Mahekal Beach Resort - European Plan

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

4181 reviews

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  Beautiful stay in Playa

  Thank you Mahekal staff for 2 amazing weeks! Everyone was so friendly and the resort was beautiful. Downtown Playa is right outside the resort. Special tha is to Valeria and Ilen for all the activities like crazy game, Mexican lottery and magic bracelets. Juan Carlos was a standout and always helpful also!

  Feb 20, 2025
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  Great location, amazingly terrible front desk, a bad experience I will NEVER FORGET.

  We tried to check in after 3 pm and we were told that the king bed oceanfront casita we had reserved was not available. Instead we were told that we had booked a twin bed room. We hadn't. So the front desk said that there was incorrect information about what we had booked so they recommended that we go get lunch while we wait for our room. This was their fault. Unequivocally. We went and ate lunch and then came back at 4:30 and we were told that our room was still getting prepared. Understand that it is 3:00pm check-in time and these oceanfront rooms are not cheap. So we took a walk around the property. Part of this walk involved a walk by our room and we saw a guy in rubber boots with two buckets walk in there. At 4:45 when our check-in time was 3:00. Not encouraging. Especially at these rates. Anyway, the security guard were delightful. 5:00 and we came back to the lobby and sat in a couch. 5:10 and Sofia, the woman at the front desk, approached us like she had just won an Olympic medal because more than 2 hours after check-in we could get into our room. We asked her pointedly and directly whether it was acceptable to be so late. She said some random garbage about how the information they had about our room was wrong. This was their fault. She offered nothing. I said "how about you get our drinks?" This was about $15 worth of drinks while we waited for them to get their act together. She said no. Bluntly. Our room was kind of cool but the beach was wrecked and the sea directly impinges on it. The sliding doors to the veranda were all compromised by air gaps and the ocean. Anyway, we thought it was cool if not a bit decrepit. We stayed a couple days and enjoyed the staff on premises. The myriad security guards are awesome. The restaurant employees are awesome. The bar staff are awesome. But for some reason they hire the worst possible front desk staff. For some reason, we did not have a hair dryer in the room so my wife called the front desk to request one. The front desk told her to look harder. It was not there. So they sent one. Then, the unimaginable happened. My mother passed away back in the states on our second to last day. The greatest tragedy of my life and I had to explain it to the front desk I despised. I went to the front desk and told them we were going to have to check out a day early because of a family tragedy. Sofia cheerfully smiled and said "no problem." I can't even believe these are professionals. We went to check out after that with all our bags and the front desk INEXPLICABLY asked me for two things: (1) an affidavit that my mother had died; and (2) a hold on our departure while their staff ensured that we had not used anything from the $6 minibar. They held us up for 15 minutes while they made sure that we had not drank $2 Modelos or $1 Sprites. It was humiliating. We've stayed 50 times in the Yucatan Peninsula and never felt so much shame and disdain for the corporate overlords of the hotel. Also, the beach was amazingly terrible. I hope nobody ever stays at this place.

  Feb 17, 2025
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  Another year, another magical stay at Mahekal!

  Just got back from another wonderful stay at our home away from home, Mahekal. We love returning every year and seeing our friends, both the staff and other repeat guests that also come around the same time as we do each year. It's like a family reunion! As you can see from most reviews, besides the beauty of Mahekal, the real reason why most people return year after year is the staff. They get to know you and go out of their way to make you feel special! I want to shout out a few people specifically who always go above and beyond for us- Manuel, Enrique, Ignacio, Zuri, Kimberly, Gilberto, Brian and Ruben (and Alberto, we missed you!!). Already counting down the days until we're back again to see you all! In terms of the accommodations, we always get the Garden View rooms and find them to be spacious and located in the best areas of the property. We always do the half board, which includes breakfast and dinner. Breakfast is by far the best meal at the hotel, so definitely get that! Not only is the view while you're eating breakfast just breathtaking, there are so many delicious options to choose from, from pastries to fruit, yogurt, cereal, hot buffet items, and there's always eggs cooked to order. The dinner buffets are ok, some are better than others, but there's always something yummy to find. Fuego is a good option for dinner too and their salmon is my favorite dish at Mahekal! The one thing I would love if they could improve on would be their gym. I use an app for my workouts, so I'm fine in the gym as long as I have some weights, a mat and some space, but there are only 3 cardio machines (2 ellipticals and a treadmill) and none of them were working while we were there! Plus, I don't think any of the equipment has been changed in the last 10 years! I don't think those machines were meant to hold up to that kind of humidity! I feel like more and more people are using the gym now than in years past, so it's probably time to give it a refresh! Thank you, Mahekal, for another wonderful stay! Can't wait for our return visit next February!

  Feb 17, 2025
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  Mahekal

  Our stay at Mahekal was good overall. Although we started out with a dirty room, the concierge, specially Corinna, helped us quickly resolve the issue and moved us to an even better room. She was so attentive and kind , it made our stay much better!

  Feb 11, 2025
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  Not Even Close to Luxury

  This hotel has such potential but there are so many bad parts that overwhelm the good. First, the hotel staff could really care less about your experience. For three days, we tried to get a reservations at the restaurant and everyone just shrugged and said it was booked. My very expensive oceanfront room was not actually "beachfront" as there was no accessible beach. AND it literally on the public beach so the entire town was with me breakfast, lunch and dinner. In fact there was an all night party which shook my whole hut and no one cared. Also there was a wedding across from my friend's room with a DJ until midnight. Waiters barely show up and mostly what everyone is most worried about is to make sure they have logged your meal and requested a tip. I love to tip but the mix of this aggressiveness and the terrible customer service didn't sit well. We asked to help find a driver for our departure the following day. The concierge barely looked up and said he didn't think any were available. They never distributed the activities and they were noted nowhere. We had to ask around to find if there actually was yoga as promised. The beach chairs were crappy and old. The drinks were weak and bad. The setting is lovely. The buffet breakfast and dinners were quite good. As always the beaches and water are incredible but there are two places to access a private beach and they are slivers.

  Feb 11, 2025