Rosewood Mandarina

Stayed for four nights in October for a couple’s trip. Many thanks to our travel agent and to the excellent Director of Rooms, Marcos Rodrigues, who upgraded us to a poolside one-bedroom suite (Room 202) with a massive terrace overlooking the recreation area. The suite floored us — beautifully finished, thoughtfully laid out, and deeply comfortable. Highlights Exceptionally comfortable loungers by both the pool and beach Excellent crudo and panoramic views at Peñasco, the cliffside bar Dinner at the new Japanese Toppu restaurant at the top of the property was excellent — refined dishes and a really special ambiance Very good breakfast — the mole in particular stood out Service was consistently exceptional: nearly everyone greeted us by name, staff were warm and attentive, and communication through WhatsApp made everything effortless; we only waited a few minutes for a buggy on rare occasions The gift shops near the pool and main restaurant were well curated, with tasteful, high-quality items worth browsing The Rosewood Explorers Club looked fantastic — beautifully designed and clearly well-run, though we didn’t use it this trip Bikes were always available and made it easy to get around Enormous soaking tubs and generous wardrobe/storage space Plush king beds with deeply comfortable mattresses Plenty of TechnoGym equipment in the beautiful gym Air conditioning throughout the property was excellent — strong and reliable, which mattered in the warm October climate Smooth and safe airport transfer arranged directly by the hotel Mandarina Property Notes The larger Mandarina development has far more to offer than the hotel materials initially suggest. Beyond the Rosewood grounds, the property includes polo and equestrian facilities, a golf pro shop, and tennis and pickleball courts, all accessible by a short buggy ride. There are also hiking and mountain biking trails near the One&Only Mandarina, which can be easily reached in about a 15-minute buggy transfer. I visited the spa at the One&Only and joined a taco cooking class at Carrao, both of which were excellent experiences and a highlight of the trip. Rosewood Property Layout Notes The 100s are beachfront villas and suites. The 200s–300s sit on the flatland area near the recreation zone. The 400s have cliffside ocean views (not direct beach access). The 500s–600s are tucked into the mountain area. We loved our Room 202 — extremely well located, peaceful, and private while still close to everything.

Our reservation at Rosewood Mandarina was fully prepaid and made through American Express Travel. We booked a specific room category, but on arrival were given something completely different. When we raised this, local management admitted the images on their own site were inaccurate — but still refused to correct the issue. We opened a dispute through Amex to document it. What happened next was shocking. Instead of resolving the situation properly, the hotel chose to chase our vehicle with our young children inside, in the middle of a remote area, and coerce us to sign documents against our will. This after checking out and the hotel staff helper us normally. But then they received an apparent order from their director of room who demanded his team to stop our car in the middle of the road and escort us back to the hotel to “sign documents”. The behavior of staff and management was intimidating and dangerous. We had no idea what exactly were in those documents in Spanish. They cannot act as kingpins of the jungle and resolve matters this way. This went far beyond poor service. It was an unsafe and deeply disturbing experience that no guest should ever be put through. If you have issues with your stay be careful, they will chase you and will use force to have you signing documents that you are satisfied.

I booked Rosewood Mandarina expecting the service and quality that the Rosewood brand is known for. What I experienced was a complete breakdown in service, management, and basic operations. The communication through WhatsApp was polished, lots of “yes of course” and “we’ll take care of it” but the reality was the opposite. Nothing was actually fixed. The hot tub never had hot water. Management showed no interest in resolving anything. A member of the staff admitted the property had hired many employees from all-inclusive resorts nearby with little track record or proper training. That is exactly what it feels like: a team with no structure, no accountability, and no leadership. But the Mexican staff are great people they are not the ones to blame. The issue is the management. Perhaos because they are so far away from the rosewood leadership they simply don’t care. There’s no publicity that can be made to save their lack of ownership. Four seasons eat this place alive. To add to that, the food and beverage pricing is out of touch with reality. Topu restaurant is average at best, regular sushi for NY omakase prices. In the hotel, a kids’ pasta costs $25 and a basic Pacifico beer is $10. Even staff quietly agreed the pricing is inflated far beyond reasonable levels. The room shampoo will turn your hair like a cave man hair. Hard. This is not a true Rosewood. It’s a property using the name but not living up to the standard. For families or anyone expecting real hospitality, this is a serious disappointment and a waste of money. Rosewood corporate needs to address this property before it damages the brand further.

My family and I have stayed at many luxury hotels — including other Rosewoods — and also at One&Only Mandarina right next door. The difference is shocking. One&Only delivers world-class hospitality. Rosewood Mandarina simply doesn’t care. From the moment we arrived, it was clear: management here has no respect for guests, especially families. We booked a Two-Bedroom Suite. At check-in, they tried to put us in a completely different room and even asked us to “send proof” of our own reservation. The tone was dismissive and disrespectful. The images of the site are not real, they have these beautiful images but then when you see the rooms they are different, they are selling them all as premium but they are not all the same. Once in the room: • We found a spider in the bathroom, • The shower was broken, • The hot tub never got warm, • Maintenance was slow and ineffective. The turtle release activity — meant to be a special family moment — turned into a nightmare. No transportation when promised, wrong directions, late, and walking long distances on the beach with a baby because of their disorganization. Dining was chaotic: sent to a closed restaurant, placed wrong menus, left waiting. And through all this? Management did nothing. Just the same scripted apologies. No ownership. No urgency. No care. We order a margarita pizza to later find out there’s not marguerita pizza in the kitchen, only flatbread and with ham. They said they had and “put” an order but there was none. The whole thing felt like a rip off Holliday Inn. This property is not suitable for families with young children and not ready to operate at the level they claim. If you want real hospitality, go to One&Only next door. We stayed there and is superior. Be aware and I wish you the best when staying there. You won’t have your vacation day back, I felt ripped off since I lost mine and had to pay (a lot of money) for this. Never again

We were very fortunate to stay at the Rosewood Mandarina for 5 nights for our wedding anniversary. It truly is a paradise and was such a special experience. We had booked the mountain suite through Amex Platinum and were upgraded to a beach front suite room 107 which was truly phenomenal. If you love being able to walk out to the sand and ocean from your room this was the perfect experience. The rooms are spacious and laid out in a way that are perfect for couples. Beds are so comfortable which is a big must have for us. Because it was our anniversary, the hotel team treated us to many beautiful extra treats including while we were out to dinner creating a romantic bath, with rose petals, and chocolate covered strawberries. We were pretty blown away. We also loved being there in September which is more of their slow season because it's hotter but we loved it having what felt like the whole hotel to ourselves. Also, at night there were incredible thunderstorms, but the days were sunny and beautiful and we spent a lot of time in our personal pool at the suite and the main pools, so the heat was totally fine. We also got treated to the new Japanese restaurant at the top of the hill and it was truly spectacular not only in the views but the food. Overall the food in every restaurant was delicious. The staff really made our stay unforgettable and shout out to Eber at the pool who amazingly had our favorite chairs ready each day when we arrived at the pool and Augustine, Victor and Lily. Honestly everyone we encountered were really so lovely. And like other guest mentioned, we have also stayed at the One and Only and this compares in every way quality wise except is more beach oriented and easier to get around. So if the beach is your thing, and being able to walk or ride bikes to all the restaurants and pools, this is the place for you.