Rarely in life does the hype and excitement of what you hope to experience actually exceed all your expectations on every level. In most cases you end up with some sort of a trade off. The beach was great but the service was so-so, or the service was great but the food was average. That certainly was not the case at Al Cielo, as our stay there was absolutely and unequivocally amazing! We had to delay our honeymoon last Spring as I had to start chemo immediately after our wedding, but I can say with complete confidence Al Cielo made it worth the wait.

The accommodations are rustic yet stylish, constructed of local hardwoods and regional materials. The staff was polished, attentive, and accommodating to any request including a specific beer type they did not stock regularly. Cielo, which in Spanish can be translated as both sky and heaven, amply describes our experience there both in beauty and ambiance.

The beach, the water, and the area around Al Cielo is stunning, easily the most beautiful place I’ve ever visited. And in Shari’s words, “Al Cielo has the most beautiful beach I’ve ever set foot on,” high praise from someone whose visited Hawaii in the past. Speaking of setting foot on the beach, you never leave the beach while you are at Al Cielo. You walk from the your room to the restaurant via the beach, to your massage via the beach, heck you even park your car on sand. After all, Al Cielo didn’t make Frommer’s Top 10 Beachfront Hotels for nothing.

The Agua room an incredible sunrise each morning and our side balcony, with its two person hammock, was best place other than the beach to catch every sunset. Although what some would call rustic, the four guest rooms at Al Cielo have everything you need for a very comfortable stay, including air-conditioning, modern bathrooms and all the usual spa grade toiletries. What you won’t find are phones, TV’s, and not even a clock in the room. Now this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for us it was paradise and the recipe for the perfect relaxing vacation. An extension of your room is the palapa each guest has reserved for them.

Each palapa comes with two chaise lounges, tables, an Adirondak chair, and the coolest bean-bag sun loungers I’ve ever seen. Whoever came up with this design most certainly envisioned them being the perfect tool for your afternoon siesta. The restaurant’s waiters are always at your beck and call serving food and drinks to your palapa for the ultimate Al Fresco dining experience.

We chose to rent a car upon arrival to Cancun so we would have the flexibility and opportunity to explore the region. Tulum, X-caret, Xel-Ha, and Playa del Carmen are short drives on easy to navigate roads. And while it was great having the car, but we found it tough to leave this oasis we discovered. Other than two visits to Playa del Carmen, one to check out 5th avenue to grab some gifts and the other visit because it was our departure point for our scuba diving trip, we were happy to stay put.

In our opinion the way to book your stay at Al Cielo is go with what they call a half-board which includes breakfast and your choice or lunch or dinner, 3 courses with a bottle of the house wine included with the meal. Also included was a couples massage and romantic dinner served directly on the beach. The restaurant is nothing short of amazing in every aspect…food quality, presentation, and service. And there is nothing like taking a stroll few yards down the beach to watch the Al Cielo chef greet the local fisherman as his boat washes up on the beach with the day’s catch, knowing in a few hours it will be perfectly prepared and on your plate. We were told not to be limited by what was printed on the menu, as they would prepare whatever we requested if it was available, they even went out and purchased our favorite Mexican beer when they realized they did not have it on hand.

If you’re looking for the perfect place to unwind, unplug, and celebrate life, Al Cielo is the place! And don’t just take our word for it, see what has alreay been posted on TripAdvisor. If you find yourself heading to Al Cielo, please tell Andres and his staff that Shari & Tom Martin said hello! Additional information about our stay was included on my Leveraging Life blog.

We went for a day trip. The beach is stunning, the food at the restaurant was brilliant, the massage was inexpensive and very nice.

The hotel is fairly secluded, really can only walk up and down the beach unless you drive somewhere. NOT for kids unless very young.

Good staff.

Our taxi had trouble finding it, the road sign is quite small and sun-faded. Well worth a day trip from Akumal or Tulum!

I won 't repeat the comments of other favorable reviewers. They are for the most part accurate. The major negative is the visitors who pay a fee to eat lunch and use the facilities including the palapas for the day. Most of them are rather noisy people who bring young children who are prone to shriek constantly and disturb your serenity by playing ball and other games while you are laying back trying to relax. We came to Al Cieli thinking it would be basically children free, but far from it, the place was overrun by kids.

If you are looking for something on the Mayan Riviera that does not include hundreds of people lined up in their lounge chairs, this could be for you!! This is a small b&b on a beautiful beach. You have your own palapa and lounges. The rooms are fine, simple but nice. They could use some storage for clothing. The food is pretty good, not alot of variety, but what they make is very good. We actually saw our fish for dinner coming out of the sea with the diver! The staff is delightful and cannot do enough for you - We would return, and recommend it to others!