Cabañas Punta Placer — Hotel in Oaxaca

This would be a 3.5 if available. We had an amazing time in San Augustinillo but there were a few issues with the accommodation itself that are worth highlighting.

The location is spectacular - just steps from the verandah to the most beautiful beach, with a glorious view of both sunrise and sunset. San Augustinillo is the perfect spot to use as a relaxing base for exploring the area. The hotel is about a 15 minute walk into Mazunte and there are lots of low key restaurants much closer than this.

The accommodation itself has some areas that require improvement - particularly for the price point which was relatively high for the very simple facilities:

1. The rooms are open to the elements with no mosquito screens. We were bitten every day when using the bathroom/ shower. The bed has a net but this had a few holes and on a couple of nights we were bitten over night as well.

2. Because the room is open it is very very noisy. We loved the sound of the ocean and the birds but the fishermen/ boat tours situated right next to our ground floor room get started with their diesel engines at dawn. We also could hear our neighbours coughing etc overnight.

3. For the price point the room should have a mini fridge. There was nowhere to keep drinks cool and we couldn’t keep any food in the room because insects would attack it.

4. The attached restaurant is more expensive but of no better quality than others in the area - for both food and drinks. This meant we only used it for breakfast on day 1.

5. There are sunbeds but not always enough to go around when the hotel is full. Not all the deckchairs have shade and it gets very hot here.

6. The WiFi is terrible! Almost unusable at peak times of day (afternoons) Local 4G signal is not very reliable either.

Most of these elements could be fixed - especially adding insect screens to the windows, and then it could be a lovely place to stay. Not sure we’d return if things remain as they are...

Punta Placer itself s amazing - the location right on the beach is wonderful. The regular cabanas seemed lovely, unfortunately we stayed in the family bungalow which is not as lovely as the rest of the property. It is above the restaurant and further from the beach - there are two cabanas on the beach (each with an up and down unit), two more set back from these, and then the restaurant with the family bungalow above. The bungalow itself is very cute with a large deck (where we spent most of our time) and the bathroom is quite amazing - it's an open-air concept, large, and very well designed. The 'master' bed is on the main floor, quite comfortable and good pillows. The beds upstairs in the loft weren't so great. The picture looks like it's a queen and then they describe another single bed - in actuality the larger bed is maybe a twin and the single is some kind of weird size that barely fit one person. The irregular bed sizes would have been fine had we been able to get any breeze through the place, alas, Punta Placer is right next to the fisherman's lane where they bring in their catch every day. That creates quite the pungent odour - unbearable quite frankly - so you have to choose between 'stinky air' or 'no air'. We chose 'no air' and it was HOT. They have fans but they just can't cool the place and you really don't get that much breeze anyway because the bungalow is set back and behind the other cabanas. Jamie, the manager, does his very best and he was very responsive to any issue that arose but he couldn't 'fix' the smell. Regardless, we had a fantastic time in San Augustanillo but were a bit sleep deprived for the three nights. Bottom line - don't hesitate to stay in one of the main cabanas but avoid the family bungalow. NOTE - the meals at the restaurant were really good as well - Guac was some of the...

They DO NOT accept Credit Cards - It is vaguely displayed on Trip Advisor: "No Credit Card Required" This tells me absolutely nothing! ||2. Dog turd in the sand right outside the resort by the beach chairs - on their property.||3. Salt water for showers and brushing your teeth! ||4. WIFI sucked! it is advertised as HIGH SPEED Internet - we did a speed test, and it showed at: download 17.62, upload 0.79 / very bad if you're trying to work and play! I could not get my work done on an early Friday morning!||5. Receptionist, very passive aggressive - We had an issue with PayPal (Punta Placer's fault/mistake) - they hounded us like K-9 drug sniffing dogs, asking and "updating" us on the "non-payment". We spent the day we arrived talking to our U.S. Bank, and the next day talking to PayPal to figure out what went wrong and why payment had not gone through to the business/recipient--- Our bank informed us that an authorization and approval for payment had posted. PayPal advised us to check the business/recipient email to make sure it was correct. After the hassle, and having to spend time of our short vacation on multiple calls and with very MINIMAL WIFI/connectivity, the mystery was solved: the email provided by hotel reception was wrong, the explanation for the lack of funds NOT posting.||6. If you want the experience of being in Mexico, go else where. This is primarily Euro clientele. NOT a place where you can have the full experience Mexico's lovely people have to offer. ||7. Keep in mind this is not our first Huatulco vacation. We love Huatulco and it's people. We feel welcome in Crucesita, and actually felt very welcome by the locals in San Agustinillo, however; this place was not for us. ||||*On a positive note: the place was cute. For a palapa/choza - Posh!||Checked out early, and headed where we...