We have stayed at Posada Del Mar with family and friends in April, 2002. We will be returning for our wedding in April, 2005 with 28 guests. The staff have always been accommodating and friendly, the rooms are spacious and clean. We would not want such a special day to be celebrated any where else.
Isla Mujeres is a far cry from Cancun, where you will see American resorts, restuarants and shops. So why go to Mexico, when you get this in Florida? If you want to experience true Mexico, we highly recommend the island. The island is relaxing, tranquil and simply breath taking. The sunset on Playa Norte is beautiful. We can not imagine any vacation being better than one spent on Isla Mujeres.

Our family of four, including two teen-aged boys, just returned from 8 days in Mexico, 3 in Cancun and 5 at the Posada del Mar in Isla Mujeres. After the hustle and bustle of Cancun, we began falling in love with Isla and the Posada del Mar after the first day.

We had two rooms in the new section, one needed fresh paint and had some baby-sized ants on parade, but otherwise no complaints. Our balconies overlooked a beautiful tree in bloom in the courtyard. The air conditioning worked fine, and they do have television now. The bedrooms, and bathrooms were very clean. Our maids left flowers and fancy folded towels for us each day (remember to tip daily rather than at the end of your stay as some people do).

The front desk clerks were helpful, especially the gentleman who worked the day shift who had a fine sense of humor. You can get drinking water for your room from the water cooler as often as you like. (Remember, it's not Cancun.) Beach towels could be used at the pool or across the street at the beach, where you could also use your towel rental ticket for a beach lounging chair.

Two things make this hotel a place to return to. As was mentioned by other reviewers, the palapa bar, with Romy and Miguel, (not to mention Lola) is a place like no other. After mentioning how much I liked the Tito Puente music they were playing, I found that they seemed to find a way to play it almost every evening while I was there. Whether it's remembering your special drink, or favorite song, or taking time to play a game of pool with one of the children of their patrons while mom & pop were socializing, they give their guests the special attention that people from the States hardly know what to do with when they receive it. We met lovely and interesting people from all over the world while there, some who had been coming for over 20 years, which is almost as long as Romy & Miguel have been working there!

Secondly, the hotel's restaurant, Pinguino's, had great food, and the best breeze off the beach across the street. You could sit there forever and still not be ready to leave.

Staying on Isla Mujeres is not for everyone, but if you like to find a surprize around every corner, and can see the beauty of a completely different way of life by stepping back a bit and letting life's story unfold slowly, then this is a treasure you do not want to miss.

I recently returned from a trip with my Spanish 4 Class and having the chance to relax and enjoy the entire island (and Posada) was the most enjoyable part. I have always been accustomed the staying at 5 star hotels, but Posada was not one. (So what, isn't the fundamental purpose for traveling to another country is to immerse yourself and in their culture and lifestyles. C’mon this is Mexico and you can’t expect it to be like the US) nearly all the reviews I read about the Posada bragged about the cleanliness of the room, which it most certainly was. That was my only concern. So what if the walls need a paint job, so what if the electricity occasionally goes out. My parents taught me to always learn something from every experience and not criticize the small things. Just make the best of it and make a good time out of it, no matter what situation it. Enough of my "Preachin." I thoroughly enjoyed my stay on the beautiful island and the BEAUTIFUL Posada Del Mar Hotel; and although I was forbidden by my teacher to have an Alcoholic Beverage ( I don’t drink anyway) Romy fixed me as many Virgin Daiquiri’s as I wanted. They were a very professional staff. It had a fantastic time at the Hotel and one the Island of Women.

I would not recommend this hotel or Isla Mujeres to anyone. My husband and I stayed in Cancun for three days, and booked four days at Hotel Posada based on these reviews and the Frommer's guide. We arrived May 4, 2004 at the port. The island smelled like sewage and had garbage strewn everywhere. We were hassled wherever we walked to "buy this", "look at this", etc. The island is extremely poor, with shanty towns in the middle of the island. It is sad; I don't know why anyone would choose to spend a week here.
I'm not sure how the photography of Hotel Pasada was accomplished on their website, but the place is rundown- cracks on the walls and ceilings, the door was rusty, had a huge opening on the bottom allowing mosquitoes to enter... Upon check in, we were told by the bellman that the island had a "little problem." The entire electricity system on the island had been down since 8 pm, the previous evening, and the hotel's generator was not working, therefore there was no water, flush toilets, air conditioning, etc. They were able to hook the generator up later, to accomplish the toilets flushing, and water running, but we still had no power. We suffered through the entire night sweating, being bitten by mosquitoes, hobbling around in the dark, awakened by other hotel patrons soused, enjoying free beer at the bar. By the next morning, the power came back, but we had already had enough of this place, and opted to check out. The first thing out of the bellman's mouth was, "I can't refund your money." We did not have the fight in us, left the filthy island, and returned to Cancun, lucky to find a room at the Casa Magna Marriott.
I do not require staying in a four star hotel when I travel. Yes, the hotel room is tidy, but there is no water filtration system. They have a water cooler on every floor outside, and it does not look sanitary. This hotel is not even in the same category as a Motel 6 or Econo Lodge.
I know that lacking electricity may seem unusual, but I was told by locals that in that area it was not so unusual.
I really hope that if you are interested in traveling to this area, you consider this review. I really wish that I was aware of the entire picture before I booked my trip.

Clean bedding, bathroom, close to Playa Norte and the main restaurant/shop strip. Stayed in both old and new sections, both well appointed, free loaner beach towels. However, be wary of magazines advertising this hotel with "10% discount and free continental breakfast". Management claims this to be a false ad and grudgingly honours the ad (found in cambios de exchangar in Playa). Also, if you pay in advance and have to make a sudden departure, even if the hotel is not full, management very inflexible in terms of offering a credit for future immediate stay, let alone a refund. Staff very friendly for most part and always available if you need access to your safety deposit box. Although we did not book in advance (low season) when we tried to negotiate a deal for a longer stay, one of the front desk staff told us that "it's no problem, we can stay at another hotel." They were not eager to retain our business. I could understand this if we were dirty, demanding, rude, boisterous 20 somethings, but that is definitely not the case.

I spent March 8th through the 15th at this hotel, and Ican not say enough about the quality of service and the friendlyness of the staff, by the 3rd day, I was greeted and treated like an old friend. The bungalow rooms are huge, they could probably use a coat of paint but really I could not have cared as they were clean and kept that way by a great housekeeping crew. The bartenders were exceptional, if you get a chance to go say hello to them (Romy and Miguel) for me. On Sundays you can smell the ribs cooking on the next street over, this is a must do dining treat that is available only on Sundays, better get there by 11:00 am though, as they run out quick.

I spent several months at Posada and fell in love with the hotel, its location and staff. I go back as often as I can and it thrills me to the bones to see the same lovely people working there time and again. I recommend this delightful place to everyone.

My husband and I stayed at Posada in May 2001 after graduating from college and loved it sooo much, that we decided to get married on the island and bring 30 people with us to stay and party at Posada. We were married December 7, 2002 and Nacho and Romeo and Miquel (and everyone else) were absolutely wonderful! All of our guests had such a great time and they all want to go back--I think they miss Romi's tequila boom-booms! The decorations were great and the food was excellent; we really felt like we were treated like family and will never stay anywhere else on the island. The rooms in the new section are roomy and clean and when you're on an island like Isla, who cares how fancy the rooms are-you're never there anyway. If you like the hustle and bustle of Cancun, then Isla is not for you. If you like vacations where you feel like you are actually in another country, here's your spot!

The Posada's new section is great. Definitely not anything like Cancun, but very relaxing. Our first night was in the oldest area, which was not nice at all, but the rest of our visit was excellent. Clean, spacious room with no distractions like tv, and a great shower. The air conditioning was awesome and the colors so bright and festive. The staff was very kind and helpful to us. I had friends on the North Beach which was just a short walk and the shopping and restaurants were so close. No need to rent a cart unless you are in a hurry. If you want to enjoy the Mexican way of life for your vacation, this is a great spot, inexpensive and clean!!

I've stayed here ten times. They treat me and my friends like family.
You're right... the air conditioner might be noisy, the front desk staff moves slowly, they run out of beach towels from time to time, and the kids at the school yard next door might shout a little during recess, so if you're a hard-to-please whiner, please go back to Cancun, where you'll pay 5X the price, and be spoken to in more perfect English. If, however, you want to replenish your soul in a gorgeous setting, be pampered by the kindest of people, and unwind in paradise's low rent district, look no futher.