Capital O la Joya Del Lago

Our stay for the La Joya Del Lago in Ajijic was booked through Capital O. We got a confirmation number for the booking but no email confirmation due to email issues at their office. We were quoted a price plus what we were told was a deposit that we were to get back from hotel upon leaving. Turns out it was a non-refundable service fee for booking through Capital O. The only reason we booked here was we were visiting friends who were staying long term on the property, but not in the hotel. We missed our 1st night due to flight delay but arrived the next morning about 9:00. Even though the website said the front desk is 24 hours, no one was there to check us in. Fortunately, our friend had picked up our key. We noticed other guests arriving that were looking for someone to check them in. We were in Room 5 & it was spacious and clean. The bed and pillows were comfy. The next morning, we got into the shower but there was no hot water. At mid day, if you ran all 3 taps for 30 -45 minutes, it might get a little warm and every day was the same. It was too cold to wash hair. What a shame to waste all that water. Our friend asked for a coffee pot prior to arrival – didn’t get one until day 3 of 5. Kind of late to go buy coffee and the fixings. It wasn’t a huge deal as we enjoyed coffee with the friends each morning. There was no offer to clean our room during our stay or get fresh towels which had holes 2” big. There was no offer to refill the toilet paper. If we were long term renters, I would understand that, but we were 5 days. In summary, from our experience, this is a very poorly run business. The manager was not seen in the 4 days we were there and apparently lives in Guadalajara. For the 1st 2 days, we didn’t see anyone at the front desk to make payment, which we were ok with as we wanted a discount due to no hot water. We were told there was nothing they could do for us. I think the 2 or 3 employees work hard but the manager should be there to deal with situations and take care of business. The grounds are very well taken care of and we had a wonderful meal at the on site restaurant.

A lot of reviews talked about a sewage smell. Well, I had that room. They were very good about getting rid of the smell that day, and it did not come back. I was there for 6 days and 5 nights. They never came to clean the room, even when I asked on the third day. I never received clean towels when I asked for them, also, on the third day. I ended up washing them myself in the free laundry room in the basement. Other than that, the staff were helpful despite the language barrier. Having a night watchman there was comforting, and he was very helpful. The other guests were friendly, and I got invited to their "Happy Hour" on the gazebo. I would probably go back because of the price, but knowing now that I will be treated as a tenant and not a guest.