speak English). We tipped well. We trusted that we and our belongings were safe and secure and, ultimately, that was not the case. I hope this helps inform your decisions!

Ps: I included a picture of the dress, so if you see anyone on the island wearing it, please know it was stolen or purchased from someone...

We did a tour here through "Viator" and were SO disappointed. The tour was supposed to have an "english guide". When we first booked it, there were not many bad reviews, but a bunch popped up in the months leading up to our trip. A lot of the reviews said this tour was not an english speaking tour even though it was clearly advertised on viator and on their website as english speaking. I was concerned, so I reached out to viator twice before our trip to make sure it was english speaking and to confirm that if it was not, we would get our money back. On the day of the tour, we showed up to the port and asked the people if it was an english speaking tour, we were again assured that "Yes, it's english." As soon as we got on the boat, no one spoke English. The boat operator did not speak english. The boat tour guide did not speak english. None of the staff on the island spoke English. On the boat the guide gave all the safety instructions in spanish, he told facts about the island in spanish. He even told us that the boat boards at 2:40 and leaves at 3:00 and that if you weren't on the boat they would leave without you, he said this in spanish, thank goodness another PAYING CUSTOMER translated for us or we never would've known what time the boat was leaving and we would've been left there. When I reached out to viator, since I couldn't talk to the tour guides directly because they only spoke spanish, Viator said they would try to get us a refund. Try?? You knowingly lied to get us there. Additionally, not only did they falsley advertise this as an "english speaking tour," but they also advertised that a "Welcome cocktail" was included. By definition, a "cocktail" has alcohol in it. Well, not this cocktail, the Welcome cocktail they served was just juice. The beach was filled with rocks and coral and was not pleasant to swim in. The umbrellas they provided were not big enough to shade both chairs at the same time, so one chair was always in the sun. The lunch they included was not good. Overall, it just was not a good experience at all. I recommend staying and doing...

Our experience at this establishment was nothing short of a debacle. We arrived at 10 AM with the intention of placing our order early, aiming to enjoy some snorkeling before our planned lunch at noon. Despite our clear plans, the service was anything but accommodating. Our server, Angelica, seemed bewilderingly unfamiliar with the vegan options on the menu, resulting in a prolonged and frustrating ordering process.

After our snorkeling session, we returned at 11:40 AM, anticipating our meals would be ready by our agreed time. To our dismay, we were left waiting until 12:45 PM for our food to arrive, which not only disrupted our schedule but also highlighted the establishment's glaring lack of attention to its guests. When the food did finally make its appearance, it was a letdown—mediocre in taste and disappointing in portion, save for the french fries which, despite being somewhat enjoyable, were served in frustratingly small quantities.

The pinnacle of our disappointing visit was the shocking discovery of being charged for a bed on the beach — a service we discussed with the staff that we were NOT using. This appeared to be an attempt at inflating our bill under the guise of a misunderstanding, a scam that left us feeling deeply cheated.

Compounding our dissatisfaction was the state of the beach adjacent to the establishment. Far from the idyllic retreat we had envisioned, we found it to be overcrowded, littered with painful rocks, and continuously disturbed by the arrival of large, rowdy boats, making any attempt at relaxation futile.

In sum, this experience was marred by poor service, inadequate food, deceptive billing practices, and an unwelcoming beach environment. It's an understatement to say that I recommend avoiding this place at all costs—better to bring your own lunch and seek out a more serene and honest setting for...