Hotel Review: Casa Yati

Tucked away at the end of a nondescript dirt road lies a sweet little hidden gem. A small boutique hotel with only 8 rooms, Casa Yati feels intimately private. You know you have stumbled upon something very special from the moment that you arrive.

Check-in – ★★★★☆

Check-in was quick and simple. Upon arrival we were greeted by the front of house staff who were able to help answer any questions about our upcoming stay. We were offered welcome mocktails and asked to relax on the premises while our room was being prepared (we had arrived several hours before check-in time). While check-in was quick and efficient, there is only one person working at the front desk at a time, so if other guests are ahead of you, be prepared to wait.

Location – ★★★★☆

The quality of location will completely depend on the traveller and what you intend to achieve from your trip. In our case, we wanted a place away from the crowds, where we can fully rest and relax with a mezcalita in hand. In that regard, Casa Yati’s location was a 10/10. Tucked away at the end of a nondescript road at the edge of Playa La Ventanilla, this hotel felt like a haven. It was rare to see tourists around, apart from the other hotel guests, and the beach directly in front of the hotel felt like a private paradise. Even though the location felt quiet and remote, we were still close to many entertaining activities, such as nightly turtle releases, lagoon tours, horseback riding, water activities and the town of Mazunte.

The only downside to the location (in my opinion) is that you are stuck in terms of food options. There is no where else to eat in the immediate vicinity. If you do not have a car rental, cab rides to the town of Mazunte are approximately $150-$250 peso per direction. Luckily the food at the restaurant was delicious, which will be discussed in more detail below.

Rooms – ★★★☆☆

We chose to stay in the balcony suite thinking we would prefer an upper floor and that we would spend time in our suite and on our balcony. We didn’t end up spending any time in the room, other than to change or sleep at night.

When we were shown to our room, we appreciated that it did not share any walls with our neighbours, which can usually be a concern for noise transfer. The room itself is small but nicely laid out with large closet and storage area that is out of site from the bedroom. There is a good amount of shelving and hanging space and more than enough room to store 2 luggages. Outlets were easily accessible by the bedside and by the desk area.

The rooms are beautifully appointed with 4 pillows on the bed and good quality sheets, however, there are no duvets. All rooms have air conditioning to help keep you cool at night. I really appreciated the natural elements of the room. The colour palette is calming and designed to be a place of rest and relaxation. The space ultimately feels luxurious.

One important detail to note—unfortunately not mentioned on their website—is that the bathrooms in the second-floor units are open-air. As the coast of Oaxaca is quite humid, the mosquitos are intense at night and will eat you alive while you are trying to use the bathroom or shower. It makes for a very uncomfortable experience. There are also many geckos on the property which do come out at night, and while we weren’t as bothered by the geckos, there were many of them in our room, crawling along the walls. So if you’re squeamish, you may not appreciate the added roommates.

Lastly, there’s a slight design flaw in the layout of the hotel as the staff storage/working area is located right behind the property and shares a wall with the open air bathroom. So if you’d like to do anything *ahem* private in there, it feels like the hotel staff are literally in the same room as you. If I were to go back (and I definitely would), I would book a room on the lower floor which have closed in bathrooms.

Quality of Sleep – ★★★★☆

The most important part of finding the perfect hotel (in my opinion) is the quality of sleep! If I’m not getting a good night’s sleep, I’m not staying there. Period. Luckily the quality of sleep at Casa Yati is quite good. The bed had a medium, slightly firm mattress that was extremely comfortable. The pillows were also very high quality and kept their shape throughout the night. Once all the lights are off, the room is relatively dark, except for the red light of the coffee machine which we unplugged. The temperature in the room was relatively easy to control with the air conditioning unit. It wasn’t too loud, but I do prefer background hum to fall asleep. The sound of the waves seem magnified at night and are the perfect soundtrack to lull you into a peaceful sleep. If you read the reviews, you will find one negative review that mentions the sound of the ocean is too loud. Go and read it if you want a good laugh.

Amenities – ★★★★☆

The hotel amenities onsite consist of the restaurant, bar, pool, massage and an open-air fitness/yoga area. A short walk from the main property leads you along the beach before you reach the base of a cliff. From there, a set of carved stairs climbs roughly 40 feet to the top, where a flat, open-air platform with workout equipment sits above the shoreline. It offers stunning views and an excellent place to do yoga, pilates or receive a massage. Unfortunately they do not offer set times for yoga or pilates class, you need to coordinate in advance with the hotel staff. You can do a private yoga class for $750 MXN or $450 MXN per person for a group or a pilates class for $600 MXN per person.

While not exactly hotel amenities, the hotel does offer to book activities and excursions for you. There’s an extensive menu of activities to choose from. In the immediate area there are lagoon tours, baby sea turtle releases and horse back riding. If you’re willing to venture a little further out, you can go snorkeling, scuba diving or deep sea fishing in Puerto Ángel, rent a kayak or stand-up paddleboard in La Boquilla or surf in San Augistinillo. The hotel can also arrange a scooter or quad rental for $500 – $850 MXN per day.

I highly recommend doing the baby sea turtle release, the lagoon tour (a surprising highlight of our stay) and to book a yoga class.

Service – ★★★★☆

The staff here are mostly very friendly. At the beginning of our stay, I did find them quite reserved but quickly warmed up to us after a few days. Because the hotel is so small, you do get to know them by name. The staff members we spent the most time with definitely warmed up to us and even made me feel special by bringing me a piece of cake on my birthday. Well, technically they brought it for me the day after, but I appreciated the gesture. I will say that service did fall a bit short of expectations for such an expensive hotel. There was a few miscommunications on booking excursions which was frustrating and service by the pool was almost non-existent. It would have been nice to have waters refreshed and orders taken more regularly. It’s important to note that there is an automatic 18% gratuity that is added on to your bill at the end of your stay which I think explained some of the service shortcomings.

Food / Drink Quality: ★★★★★

If you ever stayed at an all-inclusive resort, you know how notoriously bad the food can be. Why are they always trying to serve us Italian or Japanese? I’m in Mexico and want tacos!! Luckily Casa Yati’s menu does not disapoint with a primarily Mexican inspired menu. Their breakfasts were to die for and I was obsessed with their tacos. I think I ordered them everyday I was there. Initially, I was very hesitant to eat anything raw (as I have a very sensitive tummy) but I quickly caught on the high food quality and enjoyed their ceviche. The food was absolutely delicious, freshly made every day and an absolute highlight of the trip. While the menu is limited and can get boring if you’re there for more than a few days, they were able to make a few items for me that I requested (like quesadillas) that were not on the menu.

I don’t often drink alcohol but do enjoy a good mocktail. The drinks at the hotel were absolutely divine. They use fresh fruit for their cocktails, and the mix of sweet, ripe juiciness of the fresh fruits is enough to make my mouth water, even now. Everyday I would ask them to surprise me with a new drink and they did not disappoint.

To learn more about Casa Yati, check out their google reviews and website.