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Hotel in Zipolite, Mexico, located on the Oaxacan coast, 5 minutes from Puerto Angel. The rooms are comfortable cabins and the hotel has a beautiful pool, restaurant and bar. It is the ideal place for individual travelers, friends and couples. Our restaurant at the foot of the beach offers delicious international cuisine where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served. The cabins are considered the best accommodation on the beach since they are located a few steps from the sea, with finishes and high quality design. The swimming pool is available for guests, except for children under 15, as it is located in the spa area and yoga center, which makes for an atmosphere of relaxation and tranquility. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed in the pool area. To give yp the best service and the possibility of working away, we count with STARLINK internet all over the hotel.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Romantic
Mid-range
Languages Spoken
English, French, Spanish, German
Location
On the way to Shambala S/N, Colonia Roca Blanca Fin de Playa, Zipolite 70902 Mexico
Name/address in local language
El Alquimista Hotel Yoga & Spa
4.6 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Wow!! This place is what you are looking for if want nice, relaxed, and on the beach. Gay people and straight. You can be naked down on the beach lounges and pool but less in common areas…which makes gay and straight more comfortable. We loved it, moved from Hotel Nude which is more straight and trashy … restaurant a bit pricey but we ate a lot and felt awesome if you know what I mean. Beautiful and gay friendly.
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Date of stay: May 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:This hotel/resort is at end of beach, but that’s what is so cool! Waves less crazy, and everyone...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My wife and I went to Zipolite in February of 2020 before Covid hit. We were there during the nude festival and stayed 11 nights a El Alquimista. The room was large and had most of the amenities we could hope for. There are some older rooms and some newer rooms. There is a big difference, but they both work. The newer rooms are significantly more expensive.
El Alquimista is at the western end of the Zipolite beach, but a short walk to town and it is right on the beach. We ate there a couple of times. Prices at the bar and restaurant were at the higher end compared to other places on the beach and in town, but the food was good.
This hotel has beds to lie on in the sun and straight backed chairs and benches. We ended up sitting at the Adirondack chairs at Hotel Nude which is about 100 yards down the beach. We ate their less expensive (but quite tasty) food and cooled off in their pool from time to time. El Alquimista also has a pool, but it is set back in the woods and not really accessible from the beach for a cool down.
Staff were great and accommodating!!
No complaints about Al Elquimista, but next time we'll stay somewhere a bit less expensive. (We don't stay in our room much anyway.) AC is a must for us though so options are limited in Zipolite.
One note on the festival: We were at the epicenter of the festival and while there seemed to have been a lot of activities going on, it really didn't impinge on our beach enjoyment. If fact, we met a lot of interesting people that came down just for the festival. It was fun for people watching, and we did participate in the morning nude beach yoga with like 100 other people. That was awesome.
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Date of stay: March 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:It's a very hilly development so the rooms not on the lower level will require quite a few...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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This is a small luxury rustic hotel in Zipolite. It has very good cuisine and drinks. The yoga room is original for its palm roof although perhaps for the same reason there are mosquitoes that make the class uncomfortable. Being on a nude beach the atmosphere is for adults.
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Like other beach hotels I’ve visited, the focus here seems to be on the restaurant, which is excellent. It’s directly on the beach, features a great menu and excellent service. It’s open to the public and after eating there several times in February while staying elsewhere, it prompted our hotel stay this time.
Sadly it feels like the hotel manager isn’t at the same level as the restaurant manager. The biggest issue was with getting hot water. In five days, not one good shower! Hot water took literally 10 minutes (I timed it) to arrive, if you got it at all. It ran out quickly every time resulting in a cold water surprise. Sometimes it came back. The answer from the front desk after consulting with maintenance was “you have to wait, it takes a long time”. There was NO additional follow-up to check back with us. As one of the most expensive hotels in the town, one would think they’d care a bit more.
While it has a fun, funky vibe, a small effort and trained eye could bring it to the level it seems to aspire to. Beautiful hard wood chairs in the two high suites desperately need cushions. (In both of the ‘suites’ we occupied). No screens on louvered windows meant bugs were a constant in the rooms. The plumbing fixtures are if the lowest quality, and when we first turned on a faucet a long stream of brown rust water came out. Does anyone prep/check rooms for arrivals? A light in the long rutted driveway (one walks everywhere here) would provide a degree of safety and comfort. One in our party fell in the dark.
It’s a beautiful property, but it could be magnificent and probably charge even more. Sadly, It’s as if ownership has lost interest in the hotel in favor of the restaurant.
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:This is one of the highest priced hotels in town. You can find superior lodging for a lot less.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
First off let me first say that Zipolite is a very welcoming place, from the surfer culture feel, European expat vibe, nudism is part of the makeup of the city and with that brings tolerance and respect. As a gay traveler, its always nice to feel welcome and in Zipolite you will find that.
Now back to Alquimista, this has to be the nicest property on the Zipolite beach, hidden away by rocks but accessible by walking on the beach. Rooms are nice, newer ones even better. Very nice beach infront of the hotel (feels exclusive even though all beaches are public). Restaurant staff very nice, if a bit busy, because everyone wants to eat here (don't blame them).
Gay friendly hotel, nice staff. I would say this caters to the upmarket clientele (almost like a baby Tulum vibe). Book your room, take your clothes off and enjoy the beauty of Zipolite.
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Date of stay: April 2021
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is a hotel that doesn’t feel like one. The rooms are cabins all either right in front of the sea or just a few meters away. They’re big and their balcony is just beautiful. The staff is great! The restaurant has a non-complicated menu and everything tastes really good (I had breakfast everyday there and for dinner it looks so nice!). The beach has this sense of being private due to the rocks around it, so it’s less crowded. I’d definitely stay here on my next visit. Just 1 thing to consider: rooms aren’t sound proof.
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Date of stay: February 2021Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beautiful view and great food! We came before sunset and I highly recommend! The beach setting at golden hour was incredible. The food was great (quite pricey in my opinion, coming from Oaxaca city) and portions were solid. I struggle to find a good salad at times and the salad I had here was unreal. The downsides: not the greatest service (was 30+ minutes before anyone even took our drink order, they forgot one dish, and it took forever to ask for our check) but luckily we weren’t in a rush! There were also MEGA mosquitoes and they didn’t put up any citronella candles until well after dark. Overall, a great experience with good food!
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Bring bug spray!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed for 10 days in January and February. The staff if very friendly and speaks English. Most of the rooms are spacious, but basic. All have AC. If you get one of the newer rooms (they call them Suites), the finishes are quite new and nice. We rarely stayed in the room other than to shower and sleep. I believe all the rooms have AC - a rarity in Zipolite.
El Alquimista was pretty pricey, but if you want a big room with a king size bed and AC, there aren't a lot of options in Zipolite which tends to cater to folks of all ages regardless of their budget.
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Date of stay: February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Here’s our take of this hotel, things we liked and didn’t like Guest room-we booked the oceanfront cottage. The cottage was ground level with a spectacular view, but... Very basic and rustic for the price. Toilet leaked. Foul smell most of the time. No AC(which we knew when we booked, but the fan was not sufficient), no chairs or a table inside the room. It did however have a safe and a few bath amenities. If you decide to stay here you might consider one of the “suites” with AC for several $ more. The service was not great. We attempted several times by phone and email to reach the hotel to confirm our reservation and make sure we could pay. We never heard back from them. Lots of confusion how the wifi worked. It took us 24 hours and the housekeeper to assist us. Reception was useless. There are different codes depending on what part of the hotel you are staying in. We had to ask for water glasses and go to the bar ourselves to refill the water pitcher. Service was indifferent at best.
On the other hand, the restaurant was pretty good and essentially good service and food. We ate there several times during our 3 night stay and were satisfied. Lovely setting on the beach. Huge portions of everything we tried. You might consider sharing or comparatir unless you are a big eater.
Would I recommend staying there. No. Would I recommend dining there, Absolutely
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Upgrade your room or stay elsewhere
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We wanted a room in an upper level, a place with a view of the beach. The communicaction was very slow and we did not get an answer to our request. They gave us a room on the ground floor, the sea barely visible. There was no mosquito net. In a place full of mosquitoes. So we were forced to close the windows and doors and use the AC. Not ecological and not our style. There were quite a lot of dogs at the beach and in the resort as well. You have to like thouse creatures and their poo lying everywehre, otherwise do not go there. The restaurant has attentive personal. The dishes are mostly western, a lot italian, but defenitely no italian chef working the place. On our last day while paying with credit card, the waiter took the machine and told us, the billing did not go through, we should try again. Later we found out, they charged us twice. Consulting the net, this is a scam regurarely done in touristic places. We wrote to get our money back. Gess what, no answer up to date.
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Date of stay: January 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Zipolite area.
PRICE RANGE
C$235 - C$377 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
cabanas el alquimista hotel oaxaca
LOCATION
MexicoSouthern MexicoOaxacaZipolite
NUMBER OF ROOMS
31
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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