Horrible experience at Almare Isla Mujeres
Disappointing experience for our babymoon
We chose Almare Isla Mujeres for our babymoon, hoping for a relaxing and memorable experience before welcoming our baby. Unfortunately, our stay was overshadowed by repeated service delays, poor communication, and a significant noise issue that affected our ability to rest.
To start with the positives, the ocean-view room upgrade was appreciated (we are gold elite Marriott members though so upgrades are one of the perks) the food itself was generally good, and staff were attentive once we were seated. However, the overall service experience fell well below our expectations for a resort at this price point.
At Boga, we waited 15 minutes just to be seated, another 20 minutes for appetizers, and nearly 30 minutes more for our entrees. Despite there being only two tables occupied, our water was never refilled, and we were told the restaurant was already closed when we asked about dessert. There seems to be only one staff running the entire dinner service.
The food truck experience was similarly frustrating. We initially placed our order at the truck, only to be told 10 minutes later that orders had to be placed elsewhere. After reordering, we waited another 45 minutes for all our food. What should have been a casual lunch took approximately 1.5 hours.
Room service was another disappointment. We were quoted 30–40 minutes but waited 1 hour and 15 minutes. We had specifically called ahead to confirm that our food could be placed inside our room while we were out, and we were assured this would happen. When we returned, the food was missing. After additional calls and waiting, it finally arrived, and we were told it had come earlier but had not been placed in the room as instructed.
We also tried to use the paddleboard service, only to find the rental area unattended for an hour despite signage indicating staff would return in 30 minutes. By the time someone finally arrived to assist us, we were told we had only 15 minutes before the service closed. Better staffing and accurate signage could have easily prevented this disappointment.
Our biggest concern, however, was the noise from the gym directly adjacent to our room, 107. We could hear weights being dropped and reracked against the shared wall because there appeared to be no adequate mats or noise-dampening measures. I was woken up around 7:00–7:30 AM on two consecutive mornings. We reported the issue to the front desk, but the noise continued until around 8:00 AM. My husband eventually had to approach another guest personally to ask them to handle the weights more gently. Guests should not have to confront one another to resolve an issue that management should be addressing.
I am eight months pregnant, restful sleep was particularly important during this trip. Having two mornings disrupted by preventable noise significantly affected our babymoon and left us feeling exhausted rather than refreshed.
The hotel offered one-time hydrotherapy access, use of the massage chair, and access to a cabana bed. While we appreciate these gestures, we do not feel they adequately address the cumulative inconvenience, lost rest, and repeated service failures we experienced.
We understand that occasional delays can happen at any resort, but the number of issues we encountered throughout our stay was disappointing. We chose Almare expecting a premium, relaxing experience, especially for such a meaningful trip, but instead spent considerable time waiting for food, following up on orders, chasing unavailable amenities, and dealing with noise disturbances.
Just checked out and more update on this hotel:
The checkout process was unfortunately the final straw in an already disappointing stay. The hotel attempted to charge us for laundry that was explicitly offered to us as a courtesy due to the inconvenience of our room change. On the day of the move, I explained that our clothes were still drying on the balcony, and staff instructed us to place them in the laundry bag, assuring us they would handle it. Imagine our shock when Elizabeth at the front desk insisted we had to pay for it. She repeatedly argued with us and dismissively stated, “Ma’am, I spoke to your husband and mentioned it was an extra charge,” as though I had not been present and heard the entire conversation. No such charge was mentioned. What made this even more frustrating was that Elizabeth was also the person I previously approached about the excessive gym noise disturbing our room. Instead of listening to the video I took to demonstrate the noise, she questioned why we had not complained the first night. We initially gave the hotel the benefit of the doubt, assuming it was an isolated incident. However, when it happened again and woke us up for an hour, we had reached our limit. Rather than showing empathy, Elizabeth made us feel as though we were unreasonable for raising legitimate concerns. Her dismissive attitude throughout both incidents completely overshadowed the otherwise positive aspects of our stay. Management seriously needs to address how customer complaints are handled and provide additional training on empathy, communication, and conflict resolution. We should never have been made to feel this way over inconveniences caused by the hotel itself.
Stay elsewhere if possible