Yemaya Reefs

“Beautiful boutique hotel set in pure paradise”

Just returned from 3 nights at Yemaya. As frequent travelers, and someone who truly values a luxury hotel experience, I was looking forward to ending our 8 day Nicaraguan vacation here. Let's start with the great stuff: - Food: incredible! We were greeted with complementary beef patty & a welco… more

Just returned from 3 nights at Yemaya. As frequent travelers, and someone who truly values a luxury hotel experience, I was looking forward to ending our 8 day Nicaraguan vacation here. Let's start with the great stuff: - Food: incredible! We were greeted with complementary beef patty & a welcome drink that were to die for. Everything we ate after that was amazing. We were traveling with a big group that included 5 kids (ages 7-12) and while there was no kids menu specifically, they did make accommodations for us which was really great. My cousins who are from Managua and frequent Little Corn thought the prices were really high - but compared to what we are used to paying in the US or when traveling, we found everything to be reasonable (but def not cheap) - Location location location: It was nothing short of epic. I read several reviews complaining about beach conditions and we experienced none of that. You wake up to the sound of the ocean and the water could not be more beautiful. It was pure paradise. - Rooms: I thought they were beautiful! Did we find a grab in our bathroom? Yes! Did it bother us? Not in the slightest! I would have loved more than a sheet for the bed... I get that you don't need a heavy comforter, but something would have been nice. Our room was cleaned every day while we ate breakfast and we had plenty of room for our kids to sleep. 10/10 given how rustic everywhere else on the island is! The main thing they could stand to improve in my opinion would be service. I would not say it was bad (although my local cousins thought so), it's just didn't feel like a priority. I was asked maybe twice how my trip was, but it always felt forced or after they were annoyed with us. I couldn't figure it out - could have been a cultural thing (hey! the pace of life is slower and that is pretty cool) but I def missed that touch that you usually get when you stay at luxury hotels. It's also very slow. Getting drinks took a long time and the hotel missed out on us spending more money because we were rarely checked on and asked if we needed anything. Having someone actively tending to guests at the pool or beach would go a long way. One day we spent lunch at the Rum Boat (SO COOL) and the bartender was incredibly lovely and friendly. She went above and beyond by offering to call in orders for blended drinks for our kids to be delivered to us because she didn't have the ability to make them there (something they should prob just do) -- but they prob took close to an hour to arrive. I appreciated the gesture for sure, but it feel short in execution. Pool towels were hard to get and when I asked for them I was made to feel like it was an inconvenience to them. I think I'm very understanding and get that it is a small resort, but having 1 towel per person when staying on the beach with a pool should not be hard to implement. And even if the laundry got behind, a simple "I'm sorry" or acknowledgment would go a long way. Little things! :) Snorkel gear could use checking and/or replacement. I was sent out with a busted snorkel that was taking in water (my husband's was fine) -- to be fair I didn't even say anything to them, and I 100% should have so someone else didn't have my same experience -- but talking to the receptionist or manager was not super inviting and I hate to feel like I am complaining (again, something I wouldn't have worried about with more friendly service) To end on a positive note -- I would 1000% return to Yemaya Reefs. The positives in my mind outweigh the service shortcomings (again, not bad, just a lot of room for improvement)

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“Yemaya Reefs”

We just arrived at Yemaya Reefs and Spa and wanted to share some first impressions while they’re fresh. This place clearly has huge potential. The setting is beautiful and the overall vibe suggests it could be an incredible destination with just a bit more attention to detail. The biggest issue we … more

We just arrived at Yemaya Reefs and Spa and wanted to share some first impressions while they’re fresh. This place clearly has huge potential. The setting is beautiful and the overall vibe suggests it could be an incredible destination with just a bit more attention to detail. The biggest issue we noticed right away was the beach condition. There is seaweed and natural debris spread along much of the shoreline. Instead of raking and removing it from the beach itself, staff appeared to be raking areas behind the beach grounds. A cleaner shoreline would make a big difference in the first impression of the property and allow guests to fully enjoy the oceanfront. Getting to the resort was also rougher than expected. We were originally told the final leg of the trip would be on a catamaran, which sounded like a relaxing start to the stay. Instead, it turned out to be a small motorboat that had to crash through wave after wave. By the time we arrived, my back was bothering me and my wife was completely soaked. It wasn’t exactly the calm, welcoming arrival we had envisioned. That said, there are definitely positives worth highlighting. The food so far has been really good, and the service has been friendly and attentive. The staff we’ve interacted with have been helpful and welcoming, which makes a strong difference. Overall, it feels like this resort is very close to being exceptional, but some operational details—especially the beach maintenance and arrival experience—could really elevate the stay. We’re looking forward to seeing how the rest of the trip unfolds.

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“Lovely place, but service could improve and don’t go when it’s windy!”

We just got back from 4 nights at Yemaya. There was the weather front that’s been affecting all of North America and there was relentless, non-stop wind, which kept us from doing anything at all and basically made us have to stay in the room all day besides going to eat at the restaurant. My husban… more

We just got back from 4 nights at Yemaya. There was the weather front that’s been affecting all of North America and there was relentless, non-stop wind, which kept us from doing anything at all and basically made us have to stay in the room all day besides going to eat at the restaurant. My husband said he felt like he was in a cage. And the sound of the non-stop wind makes you go a little crazy. It also made the journey from Big Corn Island by boat quite rough (and seasick inducing). It was ironic bc we never stay in places too long- this was the longest ever, yet we couldn’t really wait to leave. I know this was a strange weather condition, but according to the people who work there, it is very windy in Jan and maybe Dec and Feb. I really am not sure how it didn’t come up in reviews, but I would HIGHLY recommend not going when it’s windy. Besides that, I would also say that the service there is incredibly hands off. They didn’t really give any briefing when we arrived, they didn’t check on anyone and they didn’t do anything to address the difficult weather situation. I know they couldn’t change the weather, but they could have said something to the guests, maybe come up with some alternative things, offer a free drink. Something. So, I wouldn’t really say that fits with what one would expect from the Small Luxury Hotel branding. You would expect a bit more personalized service, especially in these conditions, in my opinion and in a place that has only 18 rooms- and at least one or two of the days only had 5 of them occupied. One other small example is that check out is at 11, but they have the boat leave around 12.45 for Big Corn Island so that you can catch the 3.30 flight back. We asked if we could stay in the room till the boat was leaving since there was nothing we could do but sit in the restaurant (we didn’t want to eat bc of the rough seas). They said no, claiming people were coming that day. Meanwhile, when we left to small boat, no one had been to our room to clean or anything, so we could have stayed. I understand needing to prepare for new guests, but it felt like they were just being automatic instead of trying to be a little helpful and accommodating (especially since it wouldn’t have mattered in the first place). That being said, the place was lovely, the rooms were beautiful (at least ours that had a view o, with big comfy beds, they brought tea and a little cookie around 4 or 5 to the room each night and had a scent infuser - I would say that was the only sort of ‘special’ touch. Also, the food was very good. We didn’t understand that there was a breakfast menu bc no one explained it to us, so I missed that, but when I saw it the day we left it looked good. The lunch/dinner menu had lots of options and the people who worked at the restaurant were nice. It wasn’t cheap though. We live in NY, so I was fine with the prices, but don’t expect it to be inexpensive. Each meal was at least $50 -$75 for 2 and we don’t drink. All the activities are also for a fee. That’s fine, but just keep it in mind. I am sad we didn’t get to experience it when it was good weather, I think it would have been a really great place, so I am not saying not to go. I would still recommend it, but their service could definitely improve and go only when you expect the weather to be ok

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