Mahekal Beach Resort

I recently spent a week at the Mahekal Beach Resort as a visiting fitness professional leading yoga and Zumba classes. This was my second time visiting this beautiful resort and again I felt transformed and enlightened by my time spent there. First and foremost, the warm and welcoming staff makes you feel like family. Valeria and Alejandro of the Entertainment team are FABULOUS and make sure that all guests have an amazing time. There is something for everyone …from peaceful yoga and crafts to high energy aqua aerobics, Zumba and fun dance classes and games. For those wanting to just relax, there is no place better than the Mahekal. Every room is its own private bungalow surrounded by beautiful sea, and breathtaking nature. There are several peaceful, private, relaxing spaces, like the Zen ceremonial garden and quiet private pools throughout the property The resort is also directly adjacent to town and all the wonderful shops, restaurants and activities that 5th Ave., Playa Del Carmen has to offer. Honestly, I feel more like a resident of Mexico than a tourist when I stay at this wonderful resort. It is truly unusual to find a spot where you can find both complete relaxation when you need it and endless activities when you want them. Mahekal magically has it all! I cannot wait to return.

Beware booking a vacation here! I booked a trip on April 5, 2026 for January 2027 and paid a deposit of nearly $1K, which was fully charged and processed. I cancelled the reservation the following day on April 6, 2026, and per the cancellation policy, as long as I canceled within a week of the trip, there would be no fee. It has now been 10 weeks, and I still have not been refunded my balance, and communication has been horrendous with no response to emails with the exception of sending me to various different email addresses. This place looked amazing, but given how unethical this has been with this process, I'm thankful to only be out the $1K versus the full $6K had we gone ahead with the vacation.

We came to Mahekal Beach Resort in 2022 and it was one of the best holidays we ever had. We are foodies and we came here on purpose since it was recommended exactly for the voluptuous menus. We took the all-in package that was a cornucopia of Mexican and International gourmandizes. ....and then we came back this week. Unfortunately the management has recently changed and the experience is totally downhill. One restaurant is now closed, there is a Starbucks instead which is completely of context and the general maintenance is done on a budget. The resort doesn't even have basic things....no bacon, no avocado (in Mexico !!!) just to name a few. The menus are reduced dramatically and even in the scarse choice the majority of the things are now off the package and you have to pay separately. We don't come here for the beach....it is in the middle of the city and often full of seaweed....we come here for the food and for the warmth of the staff. Well the staff is the same, they are so nice and somehow you can feel even ashamed of the recent changes. But the rest is downhill, end of the story. We will stay here untill mid of next week and we will see...but this is unfortunately not the place to come back anymore. This is my two cents contribution of the day....don't waste your time and go elsewhere.

We have stayed at the Mahekal hotel for 14 vacations. We had to cancel our 15th stay in February of this year due to a medical emergency. The hotel acknowledged that we complied with their cancellation policy in writing and that we would have to wait a maximum of 95 busibess days for a refund. After the 95 day period, we have not received any refund and the hotel will not respond to our calls. We have filed a complaint with PREFECO, the Mexican government official complaint site. Jerry and Mary Jane Simmons

I have sent this review directly to the manager of the property, followed up, and still have not heard a response. This, in of itself, shows the proof of the lack of customer service this property provides. I recently checked out of Mahekal Resort following what was intended to be a relaxing girls’ getaway. Unfortunately, our experience did not meet expectations, and I wanted to formally document the numerous concerns we encountered during our stay. From the beginning of our stay, the property significantly under delivered compared to what was advertised on the website and represented at booking. The check-in process immediately created unnecessary stress. Upon arrival for reservation for 2 rooms, we received keys for room 108, and staff confirmed that room 113 “was all good.” During payment processing, the employee in training repeatedly stated she was unsure how much to charge us. It was concerning that she appeared to have no direct supervision or support while handling guest billing and credit card transactions. (We had booked a separate 1 night stay prior in room 113 and confirmed in advance the transfer to the new reservation would be seamless). Later that day, pool staff approached us regarding checking out of our current room. We then contacted the concierge team through WhatsApp and were reassured there were no issues and that the matter had already been addressed internally. However, later that evening, our key stopped working entirely. Carlos at the front desk refused to issue a replacement key—even though all of our personal belongings remained inside—until we paid an alleged outstanding balance. When we requested management assistance, Carlos informed us there was no manager onsite who could make a decision or assist with escalation. Both rooms for the dates of 5/22–5/25 were booked under one reservation, so it remains unclear why charges were separated by room number during check-in in the first place. Additionally, the all-inclusive package did not reflect the value or experience that was advertised. The website promotes three restaurants, yet only one restaurant was open for dinner service during our stay, which is unacceptable. There was also no disclosure that guests on the all-inclusive package are restricted to a separate limited menu compared to non-package guests. Carlos later confirmed this was intentional. At our 7:30 PM dinner reservation, we were informed that multiple menu items were unavailable. Due to the poor food quality and limited options, we ultimately had to leave the resort to find dinner elsewhere, resulting in additional unplanned expenses and safety concerns that should not occur during an all-inclusive resort stay. We were also repeatedly served tap water instead of bottled or properly filtered water. Safe drinking water should be a basic expectation at any resort property. Food and beverage service throughout the property was inconsistent as well. On Saturday, lunch service was available at the Las Olas pool, yet on Sunday we were told the same service was unavailable. There appeared to be no consistency in operations or guest communication. Another major concern was the lack of access to drinking water outside restaurant operating hours. Housekeeping never restocked the minibar during our stay, including bottled water. When we asked the concierge where we could obtain water after the restaurants had closed, we were told there were no available options. This is a serious safety and hospitality concern. Additionally, the phone in one of our rooms was nonfunctional for the entirety of the stay. In the event of an emergency, there would have been no reliable way to contact staff from the room. Most concerning, one member of our party has a documented banana allergy, which was communicated repeatedly at the restaurants and bars. Despite this, she was still served the Mahekal cocktail containing banana, resulting in an allergic reaction. Given the nonworking phone in room, this situation could have escalated far more seriously. I do want to note that Armando and Robert were INCREDIBLE at the Las Olas pool. They were the highlight of our entire stay. The grounds were stunning despite the seaweed, which cannot be controlled. Finally, after reviewing my confirmation emails alongside the charges posted to my credit card, I believe there are inconsistencies in the billing. I requested a full and itemized statement for my reservations, as the statements provided throughout the stay appear inconsistent, and I have yet to receive this. Given the numerous operational failures, safety concerns, billing confusion, and the significant discrepancy between the advertised experience and what was actually delivered, I would NOT recommend staying at this property.