Hostel Frente al Mar Tropico 20º

Unacceptable behaviour from the owner

Although my check-in at 3:00 PM was confirmed, nobody was there when I arrived and the provided contact numbers did not work (I only received an answer about 2.5 hours later). I waited outside for around an hour before a guest finally let me in. I was also asked to pay an 80 pesos tax in cash that was never mentioned on Booking.com. The main issue, however, was the behavior of the owner. I asked whether it would be possible to adjust just one of the air conditioning units (the one next to my bed only, not all of them) due to health concerns. The owner reacted very aggressively, told me “you are the problem,” and that I have to leave - it was 10:30 PM. When I explained that I had already paid and had nowhere else to go, he said he did not care and that I should ask Booking.com for a refund, despite knowing the reservation was non-refundable and that Booking would direct me back to the property. When I pointed this out, he threatened to report me for my “behavior”. I was shocked and tried to end the discussion by saying I just wanted to sleep and leave things as they were, but he continued picking on me until another guest intervened and he finally left me alone. The guest later told me she had experienced similar problems herself simply for asking another question. I also noticed other reviews mentioning similar situations. I booked 2 nights but left after one as I did not want to meet the owner again, I felt uncomfortable and unsafe. I have been travelling for +15 years in hostels and rarely left bad reviews and never found myself in a situation like this. Before booking please think if you want to support this rude, threatening, and unprofessional treatment of guests.

Owner is an unpleasant man

I arrived at 9pm. There was no one at the reception so I knocked until someone from the hostel opened for me. I messaged the owner on whatsapp regarding check in and we coordinated a booking.com check in. Then he came in to collect 80 pesos additional on top of the booking.com fee and charges. I asked him what the additional money was for. He did not like that I questioned him. He said he had already messaged me about the 80 pesos. I asked him again what it was for and he said it's local tax. I told him I had paid taxes on booking already and this is when he started threatening me to kick me out. Around 10-10.30pm, threatening a woman to leave and find another place for simply asking him WHAT the tax is for, is absolutely unacceptable. The next day, in front of me, he did the same to another woman when she asked for the AC to be adjusted. The guy is in over his head, aggressive, and this killed my mood from day 1 in Cozumel. It contributed to me leaving earlier than I'd have wanted to. The property itself is nice, clean, and fully equipped. I stayed there for 4 nights and even worked from the terrace area. Other than the owner, everything is very pleasant. Pick your battle wisely :)

The location, the attention of the staff

The friendly treatment of the staff