El Alquimista is a incredible property! From checking info to checking out the staff was amazing. Our room was number 18 . It was super nice and clean the view was outstanding. The restaurant was also great the food and service was impeccable. As im writing this review im in the planing stage of our next visit . We also enjoyed the owners dogs playing in the ocean and running down the beach ... we did miss our dogs so it was a blast watching them play.
We stayed for over 10 days at El Alquimista, and we loved it.
Zipolite is a delightful little village on a glorious beach, reminiscent of Ibiza and Mykonos many years ago. It is a nudist and gay-friendly beach with a rather mixed clientele. Many people seem to have been visiting the village for many years.
The resort is certainly located on the nicest stretch of Zipolite’s beach, away from some very noisy hotels that constantly play loud disco music.
I suppose the location and the view from the restaurant were what we actually liked the most. The rooms themselves are nice but a bit tired. The yoga classes at the resort are excellent.
However, there is significant room for improvement.
The website does not offer much information about the rooms, but I booked a suite based on the pictures provided, expecting that, as it was one of the most expensive rooms, it would have a sea view. Well, it was mainly a view of trees with a bit of sea view if you really stretched your neck. Also, the room backed onto the car park. The reception kindly changed our room, which now had a sea view and apparently was a suite too.
Well, let’s just say I expected more for our money. The room had no glass panels in the windows (unlike the pictures of the suites) or the doors to the terrace. I am not an eco-warrior, but I do care about the environment, and having air conditioning without proper windows is just not acceptable. Furthermore, the shutters to the balcony were broken (we reported it, but nothing was done), letting all the cool air escape and forcing us to keep the air conditioning on all night, blowing straight onto the bed.
The fan over the bed was useless as there was a mosquito net over it which did not allow any air through.
Unlike the pictures of a suite, the terrace had no sun protection, making it unusable during the day.
Breakfast is not included, and a normal one for two will set you back around USD 40, which I think is rather expensive.
Now, there are some rather uncomfortable mattresses on the beach (a small investment in proper beach lounge chairs would not go amiss), and the staff is great at helping you move the umbrellas to protect you from the strong sun. However, there are not enough of them for all guests, and therefore everybody seems to get up early in order to reserve them. To our great surprise, we found that our towels were moved from our "reserved" mattresses one day whilst we were doing yoga. It seems that you can pay one of the staff to reserve beach mattresses, but nobody warns you about this, and no reserved sign is placed on the mattresses.
Surprisingly, you also have to guarantee a minimum tip to book a table at the restaurant, a first for us. Not to worry, there are many other eating options in the village which accept free bookings and where the food is much less expensive.
At checkout, we asked to speak to the manager. Apparently, the pictures on the website cannot be relied upon as most rooms are different. One should book a specific room, which for first-time visitors might be a challenge. The lack of windows, etc., did not seem to concern the manager too much.
In short, this is probably the best resort in Zipolite, but they could spend a bit of money on it and provide pictures of each room which would help the booking process and avoid disappointments. We did not like suite 29 as explained, room 24 had a nice view but no glass panels and room 26 had a reduced sea view and was behind the restaurant and I found the smell of the food overwhelming. We did not see other rooms
We spent a week at El Alquimista and enjoyed every second of our stay. The hotel is located right on the beach, so our mornings consisted of waking up and walking just a few feet to enjoy sunrise. The hotel staff is super kind and accommodating, willing to help you out with anything. The rooms were comfortable and well designed. Every now and then, the shower water was cold and the water pressure was low, which was a bit frustrating, but we didn't mind too much. I'd recommend eating breakfast out, (there are a lot of inexpensive and more authentic places around) but try the ceviche at the hotel restaurant for lunch! It was excellent.
I enjoyed my stay, had the highest category room, it has great elements, I think the hotel needs just that final touch, ie slats in the windows that need tightening, lighting could be improved. I had a great stay and consider this a more rustic style hotel with amazing placement and an amazing view of the entire beach. The beach club is phenomenal. Julian was amazing! Never said no, always there to help.
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.
