Maracas Bay Village Vacations from $486

Family of Nine Left Stranded Outside in the Dark An extremely distressing experience. I booked Flowers of Joy Wellness Villa through Hotels.com for nine family members, including my elderly mother and four children aged 7–14. The host called on check-in day and I confirmed arrival between 5–6 pm. Check-in was advertised until 9 pm. At 6:06 pm, I WhatsApped to say we were almost there; the message was delivered. We arrived at 6:20 pm, but repeated calls went unanswered. At 6:24 pm, I messaged that we were at the gate. Again, the message was delivered. I continued calling until 6:43 pm with no response. As darkness fell, nine of us were stranded outside a locked compound. My elderly mother became distressed, while the children were tired and hungry. This was not simply poor service—it was now a serious safety concern. Hotels.com spent approximately 1 hour 40 minutes finding emergency accommodation for nine people on a Friday evening. Thankfully, Kapok Hotel accommodated us around 8 pm and was outstanding. The host finally called around 8:30 pm, stating his phone had died. Regardless, our arrival had been confirmed and we arrived within the advertised check-in period. I strongly caution families, particularly those travelling with children or elderly relatives. Huge thanks to Hotels.com and Kapok Hotel for coming to our rescue.