Say what you want about NaBalam but I find a little piece of paradise just a quick ferry ride from Cancun. I just love the place. I took my husband and teenagers 2 years ago and than went back with friends. What do I love? The laid back, it took me 2 planes to get there, feel without the extra travel. A direct flight from Newark and a ferry ride from Cancun puts you in paradise. Have a local transport your luggage via bicycle and walk to NaBalam. Did I mention it was paradise? Just a little gem of a hotel where staff is friendly and accomodations are just lovely. (My only complaint is that they need to word towards Heavenly Beds (a bit hard, mattress and pillows). But such a warm and friendly place you seem to overlook that aspect.
I am planning a trip for my birthday with my girlfriends as we speak.

From the very minute we checked in the experiance was VIP and it was in the evening we were tired from catching ferry & walking with laugage. We had reservations for a pool view room they had upgraded us @ no extra charge to a Ocean View. I would recommend room 2! We had a superb dinner @ their restaurant.

Enrique our favorite waiter was very helpful with history of the Island, what to do etc. Marissa the front desk girl was always very friendly & helpful with any questions or resvations we may of had.
While we were there we witnessed a wedding on the beach, I was impressed they had everything taken care of it was in the eve sunset perfect timing, it was very romantic!

The relaxing part of our vacation was every morning eat our Mexican Sweat Breads that we would get from the grocery store fresh the night before from our lounge chairs in front of our room & watch the iguanas come out & soak in the sun. We would also feed the hotels cats Poncho & Teresa they are so friendly! Just when you miss your animals @ home! If you are the traveler looking to get away from it all no phone, TV.... then this is the place. Now if your husband needs to watch football or soccer Jax bar down the street has sports on all the time!

A group of us just got back from a 7 day stay at Na Balam. For all of us it was our first overnight trip to the island. Overall we had a great time and would return to the island and this property.

For starters, if you are looking for a 5-star hotel that is decked out with all the amenities this is not the place for you. Stay away as you will be disappointed. However, if you want a nice little clean hotel with a GREAT beach this is your place.

The main thing you have to keep in mind when you are in Isla Mujeres and at Na Balam is that this is a sleepy little island and they want to keep it this way. All the shops, stores, hotels and restaurants are locally owned and very laid back. There are no Starbucks or Marriott's and there probably never will be. Don't expect people to be rushing around and attending to your every little whim and need. If you want all this you need to go to Cancun and live it up :-)

About the hotel:

The Good - We all thought the food at the restaurant was excellent compared to all the other restaurants on the island and other places we've eaten throughout our Mexico travels. We ate and drank there often. Most of the staff at the bar and restaurant were very nice and helpful. Two of us spoke fluent Spanish and the others broken Spanish and that helped a lot. One of the staff (Mario) took us fishing and snorkeling with a friend (for a fee) on his day off and we had a great time. Also, I have to mention Jesus was a very nice man and makes the best Mojitos in the world.

The beach was awesome and the sunsets were even better. We sat on the deck at the bar every night and watched the sunset.
We never had a problem getting a set-up on the beach and they always moved our umbrella as the sun moved. Sometimes they would forget about us and we'd have to walk up to the bar to get drinks but I needed the exercise and didn't mind.

The rooms were clean and very basic. No radio, alarm, television or phone. I really liked that as it kept me out of the room and on the beach. The air conditioners were awesome and cooled the rooms very quickly.

The Bad - Every male staff member at the front desk seemed arrogant and not very friendly. Not sure why this was the case. However, there was one lady at the front desk that was very nice and helpful. She had my broken shower head replaced immediately and was always very responsive to any needs that came up. So I always waited for her to arrive before I asked for anything.

Also, the room was a little more $$ than they quoted but I let it slide when we checked out and just paid the bill. That's about it for the "bad"

A final quick note - We stayed for 7 days and charged a lot to our rooms. The final bill was very confusing and I have no idea if it was correct. It seemed close enough so I just paid it. If you are going to have more than a couple charges to your room just pay cash or with a credit card. It's easier to track.

There are a lot of mixed reviews about this place but I think most of the bad are from people with different expectations. Just know what you are getting before you go and you won't be disappointed.

We stayed here for our wedding and 1st let me stay what an absolutely fabulous job Patricia did!!!! She arranged everything from setting on the beach, flowers, photographer, DJ and although I was a little worried, EVERYTHING came up beautifully!!! All the staff at the hotel were very helpful, friendly and accommodating!!!! However, let me stay if you are expecting a server to stand over you filling up your drinks - don't go to this island at ALL!!!! The entire island is very laid back and that is part of it's charm!!!! The island is not for anyone wanting hussle, bussle of say... Cancun!!!! Having said that, the food was good, actually above average and our reception food couldn't have been better!!!! The beach has had some errosion since my last visit, however, it is still there and nice!!! This hotel is ideally located for a beach wedding. Our room was large, extremely clean and decorated in island flair. Again, if you are wanting a "W" type hotel, DON'T stay here. The hotel is small, charming and laid back in a quite area of town!!!! Our visit could have not been any better and again thanks to the entire staff for a wonderful job and especially to Patricia. We hope to see you again next year for our 1st anniversary!!!!!