I am not completely sure what people are complaining about. Posada Dona Carmen was much better than I thought it would be after reading all the negative reviews. The rooms are spacious, clean, with AC or fans. Rooms number 5 and 6 are beach front. They give breakfast and dinner. The food is better than typical Venezuelan posada food. meals were typical Venezuelan breakfasts, Arepas, cheese, soem kind of meat and eggs. Dinners were usually three courses, an appetizer, a main meal, and dessert.
The Posada has that main square on one side and the main beach (from whcih you catch your boats to the swimming beaches) on the other. That makes it ideally located for carrying heavy coolers to the boat, getting drinks or supplies from the local stores, and joining the party in the Plazas in the evenings. The most popular bar on the main island is right next door which can get loud, but our rooms were mid hotel and back so we never heard the revelry.
The people who rated this posada very low must not have traveled in Venezuela much. I think that the others who said they were disappointed were expecting something more like a Holiday Inn. We have been living in Venezuela for years and we thought this Posada was on par with any we have stayed at in this country.
You have to remember that Los Roques is generally very overpriced. beers are twice what you would pay on the mainland, ice is a precious commodity, and all lodging is at lest double what an equivalent lodge on the mainland would be. Its like that because they know you'll pay for it to spend some time in the beauty of the islands.
Of course the beach right in front of the Posada is not for swimming. NONE of the beaches on Gran Roque are for swimming. You are supposed to take a boat and go to the good beaches. And for the lady that said 'Angry Locals yelled from their dinghy's'; of they yelled at you you were being stupid and swimming in a dangerous area. Plus they fish for a living and you were disrupting their work.
I would recommend this hotel based on what you get for what you pay. You can get something a little bit better for a lot more money, but why waste you money when this is a perfectly good place for a lot less money?

I've found the posadas in Los Roques to be over priced in general. You can definitely find nicer and more modern establishments if you're willing to pay the price. If you are looking for an affordable, clean, but basic place to sleep then Posada Doña Carmen is the place for you.

I stayed at Posada Doña Carmen over spring break. I found the staff to be quite helpful in finding local stores for food and beach supplies, as well as connecting us with people to arrange boat transport. At least a little Spanish is a huge help in getting these conversations started.

The food at the posada was a mix of local plates (beans, shredded beef, and arapas) and sea food and pasta. Overall I'd rate the food as average to above average and the portions we're more than enough.

There are three rooms with beach front views which only have fans. We had one of these rooms and it did get a little hot but that's the trade off for a the view and the sounds of the ocean at night. The other rooms have AC. All room are basic and clean.

There is no pool or anything fancy at this posada but they do have a nice rooftop terrace with a couple of sun chairs.

I recently stayed in this posada as a part of a package I had. I found it to be in good location and the room I had was by the sea(only 2 rooms have that choice) those are the 2 good points about the place,the room itself was very basic and hot, we had a Fan and the bathroom was old and not hot water although clean. The food was included but it was very simple and nothing to remember, The owner is very arrogant and is always watching TV. I would not recommend this place for a Romantic weekend or if you planned to stay in your room as there are no facilities in there, it's just good enough to sleep and keep your clothes in, in any case you spend the whole day around the beautiful islands

We stayed at Dona Carmen in December 2008- and found it to be of very poor value. It came in a package, but after a night there, we asked to change to a new hotel/ "posada".

Rooms are basic, but most problematic was the noise (there were parties every night on the main square; since the posada is on the main square, it made it impossible to sleep). In addition, staff was very rude: they would insist for instance to keep the doors wide open the whole night, despite the huge noise.
The manager watches soap operas on TV the whole day, and can't be disturbed. Finally, if you arrive 5 minutes late for the dinner (served at fixed hours... from 7pm to 8pm), you will have to skip it...
Breakfast food was very poor... some bad ham in a greasy bun... again in stark contrast with the quality found in other hotels.

There are tons of other posadas to choose from (about 60 on Los Roques), that are much nicer, better decorated, better food, and very friendly staff (we went to La Terrassa, but also heard great things on Malibu, Mediteraneo and plenty others)