Mystique Holbox by Royalton, A Tribute Portfolio Resort

Location was good - short walk to town Rooms spacious for families Small and boutique Access to own beach with beds Having a pool a nice bonus

Pool could do with daily cleaning - lots of iguana poo and leaves / sand and green algae formed during our stay so last day I didn’t let my child in the small kids pool Beach restaurant such a wasted opportunity- no vibe yet prime location for sunset Cocktails were very hit and miss Overly expensive for food so no one eats here We didn’t have breakfast - I recommend you don’t either and eat in town as so many great options Next door there is a huge building site development happening, we were lucky as our final day on check out they really got going with the heavy machinery and it was noise all day into the evening - no warning of this either from hotel which I think is poorly communicated to guests Also lots of maintenance happening such as painting and fixing broken things but this should be done out of season ideally overnight

Good: - the beach beds & set up - the location to town - quiet beach location - the room & cleaning services - free mosquito repellent (when staff remembered to refill the dispenser)

Not so great: - understaffed at beach club, super slow service - husband tried to order beer at the bar (for speed) and the staff seemed so confused, was a whole process for the bar man to simply hand him the beer - more attention given to the day trippers who come to the beach club for lunch (my food took almost an hour because of this) - small portions and basic food, nothing memorable, expensive - no atmosphere in the beach club at sunset, and such a good opportunity for it

The location was great with the Beach Club set on the beach with comfortable loungers and waiter service. Massages were also available. The restaurant overlooked the sea. Had a lovely evening meal but ceiling fans would have made the air less humid and uncomfortable.

My main issue was the misleading description of the room Junior Suite with Ocean View. Described as a quadruple room, seating area and ocean view. The picture shows the seating area with one double bed and a stairwell. The assumption would therefore be that the second bed was above and for very light sleepers this was the reason of this choice. However there was no seating area, instead there were two double beds placed next to each other and not what we were wanting at all. We were then told that the seating area was the balcony.. sorry but no! At the top of the stairs were two loungers in a basic area with no features or lighting. There was no effort by staff to rectify the matter, I asked if we could have two separate rooms and was advised that I would have to cancel my booking online (and incur 100% cancellation charge and rebook the rooms or just book an additional room on line) otherwise it would be a Managerial matter yet the Manager never tried to contact us to assist us. The view should also be described as side ocean view but at least the picture is accurate. The next issue was the mediocre breakfast with just a choice of omelette, scrambled or fried eggs every day served with spicy sausages, hash browns and grilled tomatoes. There was no option of fresh fruit, yogurt or granola, although it seemed to be consumed by Managers having a breakfast meeting but not offered to guests. This was not a 5* breakfast.

Comfortable bed Cleaning staff very friendly

The pictures oversell the property in terms of - location (it is not directly on the beach, only the hotel restaurant is, left to the hotel is a building site, view on the right is to an abandoned building site) - being well kept (it feels a bit run down and not well kept in shape) - no ‘love’ or warmth - cleanliness (the bathrooms have mold , the surfaces are okay cleaned but it could all benefit from a deep clean, balcony has stain on the floor, pillow cases too) Another disappointment was the check in. We booked a suite with a king bed and sofa and got two queen beds. in booking.com these are two categories and when we asked for the appropriate room we were told that they are full, maybe we can move the next day. We checked in at 3:30pm and saw other arrival cards waiting for other check ins. We insisted and after one hour waiting time, we got our room . Very frustrating process- we asked to speak to the manager and I would have expected that they would revert to us during our 5 day stay - but they didn’t. Overall for this price tag $350 a night you’d except a certain standard