This is a basic hotel and a basic rate - cheap and cheerful and literally 30 seconds from the ADO bus terminal. We had a really early bus so this was very convenient for us - we rolled out of bed and onto the bus. Reception staff were very friendly, especially Yoyuki (not sure of the spelling). She had amazing English and was so helpful picking restaurants etc.

This is a place to rest your head for a night or two but not a hotel to stay in for any longer.

I stayed here twice in the last month. Both time I received a very warm welcome at the front desk, in particular from the manager, Yoyuki (hope I have the name spelled correctly!). She was super and gave good advice on local restaurants etc. Rooms are fine, not the most luxurious but the price is excellent. The ADO bus terminal is just across the street so it is an very convenient place to stay. Nice pool for kids as well as some parrots in cages to keep them entertained ;-)

There was nothing outright terrible about this place, but there was little going for it either. For all four stars plastered around the place, it never got close to what expectations that might create.

The room was dingy, at the back of the place, with a broken window and cracked tile floors in the corridor. There was little natural light, and the shower was lukewarm. They probably have better rooms - I expect it's partially our fault for asking for the cheapest price (we were only staying to go to the airport the next day).

The swimming pool in the centre of the place was one reason we came here. But it was full of kids, and much worse, you couldn't see the bottom, it was that murky. The other reason was that it's right opposite the bus station, which was great. And it had a decent cheap internet cafe (though far cheaper places had free internet on our travels).

They keep a parrot in a tiny cage by the swimming pool, with just a stick to sit on. That's not four stars glamour, that's just animal cruelty. If I hadn't seen that, this would have been a 3/5 review, but I found that really distasteful.

I booked the Plaza Caribe for one night only, as I just needed an overnight stay in Cancun before flying out the next day. The hotel's location right across the central bus station is very convenient and must be one of the only reasons people still choose to stay there. The area around the hotel is not very attractive for tourists though.

To start on a positive note: The receptionist was extremely friendly and helpful. I was surprised at check-in, though, when he handed me the remote control for the TV in my room, asking me to return it at check-out. This is definitely not standard practice for an alleged four-star hotel.

The room was quite small with two beds, a TV and air-con. The wooden funiture was partly broken. I turned the AC off immediately as it looked very dirty both outside and what I could see of the inside. Fortunately it wasn't very hot outside yet so that it was bearable without AC.

The worst part was that the room smelled very moldy, like a pile of wet clothes that had been lying around for days. It was not possible to locate the source of the smell, but I did find little patches of mold on the wall in the corners of the room.

The sheets on one of the two beds had stains on them, the other bed looked clean.

The small bathroom was ok - no obvious dirt or stains there.

I was happy to be leaving the next day as I wouldn't have stayed another night in the smell that makes you uneasy about how much mold you are inhaling.

I wouldn't recommend this hotel even for just one night.