I had a terrible experience staying at this hotel. Most of the staff were rude especially the lady at the front desk and the security gaurd who keeps the gate locked at night. The pool was freezing, the pool bar was closed, and there was no food insight. Moreover, the beds were hard and my room was filled with fleas. I was staying in my room alone and my friend was staying at the Melia nearby. They did not give me any of her phone messages and were rude when she came to visit. My phone did not call out and they were major jerks about having anybody visit. It is a major treck into town and the beach is definately more than a 5 minute walk. There are bars on the windows and not even the locals know where the Villa La Paloma is because it is such a dump! All the other Americans that I met at the hotel were not pleased either. Don't do it!

We research thoroughly before we go anywhere. This location is not downtown and that's the way we wanted it. We typically go off season and that makes just about any place quieter. We had a lovely 3rd floor room overlooking the pool.

The hotel is well staffed and helpful. We were out several nights and came back late. The entry gates to the hotel are closed and locked at night. May I say it's for your own security. There is no problem, you simple ring or call out to the night watchman and he lets you in. If he is sleeping just wake him up. He expects it, it's his job, not a big deal.

If you read what the hotel is about you'll also see that there is mention of "staining" towels and that you will be charged. You should also use the "pool towels" which are located at the lobby desk.

And last of all I would like to say to Americans that travel to a foreign country. Remember, you are the visitor. Be prepared to know a few words in the native language. To expect everyone to speak yours is just plain elitest and why Americans get the title "ugly american".

I would stay again any time.

Arriving at the hotel, we were immediately disappointed - it was clear that we were far from anything, and the surrounding environment wasn't all that appealing. It's true that the hotel is 5 blocks from downtown, but those blocks are probably the longest blocks I've ever seen - and once you're done with them, you've only reached the very outskirts of downtown, with another three or four blocks until you finally hit the likes of 'El Squid Roe'.

We checked in and went to our rooms, which were nice enough. The only real problem (outside of the remote control for the tv not working) was the extreme amount of noice. Anyway, we walked by the pool, and noticed that the "swim up bar" was not staffed with either a bartender or any actual alcohol - this remained the case during our entire stay. Not that we would have done it anyway, but so much for staying by the pool.

One night, we left for our nightly walk to downtown at approximately 11pm. The gates were locked! When I say locked, I mean that there was a chain with a padlock around our only exit from the 'compound'. A non-english speaking gentleman woke up from his nap and let us out.
Needless to say, we consistently woke the poor man up when we returned in the 2-4am range. Clearly 'younger' people who actually go out at night do not frequent this establishment.

On one of these nights, we brought back an extra person with us - prior to being allowed to our rooms, we had to sign in, acknowledging that we would pay an additional $26 for the extra person to sleep in our room - although nothing extra (bed, towels, etc.) was given by the hotel. The next morning, we were actually stopped and payment was demanded on the spot - they couldn't even wait for us to checkout!

The final straw was the towels. We used towels to dry off, and left some brown stains from the Henna tattoos that we had gotten. After a wash, a small stain was still present. They wanted us to pay $25 for each of the three towels. After asking about the washing process, we were informed that they don't bleach the towels, and they only wash them once - if there's a stain, they expect the guest to pay.
Ridiculous. I informed the clerk, a very angry woman named Goyita, that there was a sign in the room that the towels cost $15, rather than the $25 she was charging. She told me she'd have to see the sign, at which point I went back to the room and ripped down the sign. The woman actually stared at the sign which was in bold red, for over a minute, before she acknowledged that it was only $15.

After adding up the cab rides (we couldn't handle all of that walking for 7 days), the towels and the charge for the extra person, this hotel was definitely not worth it just in terms of cost. When you add in the aggravation, this hotel stay was downright frustrating. The good thing is that our trip was still incredible, but the next time we're staying at Las Plazas Glorias for sure!

First the good points... for the price, this is a GREAT place to stay.
It is within walking distance to everything. It is a small place, so the party crowd is not likely to stay here. Lazy afternoons out at the pool are a must. The rooms are spacious and comfortable. Having a toaster a blender in the kitchen is a huge plus. Big money can be saved on cooking in your suite. There is a mini mart and a laundrymat directly within the complex. Now the only bad point. When we were dropped off at the hotel, I was very hesitant. The hotel is within a square of apartments that likely have been built around it in the last 10 years. The ambiance has been diminished by this situation. The suites are subjected to the noise from the apartments. Our suite was only 10 feet away from a very noisy tenant. The noise can be muted quite a bit by running the fan or air conditioner when you are in your suite. I WILL stay there again, great value!