We visited Hotel Maro in Pichilemu on February 6th to celebrate my wife’s birthday. After seeing publicity about the new hotel opening, we were looking forward to checking it out and enjoying a nice lunch with an ocean view. I made the reservation via Instagram and mentioned in advance that it was her birthday, and I also reminded the staff upon arrival. The setting is attractive, and the initial impression was positive. However, the experience quickly fell short. Several menu items were unavailable, including what my wife originally wanted. I was also looking forward to Montes Outer Limits Sauvignon Blanc, which was not available despite being listed at roughly three times typical retail pricing. There was no sparkling wine available either. The main issue was service. We ordered some appetizers, my wife ordered a salad, and I ordered fish and chips. My meal arrived, but hers never did. After I was halfway through eating, we asked about her dish and were told it had been canceled when I changed my order, which was not the case. The orders were never confirmed, and the result was that she did not receive a meal. We paid and left to find another place so she could properly enjoy her birthday. As we were leaving, we shared our experience with both the hostess and the front desk. The hostess had no response and the front desk person was nice and took our contact details, but no one ever followed up. Given the occasion, we were surprised there was no acknowledgment or small gesture from the staff. The experience felt closer to a café-style operation than a full-service restaurant, possibly still working through opening issues. There is potential, but service, communication, and overall execution need improvement.
