Hotel Posada Del Mar

Nothing about Hotel Posada Del Mar makes much of an impression. The modest lobby includes a few potted plants, and the beige-and-brown color scheme is flat overall. Beige couches provide a place to sit in front of the wooden reception desk. The hotel’s restaurant and bar are a bit more aesthetically pleasing with nautical accents and a tiled painting of a Catholic saint on the wall. Worn black wicker furniture makes up a small seating area.During our visit, the hotel was quite busy and popular with families, with plenty of kids playing in the pool or taking advantage of the Wi-Fi access available in the lobby. There’s even a small playground with swings and slides found near pool. But stools at the bar were fully occupied with couples and singles enjoying early evening drinks. Even there, the atmosphere was more low-key and less of a party scene. 

Hotel Posada Del Mar is located on one of the island’s main roads, Avenida Rueda Medina, which is lined with numerous restaurants and shops. More shopping and dining options are found downtown, which can be reached in less than three minutes on foot. There’s a gorgeous beach across the street from the hotel, and the main stretch of popular Playa Norte (North Beach) is 900 feet away. The Ultramar Ferry Terminal can be reached in a five-minute walk. Slightly farther away are Dolphin Discovery and Punta Sur, accessible in a 20-minute drive. 

Guest rooms at the Hotel Posada Del Mar are split into two categories: older rooms in the main building and rooms in a new addition. New Section guest rooms are drab with white tiled flooring, dreary beige bedspreads, and no artwork. Towels folded into swan shapes do little to brighten the rooms’ lackluster interiors. All rooms include mini-fridges, flat-screen TVs, and safes. Balconies and patios are furnished with plastic chairs, and most feature attractive views of the hotel’s outdoor pool. Dull bathrooms offer showers only and long countertops stocked with off-brand toiletries. New Section mini-suites include microwaves and sofas, but the decor is equally dark and boring. Bathrooms include shower/tub combos and hairdryers.Guest rooms in the main building are older but the decor is much more inviting. Floral bedspreads are old-fashioned, though light wood furniture and pastel artwork make the rooms noticeably brighter compared to the New Section rooms. Some feature interesting lattice-like wall patterns and arched doorways. Bathrooms partition off the showers and toilets on either side of the sinks. Wear is obvious, including calcium crusted showerheads and chipped paint. None of the rooms have Wi-Fi access.

Location is the Hotel Posada Del Mar's best feature, but there are a few more perks to be found. The hotel offers a long pool surrounded by blue lounge chairs, with soft sand along one side and concrete tiles around the others. The pool is nothing spectacular, but the palm trees dotted around the edge make it inviting enough. There are plenty of beach umbrellas for shade, as well as a palapa bar beside the pool, which was closed during our visit.Across from the pool is Romi’s Bar, an open-air palapa lounge. The bar’s identity seems a bit mixed: It looks like it might be aiming for a lounge atmosphere with its sleek, square tables and cushions; yet the well-used pool table and assorted license plate decorations make it look more like a standard beach bar. The bar connects to Pinguino’s Restaurant, which is open for all meals (closing in the afternoon between lunch and dinner). The restaurant is relatively bland, with muted colors and an odd glass display case of seashells and knickknacks as its centerpiece. The seating along the patio is the most appealing, offering partial views of the beach across the street.Free Wi-Fi is available only in the hotel’s common areas. There’s a beautiful, wide stretch of beach directly across the road from the hotel.  Towels are available for guests to use at the beach and pool.