Esencia

extremely nice, but extremely expensive

When I stepped off the plane I couldn’t wait to get to my destination. After going through customs, which is always a story in it’s self, I expected to have to wait for our ride. To my surprise our arranged transportation was waiting for us. Unlike the rest of the hotels our driver had a very nice wooden framed plaque that immediately let me know that I was heading to a very nice place. Upon arrival we were met by Margarita, a wonderfully friendly staff member in the reception area. The reception area was a thatched mud hut... more

This hotel is not for everyone and in some ways is very different from mainstream hotels. Someone on the beach even stopped me one morning to ask if the property was a private residence or a hotel. But that's part of what I so enjoyed about the place. It might not have felt like home, but it certainly felt like a secret private getaway. There is no sign on the street or on the beach telling you what the hotel name is. The entrance from the street looks anything but the entrance to a hotel. The "lobby" is an open air hut with not a... more

I had to smile - we had the same deluxe ocean view suite as a previous reviewer and had the same problems working the projector TV. Why oh why did they buy equipment from 3 different companies with 3 different remotes, and not leave a manual?! The setting is beautiful. The pools and beach are beautiful. The minimalist, but not stark, suite was lovely. The 360 degree view was outstanding - and a bit weird, given that the post-hurricane remains of the destroyed Xpa-Hu resort are immediately next door. Even the guests seemed better... more

My husband and I stayed at Essencia starting on Feb. 26th for 7 nights. I am a bit torn about writing this review. We really had a great, relaxing time. And as many other reviewers have said, this place is really beautiful. But the cost of this trip was on the high end for us (with room rate for the "essence of life package" plus cost of lunch and dinner each day), pushing pretty close to $1,000 a day and I just can't say it was worth it. Because this was the most we have ever spent, I don't really have anything to compare it to. Don't... more

My husband and I stayed at Esencia in February, 2006 for 5 nights. Our room was amazing with a view of the water from 3 sides, a surrouond sound system and a 6 foot front projection television with DVD player. When I arrived the sound system was playing classical music and the scent of a large bouquet of fresh lillies greeted me. The white lines were beautiful and the down pillows were pure luxury. We were surprised that our room did not include a bath tub. While the front projection TV/DVD was a nice surprise, being able to use it... more

Don't get me wrong, this hotel is GORGEOUS and they have some wonderful staff. The rooms are amazing - some of the best I have experienced in any country. Had we not had any problems, I would be telling everyone I know to visit this slice of heaven. HOWEVER - they have some kinks to work out in the customer service department!!! We had a small issue and the concierge at the hotel was rude and unsympathetic and the hotel failed to step up to the plate and sort out the situation. Instead, they were rude, charged us for something that was... more

My wife and I stayed at Esencia from 1-26 to 2-01 in an upstairs garden suite. We had a great time. The resort was very uncrowded - the number of guests ranged from 6-10 the entire time we were there. We found the service to be excellent, the rooms very nice, and the food very good and different. The upstairs garden suite has a covered patio at which the hotel serves coffee and pastries each morning at whatever time the guests set. This is a very nice alternative to the in-room coffee maker or ordering room service. We sat on the patio... more

This hotel is a fantastic blank canvas and has the possibility of being amazing. However for the prices we were paying we would have expected a lot more. The staff did not speak english and a member of our party spoke fluent spanish yet they still got our food orders wrong at every meal.. On our first day we waited one and a half hours for breakfast. NO JOKE> there are no magic touches yet and it feels very soul less. It is a beautiful place in the world though and in fairness to them they were very forthcoming with apologies and... more

Me and my husband were supposed to stay there for our honeymoon,one week, we escape after three days, it was difficut to escape before. First of all I would like to say that this is not a luxury hotel (it is really bad that the famous group Small Luxury Hotel accepted Esencia, I think that the group Leading Hotels of the World is more serious)and now I say why: - there were noises everywhere, inside the room you could hear the noise of the plumbing system(like an elicopter), people working with hammers exactly under and in front of... more