Yemaya Reefs, a Small Luxury Hotel

From the moment we arrived by boat, we were greeted by Ricardo and staff with a wonderful ginger. The Breathtaking views from room instantly melted stress away. Waking up to the beautiful patio, private pool and ocean / nature was so zen. We loved everything about it .Room was clean, modern, cozy. Showering was as if you were in the woods by yourself. Food was exquisite . Massages one of the best we’ve ever had. Cold plunge, thermal therapy & jungle gym such a treat/experience. This magical place is a hidden gem. You feel so relaxed and happy. The buffet and drumming show was so fun on our last day. Already missing our nightly tea service that came to your room . The entire staff was incredible! Thank you . We are already planning our next trip .

I would love to give this hotel a 5 star but unfortunately, I cannot and I will explain below. I reached out prior to our trip if we can have a plunge pool and pay extra since we are celebrating our anniversary. Crickets…until I followed up twice and was informed that they are full. I knew that arriving to the island would be rough as per the comments I was reading from previous travelers. So it’s a given, especially we were in a small boat for 6 people. Upon arrival, we were greeted and welcomed with a signature drink. The check in was a breeze. The room was quite spacious and we have a daybed as well, which we obviously didn’t use. The shower feels like you’re with nature. The French doors open to a small patio overlooking the beach. It really is a beachfront property. Everything is going great as we have hoped. The island is secluded, and it’s ideal for couples who would like to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The sunset was marvelous. They had a cultural dance on our first night. Since the property is small, you’ll see the same familiar guests and we even get to know a German couple who visited them twice. Monique (I hope I remembered her name right), helped us with all our needs. She is such a delight. I even tried their Aloe Vera spa and my partner had the massage. On our second day, the fridge was not working. So my partner transferred it by the door since we found out that it was the outlet. We informed the housekeeping guy that was inside the room before they left. Unfortunately, my partner lo had $300 taken from his envelope where he had his cash. He would t have known if he did not prepare how much he was going to pay for his scuba diving the following morning. We had cordobas, my Apple Watch, my iPhone on the table but those were not taken away. I reported it immediately. I was not sure if I also lost cash since I don’t have the habit of counting my cash. The operations manager had security investigate the event and I was informed that the they had to let go of one of their employees, which was not our intention, though I do understand their reasoning behind it. I informed him that we still have 4 more days in the island and I don’t feel safe leaving our valuables behind so I had to take my little waterproof beach bag to put all of our valuables the entire time we stayed. Their service recovery is minimal. I do expect them to give us a credit of $300 to be deducted from our bill, and an apology. That was all we had. I was not asking for anything else but as I said, that’s the minimal service recovery I was expecting. The hotel’s pool is small but you rarely share it with someone since most of the guests are at the beach or exploring the jungle. The food is good. The waiter Jordan is very attentive and even knows our names. In fact, most of them do and they know which room you are staying. Overall, for a small luxury hotel, the overall experience is above average (minus the missing money incident), the servi

Yemaya Reefs more than delivered on our expectations from viewing their website and social media presence. The stay was comfortable, easy, and beautiful. Yemaya has several casitas spread right on the oceanfront. The beach was clean and quiet on the north side of the island. There are a couple restaurants and other hotels nearby, but this side of the island didn’t attract too much foot traffic. They have snorkels and other items to borrow, and you can arrange boat activities if that’s your speed. They also offer yoga and spa services - while we didn’t participate, we heard good things from other guests. It was a 20 foot walk to the beach, and then a 20 yard swim from the door of our casita to beautiful snorkeling. The ocean was clear and warm, so always nice for a swim. Our casita had a plunge pool but the hotel’s lobby pool was very nice, as well. Our casita was very clean with high-quality amenities. Comfortable bed, mini fridge, quality toiletries, in room filter water and French press coffee maker, etc. Housekeeping visited daily and any extras could be requested at the front desk. We had a delay in getting towels one day but the front desk quickly acted to help us get that sorted out. The drinks at Yemaya were fantastic! All of the cocktails were made with fresh juices (the Calala Cloud and Tamarind drinks were two favorites). The Rumboat bar is located on the beach and was open some of the days of our stay. We enjoyed an afternoon beer at the Rumboat and recommend a visit there. Onto the food - our expectations were far exceeded and along with the food at Yemaya, the overall food on LCI is better than any island food we’ve had at other places in the Caribbean. The breakfast offerings at Yemaya are light and simple. The lunch and snacks were delicious - we loved the fish tacos. The real star though was a huge surprise as we didn’t see much mention in other reviews or on the website: Yemaya offered nightly prix fixe menu that was delicious each time we had it! The special menu changed nightly and varied from $22-28. The portions were very generous and the food was delicious. One night was a taco platter with three meats in delicious homemade marinades, toppings, and homemade fresh tortillas, plus an amazing tortilla soup starter and a dessert for $22. Other nights offered a small prix fixe menu with more options, like 1-2 starters, 1-3 mains, and 1-2 dessert choices. For example, one night offered a plantain, meat, and cheese croquette or a tuna appetizer. Your entree choice was a huge piece of grilled kingfish with mashed potatoes, a huge beef filet with mashed plantains, grilled veggies, and chimichurri, or a vegetarian option, plus dessert for $28. Another night included a fresh lobster tail and risotto. The beef filet was huge and amazing and would’ve cost 3-4x back in the states, and the kingfish was fresh and tasty. Each night, they also served an inventive and delicious starter bite, such as a mini tostado with avocado purée an

Omg it was incredible we loved it the employees go all out to make you feel in heaven there was one employer she even did hair and already done with ther shift that's incredible her name was sheilly. We also love the food service and massage. The place is incredible you have to enjoy every minute off it trust me

This trip was a dream come true, all thanks to the wonderful people at Yemaya! It is such a beautiful resort with the most comfortable beds, really kind people that were always so helpful, delicious meals every night and very awesome cocktails. I was very sad to leave, but I plan to return again to this amazing place!!

Besides the constant rain (in October), the place was sooo beautiful and clean. Every employee was super friendly: Jordan was such a great server, always willing to help and accommodate us as needed. Melky, Justin were GREAT. The other 2 ladies as well were beyond kind. Ricardo is such a GREAT manager, super helpful and friendly at all time. All the cleaning ladies were soo nice and always made sure our rooms stay clean throughout the day and made us tea every day. Everybody has been so nice from the boat to the hotel crew and made our stay wonderful. Thank you for all you do.