Mahekal Beach Resort

We stayed here for one night while passing through Playa del Carmen. The concept of the hotel is fantastic and there are certainly some lovely aspects to it, but unfortunately our overall experience didn't quite live up to the promise. The rooms are fairly basic. While they're designed with a rustic, natural feel, they felt in need of updating with aged electrics and older style fittings. Had we been staying longer, there wouldn't have been nearly enough wardrobe or storage space for my husband, son and me. When we arrived at our room, we found that the shower drain was blocked and sewage was backing up through it. We reported the issue to reception, and to their credit, maintenance responded promptly and resolved the problem. We experienced no further issues with it during our stay. At check-in, we were charged an additional $40 "eco tax" that had not been clearly advertised beforehand, which felt lacking in transparency. Guests are given coloured wristbands to identify their package. Unfortunately, we were given the wrong colour, which meant having to wait while our breakfast entitlement was verified when we arrived at the restaurant. A small issue, but another glitch that detracted from the experience.
If you're visiting during seaweed season, as we were in June, be aware that large amounts of seaweed can accumulate along the beach. During our stay, there were piles of it on the shoreline and the sea was quite brown, which isn't the picture-postcard Caribbean experience many visitors might expect. On the positive side, we loved the lush jungle atmosphere, the birds and wildlife wandering freely around the property, and the relaxed, laid-back vibe. The staff were kind and welcoming throughout our stay. The location is also excellent, offering easy access to Fifth Avenue and its abundance of restaurants, shops, and vibrant nightlife.

My husband and I just finished staying 10 nights at theMahekal Beach Resort and Spa in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.

The hotel is located very conveniently within a short walking distance to many delicious restaurants, the pedestrian zone area of shops and restaurants and bars.

The property is beautiful, well-maintained, landscaped and well secured by walls and security guards. The rooms were aesthetically, pleasing charming rooms with traditional thatched roofs and beautiful woodwork. The grounds are immaculately kept, and there are five pools to choose from in addition to the fact that the hotel is oceanfront.

The rooms come with a security box, bug spray, a coffee maker, and iron, shampoo, body cleanser and body lotion. I believe every room had its own hammock set up outside. I was surprised that there was no television set in a place called "Resort and spa."

The reason I didn't give it five stars is because the water pressure was pretty low, the water didn't get much warmer than lukewarm, so it wasn't fun to wash my hair over 10 days without proper hot water. The phone didn't work and the coffee maker didn't work, although to their credit, the hotel was quick to send staff over to try to remedy the problems.

Our room (200) was large and comfortable with much needed air-conditioning and a king size bed, in the lush Oasis section of the property. It was pretty back there with a small semi private pool, but it was a bit of hike to the reservation office and to breakfast.

One thing that was a pleasant surprise was the wildlife on that lush property… there were coatimundis, agoutis, iguanas, chachalacas and some other lovely birds, both big and small finding their way to some water to cool off. They were all completely harmless and so enjoyable to see!

We enjoyed a couples massage at the Revive Spa....they offered us a special we could not refuse.

The breakfast buffet was pretty extensive and available for several hours in the morning. El Fuego restaurant food and drinks were very good and fairly priced.

What made our visit to Mahekal resort and spa really nice worthy consistently wonderful employees there in every capacity. I would like to recognize Myra (housekeeper), Manuel, Ignacio, Kimberly, Odalis, Braian, Ismael the bartender at the pool, Alberto, Oseas, Paolo entire security team, whose names I don't have. I would like to recommend to management to let these poor security guards (and other employees) wear short sleeves and shorts in the stifling heat and humidity.

All in all we enjoyed our stay at Mahekal Beach Resort & Spa and would recommend it to others!

Atmosphere was very relaxing and friendly! The people of this place are what make it so special. They are really all so friendly and helpful. They made us feel welcome and knew our names at both Los Olas and at Fuegos each time we had a meal. The beach was beautiful to look at (we were there during a high sargassum time, so didn’t swim). The weather was hot every day and the air conditioning in the room worked well. We had asked for a bottom floor, but were “upgraded” to the top with the thatched roof. It was lovely. The waiters were top notch and I can’t even pick out a few names because they were all SO amazing! Every person working here is fantastic, from the desk to the security guards, the bartenders and the servers. Tipping is part of the culture here, so bring some pesos.