Hotel Arenas — Hotel in Quintana Roo

I am extremely dissatisfied with this hotel, even by Mexico standards. On the surface you would see a lovely boutique-style accommodation with a spectacular beach front view. Upon closer observation there were many issues, a few of which we could overlook..but then..there were just too many things to ignore. The overhead fan should have had 3 light bulbs, but one was missing and one was burnt out. There were 2 windows but they were both sealed shut with caulking? The window tracks were filthy too. The screen on the patio door wasn't even attached, but sat outside the frame. The rubberized black-out curtain stuck to the wooden curtain rod and would not open without considerable tugging and effort. The "Egyptian cotton sheets" as mentioned on the website were actually cheap, threadbare and sheer. I found multiple hairs on the sheets when I pulled back the covers...ewww, making me wonder if the sheets had even been changed from the last guest. There were only 2 towels and 1 facecloth, no bathmat, so I used toilet paper to mop the floor because there was no shower curtain to prevent water from splashing everywhere. The water eventuality pooled in front of the sink. There was no hot water. There was no towel rack. There was black mold on the wall by the toilet. The 13" TV was too small to see if you were laying in bed and the remote didn't work to turn the TV off. There were no plug ins to charge our phones or cameras, just an extension cord twisted around the cupboard for the coffee maker, TV and fridge. The shelf on the wall that held the coffee maker was loose and about to fall off. No drinking cups. My husband who works remotely via computer needed wifi, but the signal was so poor and/non-existent at times. (good thing we had a data plan) The drawer on the bureau/cupboard was stuck and would not open properly. I didn't mind the climb to our 3rd floor room, but it would have been nice to have adequate lighting to see in the dark. (they did eventually replace the burnt out light bulb) but not before I missed a stair (but was lucky enough to catch my fall). This place has potential, but the total lack of basic maintenance and cleanliness leaves much to be desired. There is a "restaurant" on the ground floor ... although we only ever had coffee in the morning. It was nice to sit in a hammock right on the beach, but you'll need bug spray because the sand fleas (?) and mosquitoes will eat you alive. It's a short walk to town and restaurants. This place has awesome potential, clean it up and do some...

OK, i get it, its Mexico, i don't want to sound snooty or harsh , however, this hotel needs some serious upgrades, it costs almost Nothing to clean, yet they seem to have forgotten this important step!. Starting from the moment we arrived, no one spoke English and no one had any personality at all, I asked questions got little no response,just blank stares, maybe they are shy? But all of them? Not an adult to be found, just kids runing the desk? Finally one very nice young lady in broken English assisted us and got us to our rooms. I got the 3rd from ocean view as requested. The stairs going up are in need of repair and you must be careful not to trip as each step is a little higher or lower than the other, some pieces of wood are even missing. Once in the room we imminently fund so many things broken. The screen door i had to completely remove fix and try to put back, but it is the wrong size for that door so every time you opened you had to force it . The other 2 windows were bolted or sealed shut with caulking so no way to get any breeze going through the room, The windows sills were full or dirt and mold The bathroom walls had black mold in the corner and not once did they clean it even when asked. We had no WiFi for 3 days no hot water for 3 days, but it was fixed after complaining again. The shower had little to now pressure and was very hard to shower. the tv was small, not even 13 inches in diameter. we found hairs in the bed on our first night before even sleeping in it , but after it was ok. The patio was not cleaned or swept the entire 6 days were stayed there, a simple broom would have been nice. As always, the beds are Mexico rock hard. One of the nights i believe the owners were there , as they appeared to be interacting and working with the staff and all they did was yell and argue and scream among themselves for a few hours, The lady's who cleaned our room were great! they even did a small load of my laundry for free so i tipped...

My husband and I are not the type that enjoy the big high-rise hotels that take over an area and create a 'bubble' around you in the middle of a local region. We are much more interested in staying in a hotel run by locals, a place where the people from that country like to go and hang out. We appreciate private room with a decent bed and bathroom facilities and being within walking distance of the local amenities. The Hotel Arenas was all of this for us during our recent stay in Mahahual, Mexico. We stayed on the third floor and had a fantastic view of the Caribbean, with constant sea breezes keeping us cool even on hot sticky nights. Staff were lovely and accommodating. My only complaint was the pillows weren't great.||||We were within walking distance of great dive shops (my husband and son dove with Takata - great environmentally active shop). We could snorkel right off the beach and see amazing sea life including turtles and barracuda, and we were within walking distance of the Malacon, a pedestrian only zone that touted great restaurants, shopping, messages on the beach, and local entertainment. When snorkeling you do have to watch out for urchins in the seagrass (don't walk, swim over this) and there are lions fish in this area as well. The locals do guided snorkel exertions and are not careful enough with their boats around other snorkelers so make sure you have a good buoy marker and stay aware.||||We took a cab to a local ruin site that was very interesting. It's also a cab ride away from a large fresh water lake (Bachalar).||||All in all a fantastic rustic get away a 5 hour bus ride...