Ratings based on 54 Verified Reviews
3.6 Room cleanliness
3.3 Service & staff
3.4 Room comfort
3.1 Hotel condition
Expedia Verified Reviews
by A verified traveler
Basic hotel for those on a budget!
Posted 26 Mar 2018 on HotelsThis is a super basic hotel for those travelling on a budget and visiting nearby Ek balam. Toast and coffee was included in the price which was great. Secure parking inside the hotel grounds. There is no AC but a ceiling fan which was fine for us (we stayed in March) which was on all night (previous reviews incorrectly stated that the electric switches off at 9:30pm which was not our experience). Shower was decent with hot water, clean bedding. Rooms were a little outdated but for the price it’s a bargain. I did not however rate the dinner we ate. The staff were lovely - very friendly.
Recommended
for Everyoneby A verified traveler from Crested Butte, Colorado
A True Gem out of the way!
Posted 8 Jan 2018 on Orbitz
Pros: True Mexican/Maya old time experience. The food!!! Wow!
Cons: Nothing
Location: Ruins, Cenotes, Vallodolid.
What a deal. A true Mexico Maya experience. Simple, clean hotel in a tiny Maya Mexican village. Martina and William make the experience delightful. The village is out of the past with friendly locals living in a combination of concrete houses with original palapas blended in. You really get the small village experience. Walk about night or day. The nearby Ruins El Balam are some of the most interesting. More recently renovated starting in 1984. Our guide Juan was on the original crew and really knows the site. Highly recommend him. The hotel was opened by an Italian/Mexican couple. He was a chef and they still use his recipes. The best Italian food I have ever had.
Comment from Hotel Management
11 Jan 2018 by DANIELE, Hotel Management
Thank you Rob, really hope to see you again , all DOLCEMENTE staff.
by A verified traveler
Posted 2 Jan 2017 on Hotels
by Andres
Ek Balam + Cenote
Posted 29 Dec 2016 on HotelsThere is no internet at all. They only accept cash in Pesos MXN. There is not air conditioning. The complementary breakfast includes only 2 pieces of toasted bread and coffee.
Recommended
for Everyoneby A verified traveler from California
This hotel was a real surprise!
Posted 13 Feb 2016 on Travelocity
Cons: Hot water turned on :). It wasn't hot, so it was something we could live with.
Location: Ek-Balam is excellent!
The hotel is about a mile from Ek-Balam. Parts of the experience were excellent, some were interesting. First of all, the name on the hotel is Dolcemente Vacanza. Then, there was no hot water in the bathroom. However, in the owner's defense, we were there off -season, the only guests, and he did not know we were coming, so the hot water heater was probably off. The room was huge and the bed was very comfortable. The food in the restaurant was decent, even though we were the only ones there. They worked with us on the times we wanted to eat.
by RICHARD
Posted 18 Oct 2015 on Hotels
by Henri from San Diego
Ek Balam
Posted 28 Aug 2015 on HotelsIf you want a real local experience then this is the perfect hotel. We arrived late in the evening (when it was already dark) but the local family caring for the hotel was waiting for me and opened everything for us. I think we were not only the only ones in the hotel but probably the only non-Mexicans in the small town as well - which was just PERFECT for us!!! We enjoyed the local feel, walking the town and meeting the families weaving hammocks. Room is very large and very comfortable. Would (and will) stay here again when visiting Ek Balam.
Recommended
for Everyoneby A verified traveler from Canning, Nova Scotia
Good basic hotel near Ek Balam ruins.
Posted 16 Mar 2015
Pros: It is in a very small village (< 300 people). You rub shoulders with the village people. They are nice and friendly.
Cons: Could use some water in the fountain, which sort of acts as a pool.
Location: The ruins and several cenotes.
We stayed here one night several weeks back. The name on the hotel / restaurant was not Doulcement, which throws a person off. The hotel is not busy. Matter of fact, we were the only guests there on the night that we stayed there. The owners were not in the country, so the girl from the place across the road dropped over to check me in. She did not have us in the booking sheet she works from. I had a copy of the booking number through Expedia, so she copied the number down and checked me in.
She asked when we wanted to eat dinner that night and opened the restaurant for us. The meal was good. We sat around after our meal and had a nice talk with her brother in law. He spoke really good English as he is a guide at the ruins.
In the morning, she made me some toast and coffee, which is complimentary with the price of the room.
by Barb from Vancouver
Interesting hotel in the pueblo of Ek Balam
Posted 5 Mar 2015 on HotelsWhen we arrived we thought the hotel was abandoned. The outside is neglected but once inside our room it was large, comfortable and clean. We were the only guests so it was quiet. We were able to order a great pasta meal from the caretaker and had cappuccino and toast in the morning before leaving to see Ek Balam. An interesting experience but you would probably be better off staying in Valladolid overnight.
Recommended
for Everyoneby A verified traveler
Excellent value considering the location
Posted 27 Jan 2015
Pros: The best things about this hotel are its location, around a mile from the Ek Balam archeological site, a clean, comfortable bed, and working bathroom.
Cons: Put armoires or hooks in the rooms to hang clothes. Fix the fountain and maintain the grounds a bit more.
Location: The Ek Balam ruins and cenote are the main attraction, but there are quite a few other cenotes in the area that are also worth visiting.
This Italian-owned facility is evidently fairly new and in good condition but basic. We had a large bedroom with a king-size bed (quite firm but not lumpy), nice tile floors, a working bathroom in good condition, and an overhead fan. The room has an air conditioner but we didn't try it (or, actually, find a controller for it) because it was unseasonably cool (in the 70's) during our visit. Everything was very clean.
Because of the remote location, there is no Internet or cell phone service, no TV, etc. -- not necessarily a bad thing. The hotel has potential for improvement, such as putting the fountain in working order, making sure the air conditioning is available when needed, and perhaps providing armoires or hooks to hang clothes in the rooms.
As when we visited another, larger property owned by the same people (Las Aguilas, in Xul), we were the only guests. This is a much smaller, less developed site. We understand some of the owners visit on weekends, but not when we were there.
The staff, both adults and children, were friendly, charming, and helpful, but they speak Spanish as a second language and no Italian or English. Of the Italian dishes listed on the menu, we tried only a few. Some are pale imitations of the real thing (insalata caprese), others (cannelone) evidently made in advance, presumably at Las Aguilas, and brought in frozen. Breakfasts are good, but don't count on gourmet fare. Prices in the restaurant are high for the area.
