My husband and I stayed at Na Balam for our wedding anniversary and there was only one real disappointment during our stay--even though I had requested one of the rooms with a king bed far in advance, we were given a unit with two smaller beds. Not exactly romantic, but not a complete tragedy. We tried to change rooms and they said everything was booked.

Our room was #12, on the ground floor, on the beach side of the hotel. We had our own little patio in front of the room with nice lounge chairs, and although this was right in front of a walking path, there wasn't a lot of foot traffic. The room was nice and surprisingly large, with sitting area that looked onto the patio. Beds were very comfortable, and there was no TV--I don't know if that's typical, since there seemed to be a cable connection in the wall. If we return, though, I will do my best to get an upper level room--there were walkways right next to the room, and our window coverings weren't great. After some engineering with towels we had privacy, but without the towels, the gaps in the curtains would make me nervous, especially at night.

The beach was really the high point of the property. It's white sand with crystal-clear water and futon-like beds to flop down on under the palm trees. By 10am or so, the beds all get occupied, so it's a good idea to get out there early. It's not a big, wide beach, but it's much less crowded than other parts of Playa del Norte, with less seaweed. I've been coming to the island for 10 years, and the overall beach is more narrow and filled with seaweed than a few years ago--also much more crowded, even during a low time. The area around Na Balam was terrific, though. I would definitely consider coming back, under certain circumstances--we got the room during a sale, and it would have been out of our usual budget range if it were regular price. At the same time, I would probably only come back if we can stay on the beach like we did this time; the pool side of the hotel was less attractive, and the other reviews of this pool section are discouraging.

Finally, the staff was consistently nice, although it was strangely hard to get linens replaced, even after a few nights--washcloths seem especially rare. There's good wifi in the little lobby, and the included continental breakfast is very generous and delicious--fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, OJ, coffee, and toast. Much more food than I expected.

I choose this hotel for the beach. I stayed in Isla two years ago at Secreto but didn't want to pay the price again and I wanted to be right on North Beach. I saw the Groupon deal after I booked but unless they upgraded your room I didn't think it was a great deal. We stayed in room #5 on the beachside. It was on the 2nd floor and had a large patio but I think I would have preferred the bottom floor with the beach beds off the patio.

Our room was basic. No clock, hair dryer, or fridge. The rooms are spacious so they could add a mini fridge. They did provide warm bottled water. The bed was beyond hard but the pillows were ok. I though the lighting was fine in the room. When we were in the room, we watched movies on the IPADs. Wifi is at the restaurants or reception which is a nusiance.

Reception was hard to find as the hotel name wasn't marked. I actually walked around the hotel along the beach and found a waiter at the beach restaurant to take me to reception. They are doing work around the grounds. Pool was empty. I thought they were cleaning it but from another post it sounds like it's out of commission for a while. I was glad I didn't book a pool side room.

Beach is awesome. They have day beds set up. It was a little on the breezy/windy side when we were there but when the wind did die down and the sun was out it was awesome and that is why I booked at this place.

We ate dinner one night at Fenix and it was really good.

I booked this hotel through a groupon. I had visited Isla Mujeres twice before and I was going to stay at the hotel I had stayed in on both prior visits. I happened to see this deal before I booked the other hotel, and as the regular room rate at this hotel was more expensive, I was excited to try somewhere new that I thought might excede my previous experience. I was disappointed on almost all levels.
The reception area was confusing and difficult to locate.The first room I checked in to had small bugs all over the bed coverlet. I asked for a new room and was given another one. The air conditioning was turned very low and later that night I learned why- the room smelled horribly of the smell of the sewer. The bed was also extremely hard and very uncomfortable. I asked for another new room the next morning and after the rooms were cleaned I was given my third room. All three of these rooms were on the "pool side".. imagine my disappointment when I realised that the pool was drained of water while improvements were being made. Ironically, my cousin stayed here many years ago and the pool was out of commission on his visit as well. Overall, I would say that the rooms are tired and past their prime. The beds are horribly uncomfortable and there is a very pervasive odor of mustiness (more so than is regular for a humid beach local). There are no amenities in the rooms, which didn't really bother me, but might not work for some. No tv, no phone, very dim lighting. On the plus side, the grounds are nice and they have a nice raised palapa where they teach yoga twice a day. The staff was friendly and accommodating.The continental breakfast (included!) was very nice and the freshly ground coffee and homemade bread was delicious. The beach is pretty and the location is okay. The rest of my family stayed in a different hotel that was less than half the price and the rooms were much much better. I will not stay here again.

I've been to Isla a couple times now, and I can tell you by far my favorite hotel. I love the island vibe of the hotel and rooms! White stucco walls, dark wood beams, private patios with hammocks and chairs on the sand. In my case, we got a room with a plunge pool (room 14) and paid the extra $10 a night to have a fridge. There is no TV, clocks, or phones in the room, but that's exactly the point. Go to an island and stay at a tropical resort to relax!!! We had an amazing time here and I will stay here from now on! The Beds are super comfortable, the staff and restaurants have amazing food and they even have the option of setting up a private romantic dinner on the beach for you with candles and flowers... Stay here, trust me..