Banyan Tree Veya, Valle de Guadalupe

The Banyan Tree Veya is an incredible experience in the Valley de Guadalupe. The modern architecture is dug into the hillside with beautiful views and landscaping. It is truly an escape! The service was amazing and we felt very taken care of.

What a lovely resort! For us it definitely was an experience and not just a place to stay. The villas are lovely and well maintained, the common areas are stylish, the views are breathtaking, and the staff is smiling and outgoing. So what is the catch? The execution of the basics... For instance: service at breakfast both mornings was gracious and sincere but 20 minutes till the first cup of lukewarm coffee showed up. 40 minutes in the fruit came, 75 minutes in the hot dish, and we skipped the pastry basket and 95minutes after sitting down we got the check. We thought this might have been an off morning, but the next morning- almost 2 hours. Furthermore, this was the Amex FHR included breakfast- eggs, bread and fruit- no meat and no entrees = no fun! Please don't pinch pennies at this price point- what should be a treat felt cheap. The first evening our request for ice never showed up. The second evening I wished to take advantage of the lovely sunset views from the patio outside the lobby bar and enjoy an ice cream, but based on our tedious dinner experience we decided to order the ice cream to our room along with ice, and enjoy it on our outdoor patio. The friendly room service lady said 20 minutes for the ice and olive oil ice cream. 30 minutes later the front desk calls and says they have an order for ice cream, and what flavor do I wish to have? 10 minutes later the restaurant calls and says they have an order for ice cream, what flavor do I wish to have? I clarify my choice for the 3rd time and remind them of the ice. 1hr 45 minutes after ordering a smiling boy shows up with two scoops of ice cream plopped in a throw away cup. No frills- just $23 for two scoops. The ice? Forgotten. The sunset? Long gone. Many more instances that I could list, but you get the idea. This property is truly impressive. The staff are genuinely kind. Any and all requests were met with smiles and an intention of fulfillment. The villas are cutting edge and immaculate. But somewhere in management something is broken. Between the request and the fulfillment thereof the ball got dropped 8/10. They did accomplish some requests like cleaning the main pool for us, placing a crib for the 2yr old as well as arranging pickup from TIJ airport. Two nights was fun, but any more would have been tedious for us. We are glad we went for the setting and experience, but there is so much room to improve!

Check In: Was a bit confusing trying to find the right gate and place to park your car, but the staff was very friendly. The welcome wine was great. The woman who checked us in did a great job explaining the property and what we can expect. We were grateful for the upgraded room. The Room: The room was beautiful and quite comfortable. I think next time we will pay for a better room that does not have a neighbor so close. One pretty big disappointment was the fact that the fire place did not work. The Pool: We were lucky enough to have one of the mountainside pool to ourselves but it was disappointing that the bar and “food trucks” were closed. We were able to order drinks through whatsapp which was fine. It looks like they just charged us for room service to the pool which I did not think was fair. If you are going to advertise that there are pool side bars to get drinks but not have them open due to being out of season and short-staffed it isn't fair to charge people room service prices at a place where a bar should be open. Happy Hour: The woman who checked us heavily encouraged us to come up to the reception area for a beautiful sunset cocktail among the cozy firepits. We left the pool early and hurried to get ready to enjoy a nice drink up there. However, when we arrived none of the fire pits that she said would be lit were lit. We asked staff if they could light the firepits and they said no problem. We then went over to the bar where there was one person working and ordered drinks. We sat by the fire for 20 minutes and nothing happened. Nobody lit the firepits and the drinks were not made. I went over to the bartender to see what was going on and the drinks had not been started so we just cancelled them and left. We had planned on dining at one of the restaurants upstairs but after the disappointing happy hour we left the resort and had an amazing dinner at Olivia. Check Out: Check out was nothing short of a complete disaster. Understand that we drove down from San Diego and the stress of crossing the border just makes you want to leave as soon as possible. I sent a multiple whatsapp messages for someone to come get us so we could get on the road. Nobody responded to any of my messages for over 40 minutes, I even called the office and nobody picked up. I tried to wave down carts going by to pick us up and they just zoomed right by us. I then had to walk up the entire hill in the hot sun to check out. When I arrived I asked what was going on and they said they didn't get any of my messages, and that some times the system doesn't relay the message. They also blamed the delay on being short staffed. You should really let guests know that there will be amenities that will not be available during check in or something. You want to leave a wellness resort feeling refreshed and relaxed, walking up that hill and losing almost an hour on the road was very frustrating. The more time you wait the bigger the line at the border gets. Again, overall the resort is beautiful and well maintained. I do not blame the staff for these shortcomings and would place the blame on management/ownership who cuts the staff in slower months. I also don’t understand why it was so short staffed and things closed when reception told us that the resort was full?

Amazing atmosphere, incredible rooms, one of the most peaceful hotels I've ever stayed at. Beyond this, the service was impeccable. One of the finest hotels!! Cannot say enough wonderful things.

After an incredible stay at Banyan Tree Mayakoba, we were excited to try the Valle de Guadalupe property, but it was a major disappointment. Honestly, it doesn't live up to the 'Banyan Tree' name. While the villas are nicely designed, they lack privacy; the walls are so low that you can see and hear your neighbors, which is a far cry from the secluded sanctuary we expected. The amenities were also underwhelming. The private pool is tiny—more like a micro-jacuzzi—and the surrounding vineyards looked neglected. Service was a fiasco: we asked to have our pool heated twice, but it never got warm, and by the next morning, it had been accidentally drained by the staff. The restaurant is also very limited in its options. The only highlights were the room interior and the relaxing spa, but everything else felt unpolished. If you are looking for the true luxury and privacy of this brand, you won’t find it here