One&Only Mandarina

Our family has enjoyed returning to One and Only Mandarina four times. The elegant and warm design of the resort’s rooms and buildings complement the exquisite natural beauty that surrounds. We have also enjoyed beautiful and thoughtful service that allows us to truly decompress as a family. Our children range in age and love the kids club. Looking forward to returning again next year.

Food is not the best - needs work. The Jetty Beach food is amazing - the rest not worth the money. They should have more authentic food. No need to get fancy and I love Mexican food - coming from NYC we have some amazing spots here - Old School.

This was my 3rd visit in two years to the One & Only Mandarina. It is paradise. From top to bottom, the service, the accommodations, the food —all much more than a cut above even the finest resorts and hotels around the world. The SPA in particular requires a special mention. This most beautiful place in the jungle has all the amenities and the massages are incredible. My masseuse, ERICA, was a true professional and a most wonderful person. She was gifted in her practice and attention to detail. ERICA epitomizes the Mandarina experience not just because of her great skill as a true massage therapist but because of her infectious warmth,personality and genuine happiness—something you see from most everyone who works in the very special place. I can not wait to return.

When I arrived, After checking in We got a ride on a golf cart that was so cozy up the mountain side to our place and the waves are crazy big which I love to ride in the beautifully colored water as blue as the sky and the rooms hot tube was nice and hot

O&O was the perfect getaway to celebrate our christmas baby’s fourth birthday. All the staff were exceptionally warm and kind with our two young kids. The highlight of our son’s day was getting to ride front seat with all the wonderful buggy drivers. Our two hosts Juan and Angelita were so amazing , We were in great hands with them during our stay. Juan took us to a baby turtle release that my son loved so much. Angelita gave us a wonderful tour of the resort where we got to meet the horses up close and spotted wildlife like alligators and the ubiquitous coatis. All the pools had breathtaking views. The Jetty beach was very kid friendly with calm waters and an abundance of beach toys and floaties. The Catalan Beach club was more adult oriented and the beach there was too choppy to swim but it was nevertheless a gorgeous beach especially for sunsets. Our couples massage with Benjamin and Erica were fantastic. The spa facilities and the setting in the jungle were out of this world. So tranquil and we especially appreciated the mud station and temezcal. The KidsOnly club and the nanny service we used with Miriam and Susan were amazing with our kids. Our son loved all the various insects and reptiles they had on display and they had various crafts to keep the kids entertained. The tree lighting ceremony was so nice with festive christmas carolers, delicious d'oeuvres and cocktails, and a stupendous fireworks display to accompany the tree lighting. We rarely felt the need to venture off grounds but San Pancho is a lovely bohemian surf town that was well worth the day trip and only a short 20 mins from the resort. We enjoyed most of our meals and checked out every restaurant at O & O. Caroo was our favorite for modern inventive Mexican food. Our least favorite was probably Dokkuh, the evening restaurant at Jetty. The asian dishes we ordered missed the mark. Although the lunch served at Jetty Beach club during the day was wonderful. Amazing ceviche guac and pine coladas. Lastly, our ocean cliffside villa 203 was a dream with the most picturesque views to wake up to, blue ocean waters behind lush jungle foliage. The house keepers kept our villa immaculate despite the best efforts of our toddlers. Our son slept wonderfully on the pull out sofa bed as did our daughter in her crib. They offer all the baby amenities like a diaper genie. O&O is without one of the best resorts we have had the pleasure of staying at. We have stayed at comparable resorts like Nayara Tented Camp in Costa Rica and the Ritz Mandapa in Bali. O&O is a hidden gem that is less than a 3 hour flight from LA and it was just as amazing if not more so than those jungle resorts. We would love to visit every year and would recommend without hesitation to our friends and family.