Hermitage Bay - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

1984 reviews

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  Five nights at Four Seasons prices — with service that doesn't match

  We stayed 5 nights. The setting and food are genuinely excellent, but the service and communication fell well short of what a $2–4K/night resort should deliver. The room Outdated design. The toilet sits inside the bathroom, right beside the vanities and tub, with no door or partition of any kind. The bathroom has no real windows, so even with the shutters it's humid and hot, and the AC struggles during the day — at night you go from sauna to ice room, with about a 20-degree swing. The shower is outdoors: fine for men, but for ladies at night there are bugs, moths, and lizards around, and with the towel hook directly under a small lamp, you can't even see what's landed on your towel. Communication before arrival — the biggest problem I started communicating with the resort 2 months ahead. We emailed weeks before arrival saying we were celebrating my birthday, and asked about an upgrade or a different villa. I also requested a room with a partitioned toilet and strong AC — a previous reviewer said the hotel personally told them this could be requested — and we were ready to book activities. Hermitage Bay's reservations normally replies by early the next morning. This time: nothing. Not even a "we'll check availability." Just NADA. We never felt entitled — no upgrade or welcome gift would have been perfectly fine, and we still enjoy our vacations either way. It was being ignored that bothered us. I followed up 2–3 times, suggesting the email might have gone to spam. After 2 days, the reservation manager replied that yes, we could make reservations — with no links and no information, though I had already been through all their emails and both the official and Hilton webpages many times. Two more days later, the concierge finally sent the activities list and said my request had been "forwarded" to the reservation team. After we booked, all we received were standardized auto emails, and the confirmations only arrived 5 days later — 1 day before we arrived. In all our travels, this is the least effort I have ever seen a resort put into communicating with a guest. **No Hilton elite recognition There was none, whatsoever. Since the pandemic we've traveled to 20+ countries and logged 100+ hotels under Hilton and Marriott. We've made friends with GMs, directors, bartenders, and restaurant managers, and exchanged WhatsApp contacts with many. Here, as Hilton Diamonds, we got nothing — maybe the resort should state on its website that Hilton Diamond means nothing here. And to be clear: the upgrade was never the issue. It's the service, and being ignored. **Arrival** We reached the resort before another couple from our same flight. Same category booked — they got the higher-up villa above us, with a view. We discovered that later. When we raised our earlier request at check-in, the lady got the reservation team on the phone, and I was told flatly: you booked all 5 nights in the same category, and the resort is completely full. I asked if we could switch to a better view for even 1–2 nights if there was a cancellation or no-show. "NOPE, it's all full!!" No explanation, no apology for the unanswered emails — just an awkward silence, and the call ended. Really — for a $2–4K/night resort? Our room turned out to be literally stuck in the middle: pretty much the worst position in our category, with the same welcome fruit plate as everyone else. To be fair on one point: OTAs and even the resort's own website (though not Hilton.com) showed rooms available on our 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th nights, which made the "completely full" claim hard to believe — an OTA might be a mistake, but their own website? They even said they could predict no cancellations or no-shows in the coming days. Two days later, Sunday did sell out on the official site and the OTAs, so credit where due — they were right about that. **Orientation and information** There was no briefing on arrival day — another first for us. Per the in-room portfolio, orientation was the next morning at 10:30 AM in the lobby. When we asked at the front desk after breakfast, we got an explanation of lunch, dinner, and afternoon tea — but nothing about activities. We've read reviews from guests who didn't learn about the yoga, Pilates, and water activities until their last day. And regarding the toilet: per FlyerTalk, a guest was told in person that rooms with a partition exist and can be requested — which is exactly what we tried to do by email, for two months. The food — genuinely outstanding Being a foodie, I can't complain about the food. Living in Texas forever, we can vouch for their in-house steaks and the seafood. But for comparison: Al Maha had it better, with tons of activities as an all-inclusive, at a cheaper rate. On the North America side, WA Los Cabos had better service — not all-inclusive, yet Hermitage's rate is still much higher. Even locally, a taxi roundtrip runs about $150, and you can have fine dining at Sheer Rocks, Le Bistro, or Catherine's Café and still come out ahead of $2–4K a night here. Yes, an all-inclusive saves you the hassle of booking restaurants and taxis — but again, it comes back to the service. The staff — a mixed bag Our first day started badly: at the sushi bar, the waitress was lackluster, just as some reviews described, and I had to flag someone down just to get water. The second day was much better — we had a wonderful garden tour with Waba, who explained the landscaping and how the new owner, Mr. Daniel Shamoon, envisions upgrading the property. Renovations cost money, and we do appreciate the trees, shrubs, the vibe he's creating, and some newly renovated rooms. The stay also now only includes a free snorkeling trip, and the old boat tour trip, lobster and snapper are unfortunately gone. As many reviews state, the staff are a tale of two extremes. I'd say 70–80% are very nice, energetic, and so friendly you feel they're part of your family. The rest feel cold and unwelcoming — tired attitudes, long faces. One expert reviewer felt the weekend staff were much nicer; that wasn't our experience. It was simply mixed: one minute someone is happily joking and dancing with you, the next someone makes you feel like you did something wrong. Bottom line This is a place for people with well enough money to spend, who just want to relax most of the time. For Hilton elites — neh, no need to come here, especially the devaluation from 150k to 230k which puts them in Hilton’s top category. We thought 5 nights might earn us slightly better treatment. Nope, not the case. The room layout needs to change. While most of the service is outstanding, a few particular staff really make you feel uncomfortable. Four Seasons rates — some questionable service attitudes and a mediocre room.

  Oct 22, 2026
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  Incredible property

  Unbelievably friendly staff that make you feel like family. Food was incredible. Omakase experience I HIGHLY recommend!

  Oct 20, 2026
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  One of the best experiences you can have & feel like you're family from day 1!

  From the moment we walked in, we immediately felt at home and this is one of the few destinations that we really didn't want to leave. We celebrated our anniversary & it was perfect bliss, with incredible views of the bay, lots of different water sports, some of the best cocktails & food I've had anywhere. Don't miss the chef's cooking demonstration which they hold on Wednesday's at 1:30pm. We are already eyeing out next trip to Hermitage Bay. Wag-wan!

  Oct 19, 2026
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  $40000 a night for a room that felt like a 2-star hotel

  $4,000 a night for a room that felt like a 2-star hotel I do not write negative reviews often. I am writing this one because I would not want anyone else to spend their money the way we did. We paid $4,000 a night at Hermitage Bay, with breakfast extra and lunch and dinner another $400 per person per day. Here is what that bought. The room Our room had not been renovated. Floor to floor carpet, including in the bathroom, with stains throughout. There is no indoor shower. The only shower is outside, with one small light, bugs, low water pressure, and no hook for a towel or robe. One night I gave up and rinsed off crouched in the bathtub. The linens The sheets, towels and robes were as thin as 1-ply toilet paper. The comforter and pillowcases were stained, and I had to ask for them to be changed. The pillows were thin and lumpy. At $4,000 a night, this is the one thing that should never be a complaint. The pool we did not get We expected a pool. We got a jacuzzi. The renovated rooms cost the same and came with their own pool, so we paid full price for the lesser room. New ownership, higher prices, same room According to articles I read about the resort, Hermitage Bay changed ownership in the past year or so, and prices have gone up since. The room we paid $4,000 a night for did not reflect that increase. If the money is going into renovations, it has not reached every room. Nobody told us what we were paying for There was no orientation. We did not know about snorkeling, cooking classes, yoga or Pilates until another guest told us the day before we left. There is an activities binder in the room, but no one mentioned it. It was in a brown nightstand against brown wood, and when I asked the GM about activities, she had to walk me to my own room to find it. The welcome We were seated at the bar, handed paperwork, and given a non-alcoholic drink with no choice, at an adults-only resort. Then we helped carry our own bags to the room. Service Some of it was lovely. Some meals, we waited the entire time for water or coffee. I walked to the bar several times to get a menu or a drink myself. Leadership The owner was on property while we were there. My husband recognized him from photos we had seen of him online. We saw him several times, often taking meetings with people at the resort, and he never stopped to speak with guests. A few minutes of conversation would have given him the feedback in this review, and a chance to fix things while we were still there. What was good Every meal was excellent. The staff were kind. The sunsets were beautiful. The massage was good, but it cost over $500. The verdict Good food and kind people do not make up for a dated, basic room at a price that should buy luxury. The quality did not come close to justifying the cost. I cannot recommend this resort at any price near this one.

  Oct 18, 2026
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  One of the best vacations we've ever had

  Hermitage Bay exceeded every expectation we brought with us. The service. Rachel Browne (General Manager) greeted us on arrival, checked in with us repeatedly throughout the week, and was there to see us off when we left. Anthony, Cemar, Simon, and Regina were equally outstanding — warm, genuinely welcoming, and consistently anticipating what we needed before we asked. This is white-glove hospitality done right: polished but never formal, attentive but never intrusive. Every single staff member we encountered greeted us with a real smile. The food. We are serious food lovers, and we did not have one bad meal the entire stay. Not one. The kitchen operates on a completely different level from what we've found at comparable properties — consistently inventive, beautifully executed, and genuinely memorable meal after meal. If you are considering Hermitage Bay, book it. We cannot recommend this Small Luxury Hotel highly enough, and we are already planning our next trip back. Amanda & Isaac Hickson

  Oct 15, 2026