Playa Sonrisa |
Address: Mahahual beach road, 7 km North
Xcalak, Xcalak
Tel: 011-52-983-838-1872
Fax:
Email: playasonrisa@yahoo.com
URL: Playa Sonrisa
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Type of Property: Resort
Beach Location: Beach Front (Directly on Beach/Water Front)
Island: Xcalak
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 CheapCaribbean.com Reservations - Xcalak Resort Deals
Expedia.com Reservations - Xcalak Resorts
Summary of All Property Reviews for: Playa Sonrisa
Ratings based on answers from a total of 3 reviews
10 is best 1 is worst |
 |
| Feature |
Ranking |
Feature |
Ranking |
| Cleanliness of Property |
10.00 |
Quality of Property |
8.67 |
| Privacy & Quietness |
0.00 |
Quality of Service |
7.67 |
| Courtesy & Hospitality of Staff |
6.33 |
Accuracy of Website (marketing hype) VS. Actual Experience |
7.33 |
| Food and Dining Experience |
6.67 |
Price/Value of Property |
7.67 |
| Safety Factor (Did you feel safe at property) |
9.33 |
Quality of Beach (ranked closest beach if property is located off the beach) |
7.67 |
| Total Property Score: 7.13 out of 10 | Average Star Rating: 3.33 out of 5 |
- 67% (2 visitors of 3) said they would go back to Playa Sonrisa again.
- 67% (2 visitors of 3) said they would recommend Playa Sonrisa to friends.
Start of Individual Reviews: Receive Review Updates Via Email
great place - nice people
By: dave and bon ciarcia from punta gorda fla
Date of Visit: May 2007
we spent 6 days in may 2007 at playasonrisa ---- found it to be a delite to be there
the area is off the grid and you need to know that going in, you will be expected to save water and power as best you can --- no tv , no phones , no internet--- but if you found xcalak you already know that ---- trust me when they say no they are for real its not there ----- but we expected that and it was great --- the rooms have a/c availble early evening if the gen set is working otherwise forget it --- we didnt need it the breeze was great off the water. the dock is the place to spend the afternoon in total relax mode.
getting a beer was easy go to bar write it down , they lock the bar door about 10pm but by then you are in bed , at least we where
the negivates --- menu selection in resturant is limited -very , and the resturant can decide to close on short notice--- well so doesnt everyplace in town too after all its mexico
we found lunch to be the over priced items. but we went to town and explored the resturants there for lunch. and had a blast , dinner is fairly priced and excellant
the beach is great , snorkling under the dock was some of the best times we had, the hotel arranged fishing trips for us and got us a great guide ,named victor castro who did a super job -- all in all i would give this hotel 4 stars considering it is a small hotel on the beach --- its not the hilton but for where you are its close -- the key here tis to rmemeber where you are , 411km south of cancun a 5 hr car drive to town then 30 mins down a pot holed washed out gravel road . Is it worth ? you bet it is !!!!!
this hotel is clothing optional
dave and bonnie ciarcia punta gorda florida
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great trip
By: Anonymous from Oregon
Date of Visit: August 2002
My wife and spent a week at Playa Sonrisa. Cindy and Murph were the perfect hosts. It was quite and exteremly relaxing. I read three books, my wife read four or five. I'm a nudist, my wife is comfortable topless. There was no pressure one way or the other. The weather was nice, it was a little warm at night, but prior to our arrival Cindy and Murph disclosed everything. The food prepared by Cindy was very good and reasonably priced. The bar is based on the honor system. The bar was always well stocked and snacks were always available. The only reason we haven't returned is because we haven't had an opportunity. If you are seeking a relaxing, quite, slow paced vacation with great hosts in a remote location then Playa Sonrisa is for you. My wife became ill while we were there and needed medication. Cindy even took care of that.
This reviewer did not enter property or destination rankings.
Next Resort Review ...
What a vacation should be!!!
By: 427435 / 427435 from SE Minnesota
Date of Visit: April 2006
Last winter, my wife and I wanted to get away from the now over-developed area south of Cancun and chose Xcalak and Playa Sonrisa after surfing the net for a while.
Murph and Cindy were great hosts, and we've never had better food when in Mexico. Her soups are something special. We also had several good meals in Xcalak.
We also had the best snorkeling we've ever had. Just take a kayak out a few hundred yards and snorkel away. The beaches are long and basically deserted. I was a little concerned about the lack of 24/7 A/C (we sleep with the window open in the Minnesota winter). However, we just shut the windows and ran the A/C until the generators were shut off. About 2:00 AM, I would need to go on potty patrol, and I would open the windows to a nice breeze. We slept very well.
Getting up in the morning and taking a walk (usually without meeting anyone) or just laying on the beach in the beautiful morning light (see picture) provided some of our best memories. We've been going to the Mayan Riveria for over 10 years, and this was the best place we've been. People who enjoy all-inclusives may not like this place as much as we did, but then I hope those people stay at the all-inclusives because I don't enjoy those kind of people!!! Anyway,we're going back next month.
By the way, we aren't naturalists but got along just fine----the beach is such that you can do what you want and not be near anyone that isn't doing what you're doing.
To read FULL REVIEW click here: Property and Destination Rankings
Next Resort Review ...
Good in Theory, Terrible in Practice
By: Anonymous from Chicago, IL
Date of Visit: December 2006
About Playa Sonrisa: This is a small resort in Xcalak, Mexico which consists of 5 units run by Don and Cindy Murphy. Information is available at www.playasonrisa.com. Yes, the resort is clothing optional, and yes, there will likely be nudists at the resort. We are neither nudists, nor terribly bothered by nudists (however, as we learned from our experience, they *are* bothered by clothed people – see http://www.naturistsociety.com/magazine/detail.jsp?id=63 for more details). We came for the diving, snorkeling, exploring ruins, horseback riding, and other activities. Our stay lasted approximate two weeks.
Pros – They allowed our dog, the beach front cabins are beautiful, the owner’s wife is very nice (even offered to walk our dog, shared antibiotics when wife was ill). If you go, XTC Dive Shop is run by fantastic people. They really went the extra mile for us in every way. I highly recommend them.
Cons – There are many of these. Generally, you come here expecting a worry free vacation. This is unlikely to occur. Lets start with the food – there’s no kitchen. This wouldn’t be so bad if there was at least a grill. There is one, yet, for some reason guests are not permitted to use the grill. There is no guest grill, and I suspect this is a measure to attempt to “encourage” you to eat at their overpriced restaurant. The restaurant is expensive, the food is mediocre. Other restaurants are either far away, mediocre, expensive, closed, or all of the above. The only fridge is a guest fridge, which is in a building that closes at about 10pm (not mentioned on the website). If you like staying up and want snacks, unless you squirreled away something earlier, forget it. For long term stays this becomes more than a bit annoying. Air conditioning works only from ~4pm-~10pm, meaning that you will likely be sleeping in hot weather. Yes, air conditioning is a requirement is this part of Mexico, regardless of the time of year or time of day. No, they will not keep the generator and air conditioning on longer if the weather is hot.
Then there are the other major annoyances. Xcalak is “off the grid.” This means electricity is generally provided by solar panels, and the owners will ask you to conserve electricity and water on your vacation (their booklet makes suggestions, such as skipping flushing used toilets). There are two telephones in the entire town of Xcalak. Neither are at the resort. Wi-Fi or Internet? Forget about it. In town, you can find a few stand-alone computers running slow internet. This is impractical for more than a quick email check. If you need to deal with airline issues, want to wish family members a Merry Christmas, or God forbid actually need to do some work, you are in for a surprise. Ran out of cash? There is no ATM in town. Or in the next town. No, you will drive a few hours to find some cash. Worse yet, that town’s single ATM may have run out of cash. This happened to us. The result was most of a day wasted driving to the next major town. Virtually no places accept credit cards. Speaking of getting places, the road in Xcalak is more of an offroad trail than an actual road. Massive potholes and broken bits of road make a 6 mile drive a 30 minute experience. Jeeps are strongly recommended, though, while the website actually denies this, curiously, the owner drives two SUVs. Moral of the story do not rely on the website for full disclosure. Essentially, understand, you are one step above camping. If this does not sound like a great way to spend your vacation, then forget about it.
Of course, I cannot blame the resort for the town. What I can blame the resort for is creating an unpleasant experience. A customer service oriented host is of paramount to a pleasant experience. It is my distinct impression that the resort owner tolerates guests rather than appreciates them. For someone spending substantial sums of money at the resort this is completely unacceptable. If a guest requests for the air-conditioning to be turned on (which is something that is promised, not something that should require a request), rather than an apology the guest receives an annoyed look. I was looking to purchase a grill, but given my previous interaction with the owner I suspected it would be “against the rules.” Despite being a nudist resort this is not at all a laid back environment. This would be fine, if rules and expectations were made clear before guests purchased a vacation. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and you may well be introduced to new rules as the vacation progresses. Of course, this will be the polar opposite of the pleasant and laid-back attitude he will exhibit in emails. Once the sale is made, everything will change. Perhaps we somehow annoyed or irritated the owner. I can’t imagine how a quiet couple consisting of two professional school students could manage this, nor do I frankly care. The last thing one should be worrying about on vacation is whether a resort host personally likes them. Regardless, my impression is that the host desired to get rid of us as soon as possible but only after milking us of the maximal possible funds. We certainly did not feel welcome. At no point were we asked how we were enjoying our stay or if anything could be done to make our stay better. At the end we were not thanked for our business. Instead, the owner curtly and unpleasantly dealt with the bill and sent us on our way. To his credit, he eventually stuck to the price we agreed upon (the details are truly ridiculous, but I suggest that you also keep all of your emails and get everything in writing!).
Bottom line – never returning here. They offer a 20% discount to return customers, but a 90% discount wouldn’t be enough. If you are a nudist that hates technology and is willing to tolerate a temperamental resort owner, then perhaps this is your cup of tea. Otherwise, there are plenty of better places in Mexico to spend your money. As for the resort owners, they seem genuinely unhappy running the resort. I would suggest that they seek other employment opportunities. For everyone’s sake.
I hope this review was helpful. When I was researching this resort and town I found little information. Hopefully, this will assist others in making informed decisions in the future.
As an aside – someone working in venture capital seriously needs to look into Xcalak. With a relatively small amount of investment, this town could be great.
To read FULL REVIEW click here: Property and Destination Rankings
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