Casa La Joya Bacalar

I made a big mistake of booking Casa La Joya for 4 nights without checking it's rating on TripAdvisor first. It’s low rating is warranted. The price per night was on par with U.S. prices.

We wanted a place on the water so that we could easily kayak. The kayaks La Joya had were sub-par. They were sit-on-top with NO seats. There were only 3 kayaks and we were a group of 4 (in 2 units). Two of the 3 kayaks had no bungee cords to attach the paddles or cargo.

Additionally, our unit was advertised as having a full kitchen which we wanted to do some cooking, heat leftovers, etc. The kitchen was only partially functional. There was no stovetop, only a 2-burner hotplate. There was an empty space in the counter for a cooktop, but it was covered with duct tape. Cookware consisted of 1 large soup pot and one mid-size skillet. For drinking, there were 2 coffee cups and one plastic cup. No teaspoons. No dinner plates.

We reported the broken microwave on day-1 and nothing was done about it. There was a small coffee machine with pods provided but when we tried using it, the cup overfilled and the coffee was not hot. So to make instant coffee that we brought along, we had to heat water in the soup pot on the hot-plate.

On day 2 we had trouble flushing the toilet even though we'd put no paper, etc in it. There was no plunger in the unit. We reported the problem in the a.m. and were told someone would come to fix it in 25 minutes. Later we were told the maintenance person needed to buy a part, even though no one had looked at it. Finally later in the afternoon, we were handed a plunger with no offer of help. We fixed it ourselves in 3 minutes. Having an unflushable toilet most of the day was quite unpleasant.
There was not enough seating on the deck for more than 2 people. One of the 3 lounge chairs were broken at one level. And at the small outer cabana had 2 chairs that were chained to opposite sides along with one hammock, not conducive for even 2 people to sit by the water and chat.
The good things were the A/C, the shower was good, the bed was comfortable and access to the water.

Looked for the place joya - third time in Bacalar ( Beautiful Place ) a bit of bugs . . .

Never really found it - no address ??? - no sign etc

Got charged - ( could not find it - ended renting another place, as it was getting dark)

The worst Experience at finding a hotel in my 30 years of my travels - travel all my life for work & pleasure

Where to start …..
thought the night was going to end with gunshots …..
dirty disgusting common area with empty bottles and cocaine bags left …. No one cleaned up …. Ants everywhere …. Door had massive holes in it and construction next door….

Absolutely appalling .

The property was located on a bumpy dirt road far away from town. No map was available. There was no toilet paper, no water bottles, no closet with no hangers or hooks.
And the almost mute maid stole a very expensive ring of mine. The only saving grace was the night guard who was very helpful, but had no access to items needed.
Don’t go there. It’s pretty in the fotos, but the waters are murky & brown!