We just got back from our Yucatecan adventure. Stayed in Valladolid (see review of Casa Hamaca) and here at Al Cielo. Both were awesome in entirely different ways. Al Cielo has 5 rooms. We stayed in the only room that can accommodate families (2 adults, one not so surly teen), Villa Atardecer, which is in the back of the hotel or should I say, at the front of the hotel so it's not right on the water. It was gorgeous. Beautiful white washed walls, two rooms separated by a door, very spacious bathroom, an upstairs seating/patio area with a hammock and "bed" right under a palapa. Very cool view of the ocean. Also, from the main bedroom, you can open the back door and see the wood plank walkway leading to a lily pond. Surprisingly, no mosquitos! That may be due to seasonality. The evening turn down was lovely with rose petals and fresh towels turned into hearts and animals. Cute!

We ate every morning and evening in the restaurant which is essentially a palapa with wood plank floors. Tables are set with fresh white linens. The ocean is 40 feet away! Paco is the manager and used to be a chef. He is awesome! Andres is the owner and was very welcoming. It's definitely the opposite of the AI experience.

We were the only guests while we were there. So, it was very quiet. We spent time on the beach in our own palapa, used their kayak to go out to the reefs to snorkel in the most amazing blue, warm, sea pest free water ever...the reefs are not exactly teeming with sea life but there were plenty of fish to see and take pictures of.

We also drove 15 mins. south to Hidden Worlds to do the ecopark adventure thing. Their 'ultimate adventure' was a real value. The park is run by the ejido which means all the money goes to their community and not stockholders. That doesn't mean it's cheap! But, we did a lot for the $80 admission: zip line, bike line (literally, you pedal a cart across the zip lines), rappell, zip line ending with a splash into their cenote, roller coaster zip line (watch your necks and backs on that one) and lunch. Tip: early in the day tours mean fewer people which means a shorter wait for all "rides".

The second night, I woke up in the middle of the night concerned that it must be storming or something. In my sleepy state, the surf sounded so loud, I had to get up and peek out the window to see if it was right at our doorstep. Instead the sky was clear and the answer was that it was high tide.

We found Al Cielo to be simple, friendly and unpretentious. The amenities are not "fancy." There were a couple of very teeny tiny places in the room where day light filtered through the wall. I was concerned that I might be startled by a creepie crawlie. But we were there three nights, and I can say with a clear conscience that our room was absolutely, 100% spotless and bug-free our entire stay. I was delighted that a place could have a little bit of a rustic feel and yet I was never once startled by something skittering in a corner.

We ate delicious food, we slept very comfortably, we read in the shade of our palapa. The service was very good, genuine and happy to be helpful. We told friends that the place seemed like a restaurant that happened to have four rooms for overnight guests and a perfect beach. A back-to-basics restorative beach retreat. We loved it.

Al Cielo was absolutely amazing - from my initial contact with Andres to reserve the room, to the excellent service we received throughout our stay! Al Cielo is so much more enjoyable and relaxing than the large all-inclusives we have stayed at previously in Mexico. The location is so close to the beach, it makes it feel like it is all yours.
The food was delicious, and presented like a gourmet restaurant - the best food we have ever had in Mexico! The staff even prepared things for us that were not on the menu. The accomodations are a little more rustic than we expected, but great, once you realize the benefits of being so close to the ocean. Bed and pillows were a little on the hard side, but were taken care of promptly when we requested. This is a wonderful place to relax and unwind - I think it is definitely more suited to adults than to families.
I would agree with a previous reviewer - there is not much to do after the restaurant closes. I typically enjoy having a swimming pool as well as the beach, but it didn't really bother us not having one. Make sure to bring shampoo and conditioner - the "spa amentities" are basically just multiple bottles of bath gel and liquid soap.
We stayed for 4 days, which was a good amount of time since we didn't rent a car. Any longer and it may get a little boring without having a car, or going off-site on a tour or excursion.
The beach and the crystal blue water was amazing - it was so pleasant that there were no vendors interrupting us trying to sell things while we were reading or napping.
Overall, I would highly recommend Al Cielo and the wonderful food and service!!

Al cielo hotel is a very special place where rustic meets elegance and simplicity. The distance to the beach is so short that the feeling of being immersed into nature is amazing. the people the owner and his staff make you feel like at your vacation home, with excellent food and drinks. this is also the perfect place for your wedding, honeymoon or anniversary. the place is just magic, we even witnessed the birth of sea turtles in the beach. this is not the all inclusive but the all exclusive hotel