El Tamarindo is closed!
Mar 30th, 2006, 10:05 PM
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El Tamarindo is closed!
FYI - Just found out while trying to book my Oct '06 honeymoon to El Tamarindo that it has closed down for atleast a year...I guess possible ownership change...but not too sure of the reason. Back to the drawing board I guess...ugh!
Apr 8th, 2006, 10:49 AM
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Nov 24th, 2008, 09:31 AM
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We were just there Nov 08...it is very much open. I posted a full trip report that ended up under Latin America General vs Mexico. If you want to know what a FABULOUS place this is, that is open to anyone who can afford to go, please search the resort name in Latin America forum and you can read my lengthy report.
Dec 4th, 2008, 05:52 AM
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Somehow my trip report is not showing up in any searches. Who knows what I did!! At any rate, since this message thread shows up in all El Tamarindo searches, here's a report....
See Trip report below:
El Tamarindo is very much open and is not exclusive to Yellowstone Club members. It is now part of Boutique Hotels of Mexico and really is fabulous! Since there have been no comprehensive reports, I am going to share all I can so read on if you want lots of detail. This was a really great vacation for anyone who wants seclusion, the opportunity to relax on the beach, eat well and golf. It is not inexpensive and is very small. My husband and I went to celebrate his 50th birthday.
The drive from the Manzanillo airport is about 45 min. The resort had a car and driver meet us. The last 7km of the drive is on a private road. As you drive to the resort you are weaving through the 2,000 acres of nature this property is situated on—the cart path for the golf course crosses the road a few times, too.
The Tamarind Margarita and cold towels greeted our arrival in the open air, thatch roofed lobby. Once escorted to our casita, another staff member came out of the “jungle” and delivered a plate of fresh fruit and wine which we were able to enjoy in our private plunge pool after a long day of travel.
We opted for a forest casita rather than ocean front and in hindsight, we’d do it again. We loved the privacy of our location. We could still hear the ocean and had a sun protected patio. Ocean front units are not as private as they are on the beach where hotel guests walk past (not frequently but they do). Those units are also larger. The resort has a couple of houses, too, for larger groups or weddings (which they held one night when we were there, great fireworks!).
Our unit was perfect for us. We really enjoyed the privacy of the jungle around us. We could see the casitas on either side but they were so obstructed with trees, we hardly noticed and felt completely secluded and away from the world! The bed was very comfortable, bath room great (two sinks, big closet, big shower) and well equipped, the living area was spacious and the wet bar and snacks are in a room closed off from the main space to keep bugs and critters at bay. There were some ants in our kitchen but I don’t know how you could ever avoid them in that climate. We were very comfortable and well taken care of (decent cable, dvd and cd player and we both had phone service if you need it, we didn't use it!). Don’t be freaked out when you ask for your key and they say “you don’t need a key, you have a safe”. We didn’t have any issues, although we were nervous!
Turndown service was EARLY (6-7pm) and usually interrupted our nap between the beach and dinner but I’m sure if we asked them to come later, they would have. They leave a plate of something sweet from the chef every night, bring all clean towels and place luminarias around the pool. A beautiful setting!
The hotel pool, beach and restaurant were about a 2 min stroll from our casita along the paved path through the well manicured jungle grounds. The pool/restaurant is exactly as it looks on the website, http://eltamarindoresort.com/. The gradually sloping bottom of the infinity pool is the perfect place to sunbathe in the water and look out at the beach. The beach is protected on each end and is about a half mile long. If you’re a beach walker, this would not be the place to come. If you love to lounge under an umbrella and watch the waves, get in the water from time to time, wander for a short beach walk, maybe take out a small catamaran or jet ski, have great service, then this is the place for you. The hotel does offer excursions for shopping, fishing, etc but they start around $200 US so for two of us, it wasn’t worth the cost just to go shopping (I can't believe I said that!).
Meals….even if you had a car, I’m not sure you’d go off the property much as it would be a bit of a drive and, why would you? Not only is the property beautiful but the food is fantastic—albeit not cheap. We booked a package that included breakfast, three rounds of golf and three 30 min massages (tons of spa services we did not use). The breakfast and lunch menus are static but dinner changes daily. Menu choices were broad, healthy, fresh and very tasty. I’m a food snob, I loved everything we had. We probably spent about $50 US on lunch each day (either at the resort on at The Ninth Hole on the course) and dinner ranged from $150-$200 US a night for two.
Dinner: There were three courses and of course, we usually ordered all three so we could have saved money by not doing that. We did have room service one night off the lunch menu so I’m sure they’d have served that at dinner too, if we’d asked. We heard if there wasn’t anything we wanted just to ask and the chef would happily prepare it. I wanted to test him but I was so delighted with the menu that I didn’t bother! The only down side of open air, nature preserve dining: raccoons. They are quite tame but pests and not at all like the raccoons in the states. I wouldn’t even want those in my trash! The staff tried their best to keep them away. My husband finally threw a glass of water at them one night and they dashed off.
Golf: This is the number 2 rated course in Mexico and two days out of three we had the course to ourselves. It is beautiful and challenging. Our caddy was a great help in finding lost balls (the rough is deep) and he could tell if a drive was going to be good over the trees or lost in the jungle. The course was so quiet we invited him to golf with us which he was thrilled to do. Lunch at the Ninth Hole is stunning. Note, currently this is a cash only restaurant no credit cards. After taking our order as we came off 8, it was nearly ready as we arrived. The ocean view is really breathtaking and just relaxing between the front and back was quite a concept—not to mention the full bar! And there was no rush to move on. Not sure it’s always like this but we enjoyed the treat. They’re building a little parking lot behind the restaurant so hotel guests can come if they’re not golfing. It is worth it.
We were not well prepared with cash when we arrived. Dumb on our part, I’m sure as we’ve gotten accustomed to cash machines and credit cards. We charged a lot to our room but didn’t consider the cash for tips. We tipped our caddy $60 US each day (amount recommended by the head caddy; we’d heard $40 to $80 was good), tips for the drivers, lunch on the course, drinks on the course, etc. The hotel will sell you cash and charges 20% so come with pesos to spare.
Water and ice is all from a purified well but there is also bottled drinking water set out all over the hotel. We didn’t have any worries about food or water issues and came home healthy as well. We did use the work out room a few times. It was in nice condition with a great range of well kept equipment, good service, cold water, towels, etc.
I highly recommend this very special resort to anyone looking to get away for a bit. The first few days we were the only American's then a few groups showed up later in the week. We loved the quiet, the seclusion and the service.
See Trip report below:
El Tamarindo is very much open and is not exclusive to Yellowstone Club members. It is now part of Boutique Hotels of Mexico and really is fabulous! Since there have been no comprehensive reports, I am going to share all I can so read on if you want lots of detail. This was a really great vacation for anyone who wants seclusion, the opportunity to relax on the beach, eat well and golf. It is not inexpensive and is very small. My husband and I went to celebrate his 50th birthday.
The drive from the Manzanillo airport is about 45 min. The resort had a car and driver meet us. The last 7km of the drive is on a private road. As you drive to the resort you are weaving through the 2,000 acres of nature this property is situated on—the cart path for the golf course crosses the road a few times, too.
The Tamarind Margarita and cold towels greeted our arrival in the open air, thatch roofed lobby. Once escorted to our casita, another staff member came out of the “jungle” and delivered a plate of fresh fruit and wine which we were able to enjoy in our private plunge pool after a long day of travel.
We opted for a forest casita rather than ocean front and in hindsight, we’d do it again. We loved the privacy of our location. We could still hear the ocean and had a sun protected patio. Ocean front units are not as private as they are on the beach where hotel guests walk past (not frequently but they do). Those units are also larger. The resort has a couple of houses, too, for larger groups or weddings (which they held one night when we were there, great fireworks!).
Our unit was perfect for us. We really enjoyed the privacy of the jungle around us. We could see the casitas on either side but they were so obstructed with trees, we hardly noticed and felt completely secluded and away from the world! The bed was very comfortable, bath room great (two sinks, big closet, big shower) and well equipped, the living area was spacious and the wet bar and snacks are in a room closed off from the main space to keep bugs and critters at bay. There were some ants in our kitchen but I don’t know how you could ever avoid them in that climate. We were very comfortable and well taken care of (decent cable, dvd and cd player and we both had phone service if you need it, we didn't use it!). Don’t be freaked out when you ask for your key and they say “you don’t need a key, you have a safe”. We didn’t have any issues, although we were nervous!
Turndown service was EARLY (6-7pm) and usually interrupted our nap between the beach and dinner but I’m sure if we asked them to come later, they would have. They leave a plate of something sweet from the chef every night, bring all clean towels and place luminarias around the pool. A beautiful setting!
The hotel pool, beach and restaurant were about a 2 min stroll from our casita along the paved path through the well manicured jungle grounds. The pool/restaurant is exactly as it looks on the website, http://eltamarindoresort.com/. The gradually sloping bottom of the infinity pool is the perfect place to sunbathe in the water and look out at the beach. The beach is protected on each end and is about a half mile long. If you’re a beach walker, this would not be the place to come. If you love to lounge under an umbrella and watch the waves, get in the water from time to time, wander for a short beach walk, maybe take out a small catamaran or jet ski, have great service, then this is the place for you. The hotel does offer excursions for shopping, fishing, etc but they start around $200 US so for two of us, it wasn’t worth the cost just to go shopping (I can't believe I said that!).
Meals….even if you had a car, I’m not sure you’d go off the property much as it would be a bit of a drive and, why would you? Not only is the property beautiful but the food is fantastic—albeit not cheap. We booked a package that included breakfast, three rounds of golf and three 30 min massages (tons of spa services we did not use). The breakfast and lunch menus are static but dinner changes daily. Menu choices were broad, healthy, fresh and very tasty. I’m a food snob, I loved everything we had. We probably spent about $50 US on lunch each day (either at the resort on at The Ninth Hole on the course) and dinner ranged from $150-$200 US a night for two.
Dinner: There were three courses and of course, we usually ordered all three so we could have saved money by not doing that. We did have room service one night off the lunch menu so I’m sure they’d have served that at dinner too, if we’d asked. We heard if there wasn’t anything we wanted just to ask and the chef would happily prepare it. I wanted to test him but I was so delighted with the menu that I didn’t bother! The only down side of open air, nature preserve dining: raccoons. They are quite tame but pests and not at all like the raccoons in the states. I wouldn’t even want those in my trash! The staff tried their best to keep them away. My husband finally threw a glass of water at them one night and they dashed off.
Golf: This is the number 2 rated course in Mexico and two days out of three we had the course to ourselves. It is beautiful and challenging. Our caddy was a great help in finding lost balls (the rough is deep) and he could tell if a drive was going to be good over the trees or lost in the jungle. The course was so quiet we invited him to golf with us which he was thrilled to do. Lunch at the Ninth Hole is stunning. Note, currently this is a cash only restaurant no credit cards. After taking our order as we came off 8, it was nearly ready as we arrived. The ocean view is really breathtaking and just relaxing between the front and back was quite a concept—not to mention the full bar! And there was no rush to move on. Not sure it’s always like this but we enjoyed the treat. They’re building a little parking lot behind the restaurant so hotel guests can come if they’re not golfing. It is worth it.
We were not well prepared with cash when we arrived. Dumb on our part, I’m sure as we’ve gotten accustomed to cash machines and credit cards. We charged a lot to our room but didn’t consider the cash for tips. We tipped our caddy $60 US each day (amount recommended by the head caddy; we’d heard $40 to $80 was good), tips for the drivers, lunch on the course, drinks on the course, etc. The hotel will sell you cash and charges 20% so come with pesos to spare.
Water and ice is all from a purified well but there is also bottled drinking water set out all over the hotel. We didn’t have any worries about food or water issues and came home healthy as well. We did use the work out room a few times. It was in nice condition with a great range of well kept equipment, good service, cold water, towels, etc.
I highly recommend this very special resort to anyone looking to get away for a bit. The first few days we were the only American's then a few groups showed up later in the week. We loved the quiet, the seclusion and the service.
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Sep 14th, 2005 03:34 PM
