Holbox Aldea Kuka

Before I get into the details below, you should know that this is a great hotel. The pictures represent it properly, the food is outstanding, it is beautiful. I was hesitant to give it five stars only because it is supposed to be luxury and was priced as such and there were just enough little things that are such easy fixes that I opted not to. The property is beautiful. Our room was Palma Real 1, which we saw somewhere as a recommended room. It was just as lovely as the pictures if not even a bit better. It had two levels and three bathrooms! More spacious than apartments I have lived in! It had three little sitting areas, two balcony/porches/a full kitchen and dining table which we didn't use. It isn't quite ocean view. There is a little balcony on the top floor where you can sit and see the ocean but there is a row of rooms in front - not blocking view but creating more distance so you can't really call it oceanfront and I even feel like ocean view is a stretch, but I guess there is in fact a way to see the ocean from this balcony. There are not many places to put your clothes in any of the rooms in PR 1. We just used the couches since our lounge time was spent outside rather than inside on the couch. This was not a big problem but perhaps a little bit strange. The upstairs room had a clothes rack with maybe ten total hangers. We just had piles of clothes on the couch and table. There was ample space - like an impressive amount - so room for a dresser or several. Definitely get a top floor room. There is always noise at night in Holbox but nicer to at least avoid footsteps from the people above you. We slept great despite the outside noise. The beds were very comfortable. There is no mirror except for a magnifying mirror in the upstairs bedroom/bathroom. We didn't mind but it led our daughters to demand the downstairs bathroom where there is a double sink and large mirror. I mention this only because I am trying to offer details that may impact your experience. For us the small mirror was not a problem although I also think is is pretty standard for bathrooms in luxury hotels to have mirrors. The beach is marvelous. When we were there, there was not an overwhelming amount of sargassum. Don't really mind it anyway since it is just kind of a natural part of the ocean, but not having as much there was a bonus because it doesn't smell amazing. The beach beds and umbrellas and seating were always available and comfortable. This is the first time in Mexico that we didn't have to awake at daybreak to safely reserve a good spot. I love the hotel's location as it relates to the island as a whole. The walk to more action and dining options is easy, but you are at the end of the island where the volume of people is less so that you can opt in for more crowds if you choose. We felt like we were always thirsty for water. Water is harder to come by at this property and if you want any, you are pretty consistently upsold on a lovely glass bottle of water rather than just receiving a glass of water. Still not a deal breaker but if we stay there again, we plan to buy our own waters from the market and keep them in the fridge so we can stay hydrated without it being just a little more difficult than it should be to get water. Seems like abundant complimentary water access is something this property should be able to offer. Have had this at every other hotel we have stayed in in Mexico. Costs very little and the convenience to drink water without feeling like you're being asked to pay for it all the time would have made a big difference for us. We found the majority of servers to be more aloof than other properties and tipping was sort of an odd system. The recommended amounts were always based on a percentage of the meal cost. I waited tables for years in the United States so I am familiar with tipping based on a percentage, but in Mexico we prefer to tip in cash and offer tips for every meal and round of drinks to our individual server, and the vibe just was more prohibitive than that. I am having a hard time explaining it but you'll know what I mean when you're there. If you also like to tip in cash, bring small bills since it was impossible to get change for larger bills from the front desk or from the bar. We did enjoy interacting with Luis Alberto and Santiago specifically as they were always friendly and helpful. The fire show is every night. It is cool once or twice mostly for the vibe and lounge areas, and fire at night is always mesmerizing. We only watched it twice over the course of the week as it is basically the same every night. The performers are talented - no complaints about the show - we just walked around in town and on the beach at night the other nights. The pool is great. The black tile is sleek. Not huge but never felt crowded. We usually retreated from the beach to the pool after lunch since there are shady spots in the afternoon in the pool where the sun is blocked by a building. So, in summary - the hotel is really quite gorgeous and the food is exceptional. We ate breakfast there every day and a few additional meals. Would be great to be able to access water more easily, have dressers to put our clothes in, and just a generally warmer reception from all employees. Before booking we couldn't possibly understand why this hotel didn't rank highly on Trip Advisor compared to others. I guess I would say for the cost and the "luxury" description, there are just enough things keeping me from giving it 5 stars. You won't regret staying there, but if your experience is like ours, you'll be a bit hesitant to give it the highest possible rating. A few simple improvements - mainly customer service related along with a couple of dressers - would tip us to a five star review.

Elegant, beautiful. Every staff member a star. This is heaven. This is perfection. The cuisine is skilled and passionate chefs: the rooms are stunningly built to make you feel luxury and nature simultaneously. Walk to the beach. Sit under the stars.! The Aldea’s kuka is not to be missed