Hotel Hacienda Morelos

Puerto Morelos is a find — a quieter, less developed stretch of coast with an unbeatable beachfront. Hacienda Morelos has the location to take full advantage of that. The restaurant is good and the setting is genuinely special. The problem is that the operational gaps are hard to ignore for a property positioning itself at the premium end of an up-and-coming destination. The Tren Maya station has a predatory taxi operation. I called the hotel for assistance and, due to a bad connection or other communication issues, they were unable or unwilling to help. I eventually called an Uber, whose driver navigated a police intervention to get me out. Regardless of how you plan to arrive, the hotel should be warning guests about conditions at this station in advance. Check-in was rigid to the point of unwelcoming — turned away at 2:53 PM after nearly two hours in the restaurant. My room was on the third floor with no elevator, no bell staff, and nobody asked at check-in whether I needed help with luggage. The rooms are dated — you are paying for the location, not the accommodation. The service interaction that followed check-in was the low point — extremely rude in a way I eventually had to address directly. It shouldn't come to that. Final note: bring small bills for housekeeping tips. The front desk and restaurant cannot make change.

This is a hard review to write because we do like the place. It’s right in the middle of town and so an easy walk to anywhere. All the units are ocean front, and right on the beach. There's plenty of storage for clothes. All the staff are pleasant and speak enough English to get by. There are lots of lounge chairs and palapas and umbrellas. There is a supermarket right across the street. Most of the guests, like us, are older, so it’s very quiet. And there is a great restaurant on the premises. So, what’s not to like? Well, there’s no coffee in the room, a big disappoint for us. You can get coffee if you go down three flights, cross the parking lot into the lobby, and then do the reverse carrying two cups. The bath lighting is horrible. There are just two hooks for towels and only one hand towel with no place to hang it. You cannot get your hand under the sink faucet to wash. I could not stop a puddle from getting on the floor when showering, and the shower stall barely drained. The mattress is soft and saggy, the pillows lumpy, and though a king, our feet hung off the end of the bed. There’s no chair or desk, and the outlet by the bed was broken. They require a deposit for beach towels and a hairdryer. So, would I stay here again? This is the only beachfront hotel in Puerto Morelos that I could find, and we don’t much care for Airbnb. So probably yes, we would.

The pool was a lot of fun, every room had a beautiful view of the beach and ocean and the location is very convenient to walk everywhere. The staff was great.