ZOA Hotel - Michelin Key Winner - Adults Only

At Zoa, outside food and drinks are expressly forbidden. Restaurant visitors can come for a meal, but using the pool, beach, or other resources costs 200 US$ per day, and even paying that fee doesn’t let them visit your suite. Those policies were frustrating. The cliffside setting gives the lodges excellent ocean views, and both the suites and grounds are excellent. Staff were attentive and the food was delicious. We did lose points for service, though: the dinner appetizers took almost an hour and a half to arrive.

We’re still at Zoa hotel, but I wanted to write this already. My husband is dealing with E. coli poisoning from a restaurant we ate at in town. The food at Zoa hotel has been exceptional and very safe. We strongly recommend buying the meal package if you stay here, since options in town are limited and not safe for tourists. The hotel is breathtaking and the service has been exceptional. Paco and his team have been tremendous with helping us get medical care and preparing special meals. They didn’t judge us for going against their advice and eating in town. My husband is improving, and with four nights left we hope to enjoy this amazing property and high end service. I’d highly recommend Zoa for a peaceful, serene, romantic, relaxing high end stay. I’d give it 10 stars if I could.

We stayed five nights in early December 2025 for our honeymoon, in Master Suite 7. The room was beautiful and unusual, with AC, a natural bug repellent for mosquitoes, and a big comfortable bed that helped us sleep well. We chose the Master Suite with its own small pool and spent most of our time there. It has two comfy lounge chairs and a hammock, and the shaded spot gets a slight breeze for much of the day. Even with afternoons reaching around 85F, we were comfortable. The staff were incredible. We saw the owner almost every day, checking whether anything could be done to improve our stay. For our wedding photo shoot and small private ceremony by the water, the staff sectioned off that part of the hotel for our private use for the afternoon at a more-than-reasonable rate. They also brought flowers and lanterns, helping make it a beautiful, romantic moment. We were beyond impressed and grateful. Breakfast delivered to the room each morning felt wonderfully lazy and luxurious. Great coffee on our private balcony started the day, and we had Green Chilaquiles most mornings, highly recommended. The food was varied and well prepared, with a slight lean toward fish over meat, which suited us since we love fish. Restaurant service was attentive. It’s a boutique hotel, and we only saw one or two other couples at a time, which suited us since we weren’t looking to mingle on our honeymoon. We didn’t explore Mazunte, so I can’t say what the town is like. One afternoon we walked about 10 min through town to Playa Elefante. It’s a public beach with more sand and fewer jagged rocks, and the shape makes the waves calmer. A great place for a peaceful ocean swim, especially with kids. The view was incredible, and the pictures online don’t do the place justice. It gave us the beautiful, peaceful days of sunshine and pampering we wanted. I’d highly recommend it to anyone after the same kind of stay.

I stayed three nights at Zoa, just outside Mazunte. The property was stunning, very clean, and each room is its own private hut with a distinctive suite or room layout. The staff were consistently friendly, especially the kitchen and housekeeping teams. I also enjoyed talking with the security guard, who was kind and sincere. A few things were frustrating for the price. Basic items like slippers weren’t provided, the bed was stiff and made it hard to sleep comfortably, and the kitchen hours were strict, opening at 8:00 AM and closing at 9:00 PM. At 9:05 PM one evening, I was told the kitchen was “fully closed” when I tried to order lemonade. The on-site restaurant was roughly three to four times more expensive than places just up the street, though I didn’t mind splurging. There’s also an additional $500 pesos ($27USD) per night charged as a tipping fee. I stayed in Villa six with the private pool, but very little sun reaches the villa, which leaves the water extremely cold. I do think something could be done about the ants and roaches in the closet. I understand we’re in the middle of the beach, but the roaches in the closet scared me. One other thing to mention: I have a Palestinian last name, and the hotel manager is Israeli. He immediately questioned me about my last name, and as a Mexican from Monterrey, I didn’t appreciate the way he kept talking about it. For any Middle Eastern person, I definitely wouldn’t recommend this hotel.