Avalon Reef Club Isla Mujeres, Isla Mujeres

My husband and I needed a getaway and decided to try Isla Mujeres. We had a groupon for this property and decided to give it a try. Before we left, we saw the negative reviews so we sort of knew what we were in for. We decided to keep our expectations low. We really just wanted time on the beach. The location is indeed beautiful--which is a shame. The negative reviews that you read here are all true. The worst part, however, was their reaction when my husband was injured on their property. It was a windy day and he was hit by a beach umbrella that was not tied down (nor taken in as the winds became stronger). It was an accident, but the minute it happened the hotel staff scattered. We managed to get an ice pack (which was actually a towel with some ice) from someone. Thankfully, the umbrella did not puncture his skin but we weren't sure if he'd broken any ribs and he went into shock as soon as we returned to our room. I called the front desk and their response was that they could have a doctor come, but it would cost me $80. We were not checked on by any of the hotel staff the rest of the trip. But other guests on the beach that day who saw what happened checked on us repeatedly throughout the week. Because the hotel is old and run down, the chances of another accident like this happening are VERY HIGH. They are not prepared to deal with it or ensure the safety of their guests. Please consider another hotel on the island. Isla Mujeres is quite beautiful and worth the trip--just not to this hotel.

I'm astonished by some of the reviews. We just returned yesterday and are already considering going back. It wasn't a luxury hotel but it was nice and clean. The staff were all friendly and helpful. Alejandro greeted us at the front desk. Everyone was most helpful including the onsite travel agent who set up our golf cart rental. We ate breakfast at the buffet every morning because it was that good. This was my birthday weekend and it was one I will remember. If I had to complain about one thing was that you had to get ice from room service and not ice machines. We didn't have enough towels in our room but the maid service quickly remedied that. They also placed an egg crate on our bed after requesting an additional mattress pad. It was not overly crowded but there were still several guests to interact with. It appears that their hospitality has grown by leaps and bounds in just less then a year.

I visited this hotel last summer of 09 and unfortunately purchased a time share and now am trying desperately to get my money back. I revisited this January 2010 and it is a disaster. The buildings are falling apart. There is no real hot water to speak of, the furniture is old and damaged. The service is unfriendly and the food is substandard. The terms of the time share which they promised us have not been provided...and everything unfortunately has been lies and misleading presentations. The people who own the Avalon are thieves so save yourself and stay away. The only wonderful thing is the location which is beautiful but sadly it is mismanaged by the Avalon Reef Club which has legal issues, unpaid taxes and problems with the Mexican food sanitation department. There are many beautiful hotels and restaurants on the island...chose any one of them over the Avalon.

we just got back from Avalon Reef Club. we visited there in July 2009 and purchased a time share. on return we found that we had been taken in by a complete "bait and switch" sham. No hot water. some times no water at all. no a/c. threadbare furnishings -- very run down. as for the all inclusive. it was worthless. the main restaurant was actually closed. the bar restaurant had nothing that was on the already tiny menu. no avocado for guacomole. the worse fajitas ever. no desserts. not even a tea bag to be found. only one beer on tap. save yourself the trouble. go anywhere else on Isla and you will do much better.

Avalon has the best location on the island period. You have beautiful beaches on one side and the beautiful rocky area on the other. We went "snorkeling" at garrafon park and then went into kings bath at the hotel and saw more fish in the kings bath than the whole time we were at the park. We stayed in one of the rooms outside of the main building and the view was spectacular. You could literally spit into the ocean from the balcony. The beds were very hard, but our room was kept clean by maidservice. We did not do all inclusive which to anyone debating there are to many excellent resturants on the island within walking distance to waste your money on all inclusive. We made the mistake of eating at the resturant in the hotel one day we were in a hurry and it cost us nearly 30 dollars for a hamburger...NOT WORTH IT. The resturants on the island are very reasonably priced and you can get 2 for 1 drink specials in many places. I highly recommend JAX sports bar, they have excellent fresh fish and buckets of corona for about 5 USD. Very friendly owners, and a view overlooking Playa Norte. The Sunset Grill is an excellent place to have great food by candle light on the beach or to watch the sunset.

My wife and I went to Isla Mujeres about 4 years ago and stayed at the Avalon. For the money...you can't beat it! The island is beautiful and peaceful. The beach area at the hotel is great. We did do the all inclusive. The food is okay and the alcohol a bit watered down. Overall a good experience. We are considering going back this summer.

We travel quite often and this was by far the worst place I have ever stayed. We were given the option of all inclusive and thank goodness, did not opt for it. The food was not only disgusting, but cold. I realize the food in Mexico is never that great, but this topped the list. The waiters, except for one, were rude and uphelpful. I also realize there is a cockroach problem in Mexico, however, they were ALL OVER the restarant. The front desk staff ignored us when we were checking in and out. When I asked about the overcharges upon check out, the girl at the front desk actually laughed and ignored me. I am still disputing the charges. We met some "owners" of a time share who only owned there for 3 years and said they were deperately trying to get out of their contract. They had the same complaints we did. The cleanliness of the unit was ok, but they were already run down. Light fixtures were missing with just bulbs hanging from wires on the porches. I can actually overlook a lot of things going to Mexico, including food and dilapited hotels banged up by hurricanes, etc. But it is very difficult to overlook the display of rudeness by a staff who then expect "rich" American tourists to tip them for their "service"?!?! Unbelievable My husband and I are "over tippers" and at the end of a week we give a "bonus" to staff members who went above and beyond. At the end of this week, only one waiter received extra tip from us. Do NOT waste a dime on this place. You're better off staying across the way at a cleaner, nicer hotel and taking the boat over to Isla Mujeres for a day trip. (It's only $3 to get there.) I can't say enough about how horrible this place is....

This is not a luxury hotel, but for the price it's a very pleasant experience. The room was a little sterile and cold, but we were hardly in the room. The hotel beach is AMAZING and it's great to tour the island on a golf cart. If you're looking for a wild vacation though this isn't it, it's more quiet family type pace. The buffett was awesome, the servers were great. Had some difficulty getting calls out of the country but had cell service!

My husband & I just returned f/ 9 days at Avalon Reef on Isla Mujeres. It was our honeymoon-We really enjoyed ourselves. We were skeptical about it But we were sure surprised. Avalon definitely surpassed our expectations! We did the all-inclusive plan. We still ate at several different locations on the island. We stayed in a studio. The studio was quite comfortable. The rooms arent luxurious but are certainly attractive and spacious enough. We saw several iguanas right by our room daily. The maid service was very good. We left a tip for the maid every day. And they left us a water bottle every day. Our air conditioner worked well and we had good water pressure. it was very quiet for us. Our room was right across from king’s bath. I absolutely loved the location of the Avalon and the best on the island. The views that it offers is why I chose Avalon reef. The 2 beaches arent huge but very nice. All the staff was friendly and helpful. Arturo and Jorge were excellent waiters- they were usually there for lunch/dinner time. The breakfast waiters didn’t seem as friendly as the dinner staff. The breakfast buffet was very nice. Even if you did not see something you liked on the buffet. You can order an omelet however you want, regular eggs and pancakes. The chef will cook it right there. They appreciate tips too! The lunch buffet is okay. You can order off the menu at Kelly’s bar. All the food was wonderful. The room service was great. We ordered cake and ice cream a lot for late night snacks. We had beef fajitas in our room a few times. They were amazing. The fancy Mexican restaurant ‘mi casa su casa’ has a dress code which requires long pants. We didnt get to eat there because of this. But we heard many many great reviews about it from other guests! We did tip the waiters and bartenders good and they treated us very nicely! The transportation from the airport is nice. They pick you up from the airport & give you paid admission for the ferry ride. Then you walk or get a cab from the ferry on the island. The walk is not long but with luggage it can be hard. The roads are uneven and difficult with luggage. Don’t let the cab driver charge you much. Most say about $3. Playa Norte beach is most desirable beach on the island- it is right by Avalon. You can walk across the water and get to it. We saw several things of interest in the water. We saw stingrays & many fish. There was a starfish and several sea urchins in king’s bath. Kings bath is beautiful. You should definitely use snorkeling gear in there. Water shoes might be nice to have! They have kayaks at Avalon but require you to wear a lifejacket when the water is only waist deep. There were several weddings when we were there. The sister hotels in Cancun are very nice also. Their beaches are so small though. Avalon grand has a few hot tubs and nicer pools. We went & ate and drank at both of them. They are almost next door to each other. The pool at Avalon reef was nice but small. The pool loungers were very nice. The swim up bar was great. The beach chairs & umbrellas are great too. We did not have any problems finding open chairs on the beach. There was a beach party, karaoke night, & Mexican party when we were there. The Mexican party was great!! They had many things going on. Yoga in the pool, bike tours, etc! The hammocks were great to relax in! Hildago ave has a lot of nice restaurants and shops. Fayne’s has great steaks and lobster! There are several really good places to eat on the water near the ferry. We never had a bad meal on the island. The island is great! The southern tip with the ruins is gorgeous! A must see! The turtle farm was great & only $2. Swimming with the nurse shark was amazing! The food at playa lancheros was amazing! A lot of restaurants have 2x1 drinks! Must rent a golf cart to explore the island. We did a jungle tour out of Cancun~ We went to angel reef! Avalon is a lovely property and a good buy. I would definitely return. I can’t wait to go back!

Staff not very accomidating-Rooms smelled horrible-a mixture of cigarette smoke and insence-prices of rooms kept changing when we inquired (we had to switch hotels)-they cater more to big groups like weddings-could care less about people staying in one or two rooms-One couple I met were very frustrated as they had booked one of their "Villa" rooms a year ago-then when they got there, they were in a room in the main hotel-I told them they probably got "bumped" due to the large wedding taking place there (around 200 people, who I overheard talking that they had the entire villa and a big part of the main hotel as well)-which is why we had to change from our original hotel-long story-but there is a lot of bait and switch going on on that island-this hotel included-liked the pool, liked the setting, liked the beach-I would stay again-in one of the villas-but since there is no guarantee you would actually get one-forget it...You are at their mercy and they know it...