My wife and I stayed for a week at the Maryland hotel in February of 2006. We flew to San Andres Island (SAI) out of Toronto on a last minute deal on Air Transat.

Before I start my review let me tell you a bit about my travel experience. I have stayed at many 3, 4, and 5 stars resorts in Play Del Carmen (Riu Tequila & Barcelo Mayan Beach Resort), Cancun (Jack Tar Village and Tucancun), Punta Cana (Riu & H10 Bavaro), Puerto Plata (Riu Mambo) and Varadero (Melia & Grand Carribe).

The MARYLAND hotel:
This is a small u shaped 3++ star hotel with about 60 rooms. It is very clean and the staff is very friendly. The food is above average and our room was clean and more than acceptable. The hotel is built on a reef and we could hear the sound of the crashing waves from our room. We had an ocean view room, after requesting it at the front desk, and we could almost touch the ocean from our balcony. None of the Decameron hotel compares to the mega resorts of the DR, Mexico or Cuba. The hotels (Isleno, Aquarium, Marazul and San Luis) all have their own special features that makes them all very interesting to visit. The hotel that compares the closest to a DR/Mexico/Cuba resort is the Marazul because of the restaurants, Casino, gardens, etc.

The POOL:
The pool area is small and is located in the interlock courtyard of the hotel. It is very beautiful to sit in this courtyard and enjoy a drink and the amazing view of Johnny Cay. The pool has a swim up bar and is a great place to relax at meet other guest of the hotel. The Maryland has a small beach but don't waste your time there. The most beautiful beach of the island is just a 4 minute walk away. It is located in front of the Isleno hotel.

The ISLAND:
The island is breath taking and the color of the water is amazing! The sand, the beach, the palm trees everything is the way it should be in paradise. I just can't believ and describe how beautiful and amazing this place is.

The TOURS:
We did an island tour which was very cheap and very interesting. We visited a church, a carribean house, a natural fish pool (great snorkling), a blow hole and downtown San Andres. Half a day for US $20 each. We also visited Haynes and Aquario Cay. It cost us $5 to get to these island using the ponton service offered at the Marazul hotel docks. We spent about 2 hours on the islands. To get from one island to the other you must walk in the water. It was about waist deep. The color of the water, the snorkling and the hundreds of fish made it very worth while experience. Just incredible.

The OTHER DECAMERON HOTELS:
We visited all of the hotels. There is a free shuttle that brings you back and forth from one resort to the other. We wouldn't have any problems staying at any one of them.

Overall this is one of the greatest place I've been so far. I enjoyed SAI very much. I love the people, the food, the culture, the accomodation, the other resorts, the beach, the sand, the water, etc. Next time I'm bringing the kids..

My husband and I stayed at the Decameron Maryland during the last two weeks of January. We were very pleased with our choice as the hotel is the smallest of the 5 Decamerons on the island and had a very cozy feel. The staff were very friendly and made our stay enjoyable. The food was great. Our buffet restaurant had various international food days (Colombian, Mexican, Arabic, Italian) and they tried to keep the food choices varied. Quite a bit of fresh fish was served, as well as varied meats. They served numerous delicious fruit juices and had some really nice deserts. My husband loved their coffee. (We didn't hear about anybody being sick like at other destinations.) Of course, if you're the type that gets tired of eating at the same place all the time, you can eat at any of the other four Decamerons on the island (shuttle service is included). The other hotels have various a la carte and buffet restaurants. We were there to relax so we didn't "do" much on this trip other than bake in the sun. There was a small bar as well as a snack bar at the beach so you didn't have to go far if you got thirsty or hungry. There was also a public washroom near the beach and it was always clean. It was quite windy every day except for the day that we were leaving so if wind bothers you, this might not be a good choice. The pedestrian road/boardwalk along the beach was great for strolling both day and night. All the areas we walked to around the downtown area felt safe; you didn't have to be on the look out for problems. The island is duty free so a lot of Colombians travel there to shop. The waters around the island are breathtaking; I just couldn't take my eyes off the different hues of blue. We definately want to return and next time we'll actually go around and see more of the island.

We were in this hotel in Feb 2005. Clean, wonferful service, friendly. But.. Cannot go to the pool after 9 PM. Food was "continental" and clean. Beer were all American Red Bull (Yak!), when ask, you'll have Miller Highlite. After 4 nights, we were forcing (begging)the dining staff to make us a real columbian coffee (San Andres is a Columbian Island). People on the Island were very friendly and nice. The city was noisy and polluted. Beware of the noise from the airport ( almost every 30 minutes, there was a charter flight arriving.) The beach on this hotel was 20 feet large, waves were like Katrina and full of ...rocks (big..rocks), but you can swim in the nearby (2 minutes walk) public beach (very nice). Lastly, you can buy local beer (250ml btl)( very good) to fill up your room' fridge, and that the best thing you can do in San Andres when it rain for 2 days a week in February. You can eat at other Decameron Hotel, but the same for all of them in San Andres. Overall, don't pay for more than $1000 for the trip.

Decameron Mary Land is the smallest of the 5 Decameron hotels in the island but don’t let that fool you. Located walking distance from the Isleño (which has the best beach on the island) and downtown it is ideal for those who seek a quite nice hotel with big clean rooms and excellent food that is close to everything.

Yes, you get to eat and drink in all 5 Decameron hotels when you book in one of them but in my opinion the Mary Land had the best food. Great variety and quality and the people there are very nice.

Night entertainment at the Mary Land itself is non-existent but you can walk (or take the free inter-Decameron bus, a taxi or even a local bus) to downtown and the other hotels. At the bar you don’t have to wait as long as in the Marazul or Isleño because less rooms means less people and shorter line. And there is always a bar open!

I highly recommend this hotel. Please check out the pictures to get a better idea.

If you go to San Andres don’t forget your snorkeling gear most of the activities there include the sea and diving in it.

Ciao
Ernesto