This was our second visit to Cala De Mar and it certainly did not disappoint. We planned a getaway for Valentines Day and it has been an incredible trip. Our Valentines dinner was just the two of us for a romantic dinner Oceanside and was absolutely breathtaking. Our waiter Antonio was the very best and made the night special. We ended the night trying Mezcal with Baldovinos and it just culminated a fabulous evening. So romantic and special. Highly recommend and this will not be our last visit here! We visited the spa twice and the Temazecal is an awesome experience!
You can simply stay the whole day in your room, enjoying your own pool. Excellent food, excellent room. I cannot say the same about the drinks but you can always drink water and keep it healthy. The hotel pool is also a great spot for relaxing. Service is nice. You can order food from outside and eat it in your room if the menu at the venue is not enough for you. I do not consider this hotel a good idea for little ones but, up to the parents.
If you are considering booking a vacation here, but are concerned about the COVID virus, maybe my experiences and feelings about the protective measures taken at the resort, and really in Ixtapa/Zihua, in general, will be of some interest. It was abundantly clear that the staff and management at the resort realize what is at stake for their own health, welfare and that of their co-workers and guests. They know that the welfare of each of them is dependent on the welfare of all of them. From the time that you are temperature checked and given hand sanitizer at your arrival, to seeing the staff continuously masked and many with gloves and visors, as well, you feel well protected. When going off the property early on a number of mornings, I witnessed the staff arriving for work, lined up for screenings and sanitizing. at the couple of restaurants, off property, that we went to, procedures were similar. Also, masks are ubiquitous on the street in Ixtapa and Zihua. I found myself wishing that I felt as well protected in my home community. In short, if you are unsure about coming, I believe you would feel as safe and comfortable as I did. Rooms-The rooms are spacious and well appointed. We usually get the penthouse suites, but we have seen that the other room categories differ only in the size and furnishings in the outdoor living areas. Every year we bring a guest who hasn't been to the property before, and always get a kick out of their reaction when the door to their room is opened. The view is stunning. Restaurants/Food-When we were there, A Mares was closed due to the low volume with COVID. The Seafood Market is open Thursday-Sunday. The Terrace bar is open every day and serves their own tapas menu as well as the menus from the other two restaurants. Las Rocas is the place for breakfast and lunch daily. Of course, food and drinks are served by the pool. All of the meals that we had at the resort were excellent. Offsite, we went to Tentaciones, in Zihua, a pre fixe, five course menu served with stunning views of the bay and the lights of the city (arrive after sunset). Food and service was, as always, exquisite. Also, we went to El Faro for the first time. I has an international menu with steaks, seafood and Italian dishes. The food was good (not Cala de Mar or Tentaciones quality), and the service was okay. Fitness Facility- The resort has a small fitness room with an elliptical, treadmill and bike, as well as free weights. At the time of our visit, you had to reserve a time for your personal use of the facility (another COVID precaution). After each party's use, it is cleaned and sanitized before the next user. You can also schedule an instructor for the outdoor yoga room. Bicycles are available for use to cruise the very nice bike/running/walking paths that run for miles right out the door of the resort. Spa-My wife and niece utilized the spa almost every day, loved the technicians and found a good range of treatments at reasonable prices. Activities- We did the tequila and the mezcal (for the second time) tastings with Antonio. His expertise and teaching manner taught us a lot in a fun experience. This is something worth considering. Service-As in past years, the staff is the beating heart of this facility. staff is clearly smaller than in years past, and there are a number of new folks. We missed some of the old staff who had to find other jobs when the resort closed for a couple of months due to COVID, but met some new staff that we loved as well. There was no perceptible drop-off in service as staff rotated to areas of need and were cross-trained. It is five star service, and is personal and friendly rather than formal and stuffy. One thing that struck me this year is that this resort has achieved something that is very hard to achieve in a business. On three occasions I asked questions of staff about something not associated with their immediate job. Rather than tell me that they didn't know, or that it wasn't their area of responsibility, they found out who did know, and then they took responsibility for fulfilling the requests. This happened when I asked the pool attendant, Miguel, who I could talk to find out what the catch-of -the-day was for that night. He came back and let me know the menu. In the Terrace Bar, we told Alberto that we enjoyed the chocolate-covered strawberries that we found in our room on arrival. A while later, he came to our table to let us know that new strawberries were waiting in our rooms. On our first full day we were trying to use the fitness facility and found it locked. On our way back, we asked Lionel, the front entryway attendant why it was locked. He not only told us the procedure, but booked the entire week at the front desk for us. You will love the staff and the service and miss it when you are gone. This is what brings us back every year. This paragraph won't be of interest to the prospective traveler, but I must recognize some of the staff that served us so well and with kindness. I mentioned Lionel, at the entry, above. Marilyn and Gabino were great sources of information and recommendations at the front desk (Gabino was the first person we saw on our initial trip to Cala. His competence and kindness set the stage for what we would come to experience on every one of our subsequent trips). I mentioned Antonio for the tastings, above. At the pool, Miguel and "Jota Jota" took good care of us every day. At Las Rocas, Pablo and Eric were wonderful. I'm sorry I didn't remember more names at Las Rocas, they were all great. At the Terrace Bar we loved all of the guys, Alberto and Ullyses are staff that I haven't mention at another location (we encountered several staff in multiple locations. I tried not to repeat). Housekeeping all week was excellent and unobtrusive, but Francisco stood out. Don't hesitate to try this resort. You will come to love it as I do.…
I have eyed this resort for years. Back even when it was Capella. Finally we were able to make it. Cala Del Mar is a dream. I can think of maybe only one or two places I have ever stayed at that matched the beauty of this setting. And the fact that every room has a plunge pool is so amazing. I will be so sad to leave here in two days. We stayed much of the time in our room because there is no need to leave. We ordered food into our suite and it all felt so safe even during a pandemic. I think the prices for the most part are very fair. The size of our room was great. The dressing/bathroom area so generous. You may think I am getting paid for this review, but I am not! We are looking to stay here again in a couple of months. I can never get enough of the views. Here are the things that can be worked on. Food!!!!! The food here is the weak link. Don’t get me wrong, it is not awful or anything. But it does not match the rest of the resort. What bothered me the most is the ridiculous wine list prices. A wine that can be bought for $35 in the US costs four times the amount in the restaurant. I don’t think that is reasonable. The seafood grill night felt overpriced for what was delivered. Food tasted bland. This is the reason we decided to leave the resort for meals. I also felt the reception had little idea about good restaurants. I asked the front desk about a popular and good restaurant in the area I had heard about and the person had no idea. Staff who interact with guests frequently hopefully would know all about the local restaurant scene. These are petty complaints and it would not cause me not to stay here again. Also, there was some construction noise today which seems odd on New Year’s Eve. I would think a hotel of this caliber would alert guests that there may be some noise from construction or remodeling if they know it will take place. But it does not overshadow the beauty of this setting and the serenity!…
This were one of our best vacations. Everything was impecable, from the room to the service. The food outstanding! The Spa has great treatments! Everybody took care of us and of making this a wonderful trip. Can’t wait for next vacation! Will make it an annual trip!
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