El Alquimista

El Alquimista has an exceptional location—set in a natural alcove that feels wonderfully removed from the rest of Zipolite while still being just around the bend from everything. The beach is stunning, the sunrise and sunset views are incredible, and the candlelit beach at night is especially beautiful. We stayed in the P4 penthouse with the grande vista, and the view was truly the highlight of the room. From the balcony, we had sweeping views of the mountains, the trees, and the ocean, with both sunrise and sunset. The privacy was excellent, and we loved the hotel’s sustainability focus—especially the glass water bottles refilled daily. Service at the restaurant was exceptional. Guillermo, David, and Luis made every meal warm, attentive, and enjoyable. A few small improvements would make the experience even better: Balcony furniture: More comfortable seating would help guests fully enjoy the incredible view. Toiletries: Refillable, higher-quality products would better match the hotel’s eco-friendly values. Beach chairs: Not comfortable for fully lying down or for sitting and reading for long periods; more ergonomic loungers would enhance the beach experience. Pricing: Food was fantastic, though priced higher than many nearby options. Despite these small points, we absolutely loved our stay. The location, the atmosphere, the staff, the sustainability touches, and the overall experience were wonderful. We’ve already booked again for next year, which says everything about how special El Alquimista truly is.

Location is beautiful but that is all it has going for it. The service was kind but very chaotic. We were brought incorrect dishes multiple times and then the wrong bill. The food was awful… dry meat and undercooked fish, really disappointing for a 4* star hotel. But hey at least the view is cute and the beers are cold! There are many places along the beach offering much more for a better price x

Our At El Alquimista was one of the best experiences I have had in my many years of travel. We have This motel in the past and have returned to Zip polite because of our experience at this hotel. The food and service is top-notch. From their creative present presentations of their dishes to their innovative blends of the morning juice and smoothie menu left me delighted to no end Staff always Curtis and appropriate and seemingly one step ahead of our needs. Our accommodations were nowhere short of five stars. This hotel seems to be managed and run seamlessly when coordinating our request. This is the first time the only place I’ve ever experienced where my fellow customers would interact with us as if they were family. It seems this place has been doing things right for so long that the customer base which we experienced every morning and evening in the dining area, which by the way is in the sand, chairs, and linen covered tables, were So friendly, it felt like I was at a family reunion of some sort every time we entered that space. As World travelers, I only wish More of our hotel and resort experiences were at the level which El Alquimista operates at. And let me mention, it felt like it was out of a fairy-tale book. My family will be back!

A resort in paradise you will feel like you're in the movie Beaches or Gilligans Island. It is so beautiful. They have the best hotel and restaurant staff with a full service restaurant serving breakfast lunch and dinner with the best food in Zipo!. They have many different accommodations. We have stayed in three different accommodations over the past three years each one of them is different each one of them is lovely. For the ultimate tropical paradise look no further.

We dined at the restaurant a few times on our last visit (early June) and enjoyed the location and food. We are returning to Zipolite and as it is "in season," we have attempted to make dinner reservations. It is impossible to reach the restaurant or hotel via phone, I have tried numerous times. I also sent an email inquiring about restaurant reservations and did not receive the courtesy of a reply. Poor service.

Can be LOUD. Be warned that the restaurant and bar (open from very early to very late) make this a noisy place for sleeping. Music from the Alquimista restaurant is impossible not to hear if you end up in a room adjacent to, above, or near to the restaurant. Here are the numbers to avoid: cabana 22 (nice to be on the beach, and could work for you if you sleep only between 12-6:30am), room 19 (above the restaurant), also cabanas 1, 7, and 23. Probably others as well. DO NOT STAY near the Alquimista restaurant and bar if you prefer a quiet room. Cabana 22 is the worst because they have a speaker pointed directly toward it only ten feet away. Restaurant manager turns the music louder at night. The fewer people at the restaurant, the louder the music gets. I wish I had known this before booking. The worst part is these are all cabanas that are among the most expensive $$$ rates. There are nice features of Alquimista Hotel and other staff are wonderful, but my experience was affected by noise and lack of sleep. The sound of the waves is perfect, and it seems gentle guitar music in the evening would be a better choice. Relentless “after hours” beats, especially at night, is trashy in this otherwise serene and relatively upscale (for the area) environment. There is a great yoga studio and it’s a scenic location.

Having spent 3 nights here recently, and dined at the restaurant, I will leave a review that combines the two. Hotel - rooms were lovely, but there are a lot of mosquitoes on the property. Hotel pool was lush. With only 5 lounge chairs on the beach, they filled up super quickly, and we weren't lucky to get one during the day. Restaurant - as many have said, it's gone downhill a lot for dinner. It's relied too much on the ambience of tea lights, and less on the quality of the food. Time to return to your roots and bring back the high quality food of the past. Even the pizza was mediocre, which, if you're a great restaurant, how can the pizza be meh? Undercooked crust.

Great beach front stay with especially great service. Everyone was friendly and helpful. The beach view was beautiful and the atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming. Nudity is allowed in the hotel and on the beach, but this is not the focus. Most people are clothed in common areas and if they choose to go nude they tend to do so at their beach chairs or for a walk on the beach or a swim. The surf at Zipolite is extremely dangerous. There are surfers and boogie boarders that go out in it, but as a swimmer, if you go more than a few meters from shore, someone will start blowing a whistle to tell you to get back to the shore. The riptides are very strong and the waves are very high energy here. El Alquimista is situated at a section of the beach that is separated from the main beach by a rock formation. You can simply walk around the rock formation on the sand, but it has the effect of producing a "private beach" feeling that is separate from the main beach. I recommend extreme caution in Zipolite with what you eat and drink. For example, I would recommend you not even brush your teeth with the tap water and only drink water from a bottle and avoid all ice. I got sick in Zipolite and there's no saying exactly how, but I suspect the water has a high bacterial load.

El Alquimista is the perfect place to stop and enjoy Zipolite. The spa offers relaxing treatments with one of the best massages I've ever had. If you're looking for a restaurant that is private and directly on the beach (who said you had to choose?!) than El Alquimista is the perfect place to go. They have a large menu offering local cuisine, as well as food from other regions in Mexico and internationally. Fusion food is big so expect the flavors to pack a punch. Nothing is ever less than exceptional at El Alquimista so expect your experience to be the same - phenomenal!

5 star Mexican style. View, food and service are exceptional. Will be back again for mote

We enjoyed a stay in the hotel and often ate breakfast and lunch. Very enjoyable and the beach area is not to be compared with others. It's like a private beach and cove in the town.

Well was staying close to el alquimista, so there was the only place Beach front to eat! The food was good, service was good, Tamarindo Margaritas are the best!! (If you like them sweet). Recomendable el lugar, la comida muy rica, ambiente y servicio!!

I had dinner with partner and the night was amazing! Food was great (vegetarian options) and the candlelight decor and being right next to the ocean created a very romantic vibe. If I visited Zipolite again, I would definitely return to this place!

Right on the water, candlelit and amazing servers. High quality food with incredible atmosphere.

We have been here twice and I'm just very unimpressed with the food. The first time we had the salmon carpaccio and it was totally lacking love and flavor. Just some raw fish with some capers on it. This second time I asked the waiter what he recommended he said the balsamic tuna, so I agreed, I love tuna. The dish came out and was beautiful. I cut the fish open and it was very dark brown. I thought it was because of the balsamic. Nope. The fish was old, probably frozen and tasted like fishy death. I had to spit it out. The waiter took it back and I had the vegetarian lasagna instead, which was tasty. My boyfriend had the spicy shrimp dish. It was decent but the shrimp still had all the poop veins. You are definitely paying for the view and atmosphere which is magical. For as big of an establishment you would think the food would be better quality though. Might come back for a coffee or a cocktail probably not food.

The setting is 5 stars. It goes south from there. Drinks are good, had a michelada that was world class. They use their own mix for it. The food was hit & miss, but again consider the real estate. Service was chaotic and under-staffed, but still you keep coming back to the view. There was one thing worth mentioning, that was a bit strange for a restaurant setting, on the beach immediately to the south of the restaurant, right next door, was a nude beach, populated by mostly old men. Not appetizing. If you can look past that, or maybe that's your thing, this place will be your little slice of paradise.

I have stayed 3 times here, the atmosphere and comfortable rooms are beautiful. You should wear something for the flies though. Be careful with the food, it is delicious but they lack consistency in its quality. Yesterday I had dinner at the restaurant and we got sick to our stomach. We went to make a complaint and no apologies were offered. We paid a high bill for catching bacteria in the meat and this disappointed us after a day before having tasted a delicious dessert. Me he hospedado 3 veces aquí, es bonita la atmósfera y habitaciones cómodas. Aunque debes usar algo para los moscos. CUIDADO CON LOS ALIMENTOS, la comida es deliciosa pero les falta constancia en su calidad. Ayer tuve una cena en el restaurante y enfermamos del estómago. Acudimos a poner una queja y ni disculpas ofrecieron. Pagamos una cuenta alta por pescar una bacteria en la carne que arruinó días de nuestras vacaciones y esto nos decepcionó después de un día anterior haber degustado de un exquisito postre.

Pretty much everything is PERFECT! Food, service, ambiance is all exceptional!!l I will always recommend it, knowing full well they don't disappoint!

Located on the far western side of the beach, we ate here one night for supper. Not super hungry so just shared a wood fired meat lovers pizza, which was very good! They have so many culinary options on their menu so will have to come back and try some other meals. Pricing is a little higher than the rest of the beach but still very reasonable with the value of the US dollar. The service was fast and friendly.

Such beautiful area. The restaurant is right by the beach. The food is delicious and we were completely satisfied. I will be wiling to come visit again.

A really great scenic eatery with a variety of food. Ceviche, Pescado Dishes, Burgers, Pizza and much more. Very Great price point for all the food and drinks. You won't be disappointed. Take my Palabra.

One of the top restaurants in town! We came for dinner, and then for lunch, and then for breakfast, staying for lunch. First time was Christmas Eve. The tables where on the beach by the water, all illuminated with candles. Beautiful! And the food... from the steak to the sea food, from the tacos to the ceviche. All good! Oh, the ceviche! You eat, you jump to the water, you eat again, Heaven. Drinks good too. The tamarind Margarita was a little too sweat, though.

Great restaurant right on the beach in the midst of that chaos ! Very relaxing and romantic ambience. The swings are a nice touch , they come in handy after all that food ! Lol Food took a while to come out but it was well worth it . Portions are great . Lobster was the most expensive on the menu @ 960 pesos ( the large size ) but like I said it was worth it . Ask for Eric the waiter if you need someone who speaks English . Glad we found this place .

BAck here again staying with a bunch of couples for a few days. What a nice property!! Very clean great staff good food

I loved the staff, the food, the ambience, and the variety and quality of the food. The staff was attentive and thorough, everybody was being Covid safe, and they have got a rock and amazing burger that is stacked up with onion rings and bacon on it if you want! A magnificent creation! Along with all the other delicious offerings. Enjoy!

Uhhh-mazing. So relaxing, getting a chair with a table next to the water and listen to the waves hit the shore, it's something special. The food was surprisingly good (especially the breakfast). The staff is also very nice and attentive. I do suggest staying in the hotel or very close by. The transportation on the island is a bit complicated. Relying on taxis taking you between places and trying to over charge you to do so is annoying. At night they surround the restaurant and rocks around with candles and it's quite romantic. Must go.

Love this place. We had breakfast! They have great healthy juices. I had eggs in a tomato sauce. It was incredible. The latte was spot on. The vacation vibe gets you started. I would definitely recommend. The price for 4 was $609 pesos.

A little pricier than other choices in the area, but the setting is spectacular and the food is good quality and delicious. We had a great breakfast here after a couple of hours on the beach and they were happy to serve us beer with our breakfast of chilaquiles and enchiladas.