Mia Reef Isla Mujeres — Hotel in Isla Mujeres

Update Nov 2024: No change to their policy where families with kids between 13 & 16 need to get 2 rooms

Update Nov 2023: Atrocious customer service. Nobody will pick up or respond. Unfortunately this is the last straw as I've wasted so much time trying to get a hold of someone as well as challenge their stupid occupancy policy. Family's of 4 with children over the ages of 12...Buyer beware! Such a money gouging policy. I can go stay at other hotels throughout Cancun with no such policy. Read on if you wish...

In summary, I've been trying to rebook March break 2024 through the WhatsApp option on their website. My children will be 13 and 15 upon arrival at that time. We've been coming here off and on since 2007 and as recently as 2021. I'm now being told I have to book 2 rooms because my children are now considered "adults" and 4 "adults" cannot stay in a room - regardless if there's 2 beds or not. That even includes a Private Villa. So this hotel is basically suited for families of four with children under 12 or families with only one child over the age of 12 (max of 3 "adults" per room). What family of four is going to rent two rooms at $600 USD each and split up their family? Totally asinine. I've definitely dropped them down to 2 stars because of it.

I guess I will have to take my thousands of dollars I was willing to spend and family of four "adults" elsewhere. Shame on you. 2018 Lots of ++++, with a few - - - - -. It's a North American 3-4 star at best, and claims to be a Mexican 5 star. *Stayed in a deluxe ocean view room in the hotel. This is our 2nd trip there in 10 years..... Under both sets of owners. My review and experience is pretty much the same.

I'm giving it a 4 because there's so much else besides the hotel itself that makes it a 5 star.... specifically the beach, sand, safety of the resort, and views. The hotel itself is in such a great setting that 5 stars is the default rating. However there's a few things that bring it down a notch (or more)....

Rooms: poor storage. Some people are there for more than a couple days (7 in our case) and need more than a very shallow dresser and small narrow closet to accommodate a family of 4. Bathrooms could use a shelf or two as well. But overall, we were very happy with our 7 nights. Had a great view and balcony even though we were only on the 3rd floor.

Food: There's not a whole lot of selection. But for the most part, it sufficed. By day 5 we were a tad tired of the hot dogs, fries, and deep fried options for lunch prior to 1pm before the actual buffet opened. Everyone has their favorites obviously. We loved the made to order tacos - which were offered a couple times throughout. I'd say breakfast was the most consistent satisfying meal for our family. We didn't enjoy the "a la carte" reservation dinner which is offered a few times throughout the week. The service was very much a step up from the buffet and usual meal staff, but the food was disappointing. I got the "steak" which was a 75% ribbon of fat which I returned only to get the same thing but cooked more. My wife got the "catch of the day" - which one would expect to be a locally caught white fish of some kind. Nope.... Admittedly frozen USA imported salmon. So don't waste your time or make a big deal about getting a table. *note to parents.... There is no peanut butter here, so bring your own if your kids are junkies

Beach: 5+ stars. It puts all the trivial negative stuff I've written about to the side. The reviews don't lie.... It's the best I've been to of all my travels throughout Mexico, dominican, USA, and the Mediterranean.

Town: Lovely. Lots of food options. No reason to not feel safe. The $50 US a day golf cart rental is worth it. Previous reviews speak to it.

In summary.....do it. Whether it's this hotel or somewhere else on the island, it's such a piece of heaven that is so hard to put into words. We will be back and are actually pondering making it a retirement destination. Don't sweat the small stuff. It's not perfect, but...

Our family has been coming to Mia for the past 16 years when the hotel was called Avalon. We even stated one year for two months (one whole summer) when there was major construction of the main building and the balconies were built in each room. We didn’t mind the loudness because we were in a place where we felt home. This was a place where many milestones of our children happened like learning how to walk. When the owners changed, many other changes occurred. As a regular guest once or twice per year, I can truly say that the hotel is truly not improving at all but rather going backwards in progress. We came this year after a four year break. We are absolutely thrilled with the service of the long staying staff like Nicolas, Mike, Roberto, Gabriel, Luis, Jesus, Saul and Kevin. Kevin has been an extraordinary lifeguard for years. One year we even saw him save the life of two tourists from Chiapas. When he saw the two men drowning, he dove into the water amid without hesitating brought the two men into safety. We were thrilled when we saw him again not in the role of a lifeguard but concierge. He made us feel super special when he welcomed us. I’m addition, the hospitality of Don Armando the security is also outstanding. All these extraordinary waiters, bartenders and other members of the staff have seen our four children grow up from infants to teenagers and make us feel like we’re part of the family. You really can’t go anywhere for better service. We are also extremely happy with the new entertainment boss, David, who has shown us great hospitality and professionalism. He is very attentive to our needs and suggestions. In terms of the quality of food, that is something that has definitely changed for the worse. Many years ago, the general manager, Horacio, was so on top of suggestions for improvement. Under his management, there were luxurious items like breakfast smoothies, pasta stations each day, sushi bar for club members like ourselves and top shelf liquor like cognac. Whenever we arrived, we were always greeted with a welcome cocktail right at the door and this time there was nothing. Also, each time we arrived, Horacio ensured that the cognac was always available. Even during the pandemic, Horacio was able to keep up the service while at the same time ensuring that the hotel manages the difficult time financially responsibly. The reason we decided to take a long four year break from coming to the place where we became the first members when the hotel started the MIA club is because we noticed the prices going through the roof, while the quality continuously decreased. The sushi that I can say was the best I’ve ever tasted disappeared together with the sushi chef, Roman, who contributed greatly to the success of Mia in the past. Even at the Mia club, none of the staff who knows us from the past years approached us to say hello. That’s very disappointing! The last thing that I want to mention is in relation to the food. We’ve seen many chefs, including Chef David and Chef Paulina who always came to the restaurant to welcome us when we arrived. When we made comments about the saltiness of the food in the past, they always responded and made the necessary changes. The food continues to be extremely salty and when we commented about this, no one seemed to care. During the management of a chef David, there were always weekly barbecues outside which have also become obsolete. All in all, the only positive of the hotel is the location and the dedicated staff who continue to work here despite the negative comments they hear from long coming guests like us. When our next trip back here will be, I’m not sur. However, seeing what I’m seeing now in the last four days, I’m not very eager to book our next vacation here. Perhaps, if I hear that things are nice again improving in the quality and services offered, then I’ll spend my hard earned money on Mia. The staff who I mentioned in this review really deserve a huge raise for how they treat guests like us as part...

I looked at the reviews before we booked and felt like there were so many 5 stars, that the negative ones must have been by a bunch of complainers. I truly cannot believe how many positive comments there are about Mia Reef, this place was beyond horrible. The website, and especially the video of the overview of the hotel are completely misleading. Go expecting to be pitched with special offers, time share presentations, as early as check in. The hotel is beyond run down. Everything is needing maintenance, dingy and needs replacement. The whole hotel needs renovation, but things don't actually work. Our hotel room, which was the deluxe hotel room, was not as advertised. When we walked in, we were shocked with the size, and the view of the flat roof that had a dirty pair of underwear, cigarettes, and trash on it. The television didn't work. The shower door would not stay shut and slide open when showering. When we were leaving we also stripped the bed for housekeeping, and were absolutely disgusted by the attached photo of the mattress.

We then started wandering around the property and could not believe how run down and dated the place was. The “entertainment” that the hotel advertises, is afternoon Bingo—yes Bingo. There is no snorkeling mask for people to use, and the beach area was so tiny it could only fit about 20 people. Now, the food…We were aware that it was an all-inclusive, and the food would not be 5 star, but we weren’t prepared. What is advertised is not what is offered. The hotel is banking on 85% of the customers eating at the buffet (slophouse). The process for making reservations is tedious because they don’t want people eating in the “restaurants”, which is technically 1 that is divided by a plate of glass (one side is Mexican, the other is Italian). The process for making a reservation is going the day before, at 3:00 to the restaurant. I got to the door at 3:00 and waited until 3:17. The guy waiting behind me was complaining about how ridiculous it was, as the staff were all in the restaurant, sitting at a table. There were 2 others in front of me. When someone finally came, he helped the 2 others in front of me and then myself. He said there were two options for my party of 2, for the following evening-and that was it. Now, I was the THIRD person in line, and you can only make reservations 24 hours in advance, so how there were only those 2 spots left at that time left me a little confused. But I booked my reservation for the following day and then asked the man if there were any spots available by chance that night, as I knew the reservations had to be made the day before. He told me there was one at 6:00, so I was thrilled and took it. When my Husband and I got to the restaurant at 6:00 we sat down, were greeted with welcome drinks and a very sweet waiter (Pro). We enjoyed our appetizers, soup and entrees very much. The food at the restaurant was good. What left us absolutely shocked with, was that we were the ONLY ONES there until around 7:15. The restaurant had NO ONE THERE. They are intentionally withholding the reservations at the restaurant and saying they are full, so everyone must eat at the buffet. I saw a couple other reviews after our return, that figured the same thing. This is all so the hotel can save money because the restaurant food was decent, the buffet is utter garbage.

The Cevicheria is good. We ate there for most lunches and dinners. The Coffee Shop is basically a self-serve coffee machine. Some mornings there might be some fruit but not all days. There are a handful of yogurts and some stale pastries.

Overall: I really don’t know how there are this many 5 stars. My Husband and I kept questioning it as it was such a dump. I think Mia might be for first time travelers, or maybe 18–25 year olds that like the idea of unlimited booze. But if you have any standards for food, room cleanliness or stuff to do—go...