El Mangroove Autograph Collection

Must meet and go on a jet ski ride with your kids. Find Eduardo on the beach, his prices are good and he takes you to all the best spots. Feed the monkeys, snorkeling… he will take you out on the jet skis.

We had really been looking forward to visiting this hotel and were especially excited to spend time at the beach. Overall, we had a good experience, but there are a few things families should be aware of before booking. If you’re traveling with small children and are looking for a traditional, kid-friendly beach area right at the hotel, this may not be the best fit. The beach area here is not quite what we expected, and there wasn’t much space for the kids to comfortably enjoy the water. We opted to stay in the Villa, which was beautiful and gave us plenty of space. One thing to be aware of, however, is that while the villa has four bedrooms, only the two rooms on the main level are connected. The other two bedrooms are separate and located on the floor above, so this may not be ideal for families with younger children who need to be close by. Because we stayed in a villa, we were assigned the last villa on the property. The only access to it was via a gravel path, so be sure to bring appropriate shoes if you’re staying in one of these villas. The hotel does offer golf cart transportation, which was helpful, but it became a bit of a nuisance having to call several times throughout the day just to get back and forth between the hotel and the villa. If you plan to spend a lot of time at the hotel’s restaurants, pool, or beach, this is definitely something to keep in mind when choosing your accommodations. Having a private pool was a nice bonus, but unfortunately, the pool was not heated. The kids were excited to jump in, but they got out just as quickly because the water was so cold! Pool service was also very, very slow. If you’re planning to order food or drinks, I would recommend ordering well before anyone is actually hungry. The concierge did arrange a boat excursion for us, which ended up being one of the highlights of our trip. It was considerably more expensive to book through the hotel, so I would recommend looking into arranging a boat trip independently if you want to save money. That said, the experience itself was absolutely worth it. We were taken to a secluded beach where the children could finally enjoy the water and have plenty of space to play. Overall, we had a good experience and enjoyed our time here, but I do think the staff could do a little more to make guests feel welcomed and cared for. With more attentive service and a few improvements to the guest experience, this could be an exceptional family destination.

Beautiful and clean resort, friendly staff, and delicious food made for a great stay at El Mangroove. Staff who helped make our trip memorable were Jean-Carlos at the Malu, Gerant at Makoko, and Noelle at the front desk. The breakfast buffet was delicious, with local and traditional dishes. It was always fresh and well-stocked. There were plenty of beach chairs, clean beach towels, and even free sun lotion poolside. We appreciated that there were two distinct pool areas: “Activity” and “Relax” zones. The room was cleaned daily, and we looked forward to the nightly cookies provided by the turndown service. The beach area was clean, and we took advantage of the free water sports and went snorkeling and paddleboarding. The gym was well-equipped and modern, and we loved the fresh fruit and granola bars provided. We will definitely return to the hotel.