Yemaya Reefs, a Small Luxury Hotel

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

Best bed. Plunge pool en suite. Bespoke treatment w/ only 16 casitas. Five star massage. Delicious food. Superb snorkeling. Yoga teacher extraordinaire. Beautiful sculptures. Get the VIP boat shuttle. Try the Temazcal Ritual. Smiles and service glorioso.

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

Our stay at Yemaya Reefs was great! From the extra nice touch of being received with a delicious exotic drink on the shore (by attentive host, Gordon) to the lovely attention of the restaurant staff to our spacious and comfortable accommodation! The location is great. We ate, slept, and lounged in front of a spectacular emerald blue ocean. The snorkeling (equipment provided, another plus) near the hotel was fun! Lastly, we loved arriving to our room to find our beds turned down and a delicious pot of exotic tea waiting to be consumed! This was a memorable stay with two friends and I hope to return with my family!

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.

We were unlucky that it was unusually windy during our stay. Because of this, we could only travel from BC to LC in the late afternoon. The crossing was terrible! We sat on wooden crates on the back deck of a fishing boat. Due to the huge waves, we moved forward very slowly, and it took 1.5 hours. Several people got sick, and everyone was scared. We arrived around 6:30 PM (completely dark). Upon arrival, the luggage was loaded onto wheelbarrows and transported across the island at a brisk pace. At Yemaya, we were welcomed by manager Carlos and yoga teacher Tara. On Saturday and Sunday, the wind was so strong that there wasn’t much to do. We walked to the village a few times and made the best of it. On Monday, the wind died down a bit but there were tropical rain showers. We found a local who was willing to take us on a snorkeling trip that afternoon. It was difficult because of the strong current, but we were happy we got to see part of the reef. Unfortunately, the coral is mostly dead and there weren’t that many fish. Luckily, we saw a nurse shark, a ray, and two small turtles. It was a special experience to be out on the water during a rainstorm so heavy you couldn’t see a thing. Tuesday was bright and sunny. We had breakfast outside and enjoyed the pool (a large amount of seaweed had washed up on the beach). The crossing this time was smooth and took less than 30 minutes. The food at Yemaya is expensive but good. We shared a room with our teenagers, which worked out fine. The resort is beautiful but a bit boring, especially when the weather is bad. The walk to the village is manageable, takes about 30 minutes one way, and is mostly unlit (we used headlamps).