One&Only Mandarina

Location- spectacular, beaches and jungle. Villa- luxury, attention to every single detail. Food- fresh, delicious, allergy-friendly. Staff- they seek to provide perfection. That is what we experienced. Every single staff member shares that it is their pleasure to help. Every single one. Beyond the stunning beauty of the space, the staff sets this stay into a category beyond all others.

This was our first time staying at a One & Only property and it definitely did not disappoint. In fact, I think this may be the best hotel I’ve stayed at in terms of the property, service, and rooms. For reference we typically stay at Belmond, Rosewood, and Four season properties. We booked their most standard room, which was very impressive and large. The staff were incredible, the spa spectacular, food was great, and the wild life and jungle were beautiful. The mix of mountains, ocean, and jungle were amazing!!! Mandarina is a 1 hour drive north of Puerto Vallarta. We were whisked away in a very nice transport arranged by the hotel stocked with beer, snacks, aroma therapy towels, TV, and wifi… an excellent first impression. When we arrived to our destination, there was a sense of peace and serenity…. and then they brought us and our friends Komos tequila shots at check in which balanced out the zen like atmosphere! 😂 You almost feel completely alone in the jungle in your tree house with plunge pool. The bathroom was huge with large shower and an outdoor tub. Each villa had its own dedicated host - all of which are incredibly prompt and on top of things via text. I appreciated the adult pool, but this property is so expansive that it was very quiet no matter where you went. A nice perk is that the new Rosewood hotel (a 8 min golf cart ride) is next door and you can charge to your room from there as well. No doubt, the One & Only property is much better, but we did like the food at Rosewood more. There’s everything from zip lining, to horseback riding, water sports, and more. The spa has an extensive menu and is great for those looking for a more holistic wellness experience. If I’m being picky, the only things that could use some improvement is Carea and the overall food prices which are far too high for what you get.

The property grounds are beautiful but the service was not what we were expecting from a One and Only. Our room was not ready upon arrival even though we arrived after our check in time. Your personal concierge is supposed to greet you and give you a tour of your room but ours was busy with other guests. There was an aspect of our room that was not as advertised or shown on the website which they did remedy but not until halfway during our stay and it was kind of frustrating having to deal with. My husband had pre arranged a surprise welcome amenity to be in the room on our arrival and it wasn’t there when we arrived. In room dining or getting anything to our room was very slow (we would wait 1 1/2 hour to get ice) and multiple times we got to the point of just tell me where it is and I’ll go walk to get it. The spa service was great and the property is beautiful but the service just wasn’t what we were expecting.

6:321 5G 644 Profile I feel very saddened writing this review as we love Mexico! We have traveled to many beautiful resorts around the world, and punta mita has remained a most special place. We have been traveling w our family twice a year here for 7 years. This was the first visit to One and Only. I was unfamiliar w the brand and a little nervous since we have had wonderful experiences at FS and St regis. However, we decided to try something new for 3 nights. I feel I need to share our experience to help others prepare if they want to make the reservation. It is a beautiful location, but the service is lacking and there are risks that the hotel is not prepared to prevent or handle if happen. We have traveled deep in the jungle in costa rica twice and never had a similiar problem. sadly, all I got were excuses ..that they fumigated our room and I must have gone hiking in the jungle etc (NOPE ...and after horseback riding we all showered well). Night 2/3 I went to grab a diet coke from mini bar night two and touched something squishy and panicked...it was a semi frozen lizard IN the fridge! GROSS..had not yet opened. That same night I was awoken at 2 am to a terrible headache and pain in my abdomen. I reached down and felt something and couldn't remove it. I woke my husband terrified and what he thought was a new mole..was a tick. Before bed I had taken a Bath AND shower. washing hair. Can only imagine was in sheets or attached to pajamas on nightstand ? So gross. We were completely unfamiliar w how to handle and my husband googled and was able to remove it (or most of it and he stayed to rest of night researching in shock this happened. I woke and shared photos w our host and he to the dr. He came back saying photos were good and I was fine..no need to see dr unless I really wanted to. After ofst, we decided maybe was best to have Dr look at area. Minutes later Dr told me "this isn't going to feel good...and put on gloves pulling out a giant needle and proceeded to dig out the mouth of this insect from my stomach on a beach chair w my kids watching in horror...tears streaming as it was terribly painful. Told I should go on antibiotics and I can hire a courier etc to go to town. I think I'll now be scarred anywhere | go and travel w antibiotics to be safe. Itried to postpone our trip 20 days out as our toddler had a severe ron to a mosquito bite and dr recommended, however they were completely unwilling to move it out at all while we learned more about the severity of his recent allergy. When on the last day our 4 yo finally got stung and arm swelled up horribly in pain, they did not even have basic first aid w creams such as cortisone with their dr on site to help. We were told that we could hire a courier to drive into town and they'd tack on 10%. How kind and caring of this 5 star resort we were paying almost $5k a night to stay at. (we thought our cortisone would be ok on plane but was too big and tossed flying out but assumed as in past w other resorts, it would be available for purchase at least in a gift shop or their dr.) You will also spend 10 min a time waiting on golf carts even when pre arranged and need them 7-10 times a day. we had some problems not receiving orders at bkfst which normally wouldn't have been a big deal, but given all else .really added to dissapointment. I will say many kind team members there who we appreciated in spite of all the negatives. Home Search

A One & Only should be an excellent experience on every level from when you arrive until the time you depart. The views and location are incredible. Many of the staff are wonderful. But they are missing many things that should be expected at this price point when holding 3 Michelin Star Keys for experiences, cuisine and transformative wellness.