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Small, no-frills hotel located a block away from 5th Avenida. Not a bad choice if you plan on spending most of your time away from the hotel.
10th Avenida between Calle 12 and 14
Downtown
Located near Playa's vibrant downtown district, the Aqualuna is a small and pleasant hotel that offers a no frills travel experience. While we found the Aqualuna to be perfectly sufficient in most areas, it didn't really stand out anywhere. Nevertheless, should you have a hard time finding a room elsewhere, the Aqualuna would certainly be a safe choice.
The Aqualuna is a small, boutique hotel with 12 rooms - 10 standard and 2 double rooms. The hotel's courtyard is decorated with a clean aztec design and bursts with foliage but it's unlikely that most people will find it a comfortable area to hang out in relax - it is just too small. The hotel's answer to this is the beach club, which is located three blocks away. There you'll find a great view, plenty of sun and beach chairs, and as many $5 pina coladas as you can drink.
Another alternative to the beach is 5th Avenida. The Aqualuna is located about a block away, which is close enough to enjoy the bustling downtown scene but far enough away to avoid the noise.
The rooms are small but clean. All are decorated in "Minimalist Yucatan" style (which in practical terms means, "do as much as you can with as little as you can"). Here you'll find the typical Mexican tiled floors, arched doorways, and white stucco ceilings. Some have flat screen televisions (with mostly Spanish stations). Perhaps the exception is the one minisuite, which is larger and includes a waterfall shower and a balcony.
We found the rooms to be cramped and drab and not really a good place to relax. This leads to our observation that the Aqualuna is really not a destination hotel in itself, but rather an inexpensive backup hotel when you can't find a room elsewhere. The hotel is clean, the service is good, but in the end you'll probably want to spend most of your time elsewhere.
We recommend the Aqualuna only to couples and single travelers. This is not a family-friendly hotel.
Traveler Tips
* The Aqualuna is one of the few hotels that has reliable high speed internet within the rooms. They do not have a hotel computer that guests can use however, so you'll need to bring a laptop PC.
* Breakfast is included at a nearby restaurant. The meal is light but quite good. You can get extra sides for an additional fee.
* The Aqualuna hotel is currently for sale. The experience here may change at any time.
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Reader Reviews
Aqualuna is a nice new hotel on 10th Avenue, close enough to the action but a little quieter so you can actually get a good night's sleep. The rooms are small but clean, comfortable and functional. The high speed internet works well. The included breakfast across the street is good, for a nominal fee you can add additional side dishes but that is not really necessary. You have free access to a beach club three blocks away with nice beach chairs and waiters that will bring you $5 pina coladas while you sun yourself. The staff is friendly and helpful and since it is a relatively small hotel, the service is more personal.
A very reasonable alternative to some of the noisy downtown hotels.
Posted by: Recent visitor | August 21, 2006 5:41 PM