One&Only Mandarina

I don’t have enough words to describe The One and Only Madrina. If you are looking for Rainforest meets the Bea h this is the place. We came without expectations and were amazed of the views, nature, exceptional food service and gorgeous accommodations. The buggy’s were always there o. Time to take us and to pick us up. One and Only never disappoints !!

We just returned from our week long family vacation to One and Only Mandarina which we booked because our travel agent described it as “sneaky family friendly” and we wanted something that our nearly 4 year old and 22 month old would enjoy as much as my husband and I. She was spot on - we found it to be an adult resort that was extremely welcoming to kids rather than the other way around, which is exactly what we wanted. Turndown service left out small robes and slippers for the kids, our hosts brought the kids stuffed animals, there were kids menus at every restaurant, and a baby pool next to the full sized pool at the beach club. For my husband and I the food was fantastic, the spa was incredible, service was great and the location was out of this world. It was very easy to get there from Denver. We landed at 1 and we were unpacked and in the pool before 4. Not bad for getting through customs, to the resort, checked in, and unpacked. Our kids were too young to be in the kids club alone, but either my husband or I took them to get some play time each day and we sent them with babysitters twice (this is such a hack and one I just learned about). Babysitters weren’t cheap, $30 per hour per child with a 3 hour minimum, but it was worth it for us to sneak away for a spa day and an evening at the Treetop bar. Each time we got home our boys were happy, fed and well cared for. They did crafts, had a water balloon fight, and won a gold medal in the kids Olympics. Our babysitters sent us photos and videos while we were away. The club has a butterfly preserve which was amazing for the whole family. Unfortunately the tree house was closed due to termites, but it was still a pretty incredible space for the kids. The spa was incredible, without a doubt one of the best spas I’ve ever been in. We did the couples earth connection and it was a great mix of a traditional spa treatment with a traditional / spiritual / local aspect. The pool at the spa may have been my favorite place on the property and the spa facilities were open to all guests so we took turns there during nap times. I’ve seen many reviews mentioning the speed of golf cart service and we had absolutely no issue. If we called for a cart and were ready before they arrived, we walked up to the road to wait and if someone saw us waiting they’d complete their trip and come back for us. Honestly, never waited more than 10 min for a ride. The one issue I’d note is that food service was slow - which I’ve gathered is more a reflection of the vibe versus bad service. If it were just my husband and I we would have loved 2 hour long meals on the beach, but with 2 young kids we had to pull the rip cord a few times and get our food to go and get the boys out of there. But they would send our food through in room dining rather than home with us in to-go containers so we still had a great dinner. Our only other family vacation so far was to the St Regis in Puerto Rico and at 5pm the restaurant was fill

Some may question spending thousands of dollars a night on a hotel, but if you can afford the experience, O&O Mandarina literally is one of a kind. We had an ocean treehouse…perfect for couples, and felt very private. The views are spectacular of course, anyone reading this and considering a trip already knows this. Staff was friendly, communication onsite was prompt. Their system of managing guest experience is excellent , you can tell everyone is communicating as a team regarding your stay. The buggy system works best if you request in advance and avoid time spent waiting. Food was on point, especially at Alma. We did run into an issue with the bathroom door getting stuck but it was fixed promptly. Lots of insects, especially during the wet season…so prepare accordingly and bring repellent. Still, it is hard to view conventional hotels the same way after staying here.

Our stay at O&O Mandarina exceeded every expectation we had (and they were pretty high). From our arrival, Marilu helped us with our check in and we were extremely pleased that she was able to get us a room upgrade for our honeymoon. They ended up upgrading us to a 2 bedroom Tortuga villa, which was the most impressive room we’ve ever seen in a hotel. The architecture of this hotel is impressive, it’s in a jungle in the middle of nowhere and somehow they made this ocean view paradise here. Our hosts, Alejandro and Guillermo provided the best service we’ve ever received in any property, helping us with anything we needed 24/7 and somehow never missing a single request, completely impressed by this. The food on the whole property, although not cheap, is worth every penny. The quality of ingredients is as good as it gets and they make sure to go out of their way to make sure you enjoy anything you order and any special requirements. Our favorite restaurant was Carao, where Aaron and Luis helped us and made us feel extremely welcomed. The food at this place is amazing, the only bad part was that my stomach was not big enough to fit the whole menu. One night we ordered a smash burger for room service and the last day we had dinner at Jetty, which has the best Asian BBQ ribs we’ve ever had. We took a tour around the whole Mandarina complex, where Antonio showed us around the property and we fell in love with every corner of this place, the attention to detail even in the stable is insane, we’ve never seen anything like it. Overall, a 10/10 experience, there is not enough space here to write about our whole experience, but if you can, don’t hesitate to visit the property, you won’t regret it.

My wife and I spent 4 nights at One&Only Mandarina near Puetro Vallarta. Overall, we really enjoyed our trip and would return to this property undoubtedly. Having visited, we also feel we would be more prepared to get the most out of a future trip. Something to note about this resort is that it is massive extremely spread out. The rooms are all standalone villas arranged in a low density manner. My wife and I really enjoyed the spread out nature of things and didn’t mind the golf cart rides (or longer walks/runs) required to get around the property. You are surrounded by the jungle no matter where you go on property with plenty of curious coatis around. Once we fully understood what was available (restaurants, pools, beaches), we were able to plan where we wanted to spend our mornings or afternoons and then ultimately have our dinner reservation. The variety restaurants, pools, and beach available was excellent and the views of the coastline from the resort and truly spectacular. We loved the feeling of isolation that the 1 hour drive from PVR airport provided. This resort is unique amongst any of the beach resorts I’ve visited because of the jungle/elevated coastline as well the overall scale of it. We’ll see how things shape up as the Rosewood opens later this year and more visitors come to the area, even so, I find it difficult to believe that this location could ever really feel busy or crowded. Below are some of my more granular and specific reflections. Check in/Arrival We flew into PVR airport and upon walking out of the terminal we were greeted by two One&Only representatives. The drive to the resort was just short of 1 hour. For what it’s worth, the transfers were quite expensive ($450 round trip), but we would use the resorts vehicles again, the SUV used was very comfortable and included snacks, cold drinks, and wifi. We appreciated the distance from the commotion of the rest of the resorts in the area that this drive provided. We asked our driver if there were any resorts nearby (I hadn’t found any in my research) and he laughed and told us there were no other resorts within miles. This will obviously change once the Rosewood opens, which I will certainly be curious about and what other dining options will be available for a future return to the property. Check in was smooth and easy and conducted in the reception area. Our room wasn’t quite ready when we arrived, we arrived early in the day around 11am, so we headed to their main restaurant, Alma to grab lunch. The arrival process went smoothly and we took our time to get accustomed to all of the views during our first meal on property. After lunch, we were taken to our room. Room I still am not 100% sure with how all the room categories and rooms are arranged around the property, but we were given a double upgrade at booking from Cliff Villa to Ocean Treehouse. We were assigned villa #136 which was set up high on the cliff a sizable distance away from most of the restaurants and

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.

This is the best place I've ever stayed at during a vacation. I have no complaints. Several things stand out including the treehouse accommodations, which had a breathtaking view and super comfy interior. The food was top notch fine dining at every location. The staff and especially our hosts made you feel welcome at every turn. The locale was diverse and stunning. I continually had goosebumps as we went from location to location. Our view at dinner one night at Alma was the most beautiful horizon I've ever witnessed. What I especially appreciated was the hospitality because for many folks, staying here is a very special occasion that can entail a good amount of saving. Yet we never felt a sense of pretension and we ALWAYS felt that we were at a truly special and luxurious place. I went in wondering if the cost and experience would be worth it, and I left thinking that THIS is why we invested in this stay here. I will never forget it, and it was truly a vacation of a lifetime ❤️

We went about a month ago so this review is long overdue, but just wanted to give a shoutout to our butler Alfredo who went above and beyond. We were traveling with our one year old and Alfredo was more than accommodating to everything our baby needed. We have traveled a bunch with our baby and he was by the far the best at making sure it was as smooth as possible. It even got to the point where our baby enjoyed seeing him! All 3 of us cant wait to go back. Thanks Alfredo!

I have made 4 attempts to leave a 5 star review for this property and 4 times it has been removed. This property is one of the best and wholeheartedly deserves its “worlds top 50” position. The restaurants are great and the treetop bar, always a wide selection of meals for our 5 night stay. The spa is at one with nature, using its surroundings makes it one of the most special experiences. We will be back, despite the distance. Wow