Mahekal Beach Resort

This resort was gorgeous, great food, impeccable service, and the scenery was immaculate! Can’t wait to Return.

We had an outstanding week's vacation, spending most of our time on the resort property. The breakfast buffet had so many great selections - and definitely eliminated the need for a full lunch. The pools weren't great, but who needs them when you have great beach, surf and palapas. Nearby shops galore if you really wanted to leave the beach, and some really good nearby dining options to mix things up. Finally, our service was phenomenal. We hope to get back again soon!

Overall we enjoyed our stay though it started off rocky. Perhaps we just caught them on a bad day, but the front desk staff was not altogether helpful or welcoming when we arrived. Our room was not ready, even though we were there after the advertised "check in" time. We waited almost 1.5 hours after arriving to get into our room, without any explanation or apology from the staff on our wait. When in our room, we realized we had been given two smaller beds instead of one king, which we had requested. We asked if we could change to another room and were told "nothing else was available." When we brought up the fact that we had requested a room with a king bed they told us the request did not mean that anything would be guaranteed. Obviously the bed configuration was not the end of the world, but considering this trip was a splurge for my husband and me and the only week of vacation we'll have together this year, it was very disappointing. When we went to check on our luggage, we found our suitcases sitting on the front sidewalk exactly where we had left this 1.5 hours ago. We were a little surprised to find that no one had moved them or was even keeping an eye on them. We picked up our own bags and carried them to our room ourselves. The other let-down was the "beach view." I had paid extra for a beach-front Palapa and we had a tiny sliver of beach barely visible between the other Palapa's that were in front of ours and closer to the beach. The Palapa was also right on the edge of the resort facing a very busy public street. All night long we tried to sleep over the sounds of loud music, car alarms and other street noise. We slept horribly the first night. We tried to make the best of things the next morning, but both my husband and I were individually frustrated and thinking to ourselves "we spent a few thousand dollars for this?" In a bit of desperation, I thought to go ask about changing rooms if another one came available. We were lucky that there was a different staff member on duty that morning who took pity on me and told me about two different rooms that would become available that afternoon. She let me walk around and check them both out and then I chose one to move to. The annoying part was that we basically had to check out and then wait around to check in again, leaving us room-less for four hours. It was definitely worth it in the end. The new room had a king bed, a better beach view and was more insulated from the street noise. Had we not been able to change rooms, I know for a fact our experience here would not have been as positive. That is why, ultimately, I don't think we would return and I would not recommend this to anyone else. As their policy seems to be, they won't guarantee any room and your "request" really means nothing. It is far too risky to spend a few thousand dollars for this resort when you don't know what you're going to get. Some of the Palapas were beautifully situated, others were in pretty bad locations (like the original one we were in on the street; others backed right up to a loud pool bar, or were right on the edge of the beach and literally had beach chairs up to their front door). If you're lucky and you get a good Palapa then you might really enjoy your stay. The PRO's of this resort: it's very pretty, with gorgeous floral arrangements and lights at night that make for an awesome ambiance. The restaurants on site were all very good. Most of the staff were attentive and friendly. The pools are nice and seem to be mostly clean and well-kept. Each Palapa has a front porch with a hammock, which is fun. CON's of this resort: the beach-front is small!! (a lot of people said it might have had something to do with the hurricanes last season washing away some of the shoreline). The pools did not have enough lounge chairs around them, so it was like an Olympic sport each morning to get a chair reserved before someone else. No TV in rooms or really on the entire property (not a huge deal but would've been nice to know beforehand. We went during the Olympics and didn't get to see any of the coverage of events. They do have a few tv's in the central bar on the resort but they only played music video channels the entire time). My main takeaway is this: your whole experience will depend on what Palapa you get. Had we not been allowed to change rooms, our experience here would've been pretty poor. If you DO choose to stay here, my advice would be to skip the "ocean view' rooms. Most of them had very small slivers of ocean available, so save your money and get a garden view room, and put that extra expense towards a few rounds of their delicious pina coladas and fresh fish ceviche!

My family and I stayed at Mahekal Resort for nearly a week in Feb. 2018. All of us (kids ages 10 and 13) had a fantastic experience. We booked a jungle room with two beds. Initially I was concerned that the room would be too small, but it ended up being perfect as we did not spend much time inside. We did utilize the outside "porch area" (table, two chair and two hammocks) a lot. Other reviews have spoken about the unpredictable wi-fi, but we did not have any problems connecting. The pools were all well taken care of and the water was deliciously warm. The ocean was mere steps away in all of her glory. Our package included daily breakfast; the buffet was always delicious with a new special daily. Bolis Bar has a game room with pool, shuffleboard and ping pong and usually a soccer game on the TV. My kids loved it. The staff at the resort were ALL friendly and smiling. I honestly did not see a single disgruntled employee. A few things to be aware of. All charges made while at the resort are billed to your room so try to keep a running total in your head if you don't want a big surprise at the end. I did find the prices at the resort for food/drink to be more expensive then in town. The location of the resort to 5th avenue with all of its restaurants and bar is awesome. Truly steps away. We rented a car and were always able to get parking on the street in front of the resort. This is a great resort in a great location, You will not be disappointed.