Guest User
June 22, 2024
With Mandarina, you are paying for the experience more than for value. I was debating between 3.5 or 4 stars. Pros We went in June and it felt like we had the resort all to ourselves and very few ppl around. The staff mentioned they were at 40% capacity. Most waitstaff were friendly from the drivers to the restaurant staff but unfortunately our main host, Wendy, was not the most helpful. She was our host for our group of 6 (3 couples) and responded an hour later to one couple and was not helpful in providing information and they ended up missing activities for the day while waiting for her response. I also sensed she had alot of guests to tend to. At the end, she didn’t share our dinner plans with all of us so miscommunication happened. I also thought it was strange she had another host asked one couple to PayPal her tip directly while the other two couples didn’t get that request. Over our 4 night stay, we had two hosts and we all preferred the other person who was upbeat and responded quickly. The resort including rooms, butterfly farm, tennis courts, restaurants, beaches, and spa were stunning. Very clean property. If you like to relax or staying at one location the whole time, this property would be ideal. Alma breakfast was all you can eat and part of the hotel cost. Cons Food was ok and I may be more picky because I have great Mexican and Michelin starred restaurants back in the bay area. I read in another review the bees were troublesome during breakfast at Alma’s and management was going to fix it but it is still a problem and many bees were buzzing around the pastries and inside the covers. They follow the pastries to your table and I was fearfully swatting them away. Try sitting at the center indoor tables instead of near the window. Last day in my room, a man with a key opened my door without knocking. He apologized and left. I texted the 24/7 hotline and they sent security within minutes to check on me. Not ideal and he should have knock. I’m not sure if he mistaken my room for another or thought nobody was here since my husband was at the gym. They are very attentive to where you are so you can’t go rogue on the property. Another con like everyone mentioned was the wait for a buggy. They won’t let you drive one on your own so you’re dependent on them to take you around but they are quick with 5-10 minute wait on average. I would recommend letting the guests drive around. It’s in a forest so expect rain, forest, bugs and birds. The birds are quite loud in the morning. Woodpeckers and lots of loud chirping.