Dolphin Cove Inn Review
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Buy one week, get your second week free, or buy one room and get your second room free!
Introduction
Decompress- [verb intransitive informal: calm down and relax]. With the stresses of the world, and the state of our well-being, we all need some time to decompress. Perhaps you have your favorite locations to try and let off some steam, even if only for a few days. I can enthusiastically recommend to you that you add the Dolphin Cove Inn to your personal list of places to decompress.
From the moment you enter the inner compound of the Dolphin Cove Inn, you notice something is different. The grounds are beautiful with an abundant supply of bougainvillea in full bloom. Palm trees sway in the gentle breezes from the cove. What starts the decompression process is the quiet. It is as if the Dolphin Cove Inn is shielding you from the outside, welcoming you to start relaxing and unwinding.
The reception office is up near the main road of La Peninsula Santiago. This main road is named Calle Vista Hermosa for good reason. The view of Bahia Manzanillo from the road is spectacular, but save some of your "oohs" and "aahs" for what awaits you. The reception office is clean and bright and has attentive staff that are bilingual. You are quickly guided through the registration process so that your much needed relaxation time can begin with little delay.
Accommodations
We were so fortunate as to get to stay in the honeymoon suite at Dolphin Cove. While it is in building 11, and there are other units in the building, you rarely hear or see anyone else. We noticed that the building and room we stayed in are exceptionally clean and bright. There was a beautiful fruit basket with "bird of paradise" waiting for us. The polished marble floor and bright accent pillows on the white wicker furniture add a real splash of color to the room. The honeymoon suite has one long room as a sitting area with chairs, sofa, cable TV, and dining table. The other room also has a cable TV and a comfortable king-sized bed. Each room has a full bathroom too. The suite even had a nicely appointed kitchen with a full-sized refrigerator! Truly a home away from home.
What I noticed was a careful attention to details to aid you in relaxing. For one thing, there are no clocks. Some may find that disconcerting, but it is not a bad thing to wake up when the bright globe of the sun gently wakes you up at no particular designated hour. It is rather calming to know you are winding down for the day because the shadows are getting longer and the breeze is picking up. If you let yourself unwind by not being regulated by the clock, you are on your way to decompression.
All the rooms have a beautiful ocean view with either a deck or expansive terrace. Our room had a beautiful terrace that had a million dollar view of the cove below. The terrace was thoughtfully appointed with lounge chairs that had cushions as well as a wrought iron table and chairs. This was yet another place to go and escape and soak in the relaxing atmosphere. The owners, management, and staff go to great lengths to make your experience pleasant and enjoyable.
The room prices are reasonable too. There are standard rooms, suites, and two choices that are three bedrooms with three or four bathrooms! So for large families, or two families traveling together, the Dolphin Cove Inn can accommodate your group. The prices range from $110 USD to $380 USD, with seasonal variations that are typical for a resort city.
Amenities
Thoughtful attention has been given to the choice of amenities. If you have forgotten anything, there is a small grocery store on site that is very well stocked. You really do not need to leave the comfortable compound. There are two gorgeous pools; an upper one for young children and a lower pool that is deeper, A small water slide connects the two. There are ample lounge chairs and tables with umbrellas surrounding both pools. The walk-up bar is near to the pools as is the beautiful restaurant. (More on the restaurant later!)
I found particularly relaxing the area down below the Dolphin Cove Inn on the boardwalk. Here is an area that has trees for filtered shade (if you want it) and areas for full direct sun. There are lounges and tables and chairs and umbrellas. What was appealing to me about this area was the gentle rhythm of the small waves lapping against the rocks below. It was my place to unwind. Next to this area is a small beach area. Because you are on a cove, there are no large waves that could be used for surfing or boogey boarding. That's fine. This is a swimming beach and the water is quite clear and clean, which would be great for some snorkeling.
The boardwalk, that I mentioned earlier should be considered an amenity as well. How calming it was to walk this boardwalk after breakfast hand-in-hand with your mate. You can walk as far as Barceló Karmina Palace on the south end and as far as the Las Hadas Resort on the north end. If you asked for a pass to the Las Hadas Resort at check-in, the guards will let you in. There is a large and beautiful pool on the grounds as well as several restaurants. Just be sure to bring your own towel with you.
Service
We were impressed with the kind character of the staff. Many are bilingual. They are eager to practice their English and are impressed when an attempt is made to exchange a few words in Spanish. The staff are attentive but never rush you. They are present to facilitate your period of decompression. Plus, they go the extra mile, or kilometer in the case of Mexico.
Restaurant and Food
The restaurant at Dolphin Cove is named Paradise. We were very impressed. The manager of the restaurant, José, has been there three years and has done a lot to shape the facility into one of the better restaurants in Manzanillo, at least in our opinion.
The food is exceptionally good. In Manzanillo we gauge a restaurant by the way it cooks shrimp. Most restaurants here have the habit of overcooking the shrimp so that they are dry. Not here. The chef is most adept at keeping the shrimp moist and succulent. The coconut shrimp are a signature dish, but don't pass up the shrimp grilled in garlic. The fillet of fish grilled in garlic was awesome too. Always remember that when you order fish in Mexico, if it doesn't say "filet" you will usually get the whole fish. Some guests near us didn't realize that. The prices for the food and drinks are reasonable. The coconut shrimp was $120 pesos. Each dish of shrimp we had contained eight to 10 large shrimp. We easily could've split a meal... but we didn't.
Breakfast is included with most rooms. The breakfast that is included has juice or fruit, choice of eggs or omelet or pancakes or french toast, and coffee or tea or hot chocolate. There is also a deluxe breakfast package and an alá carte selection as well. We were very satisfied with the breakfasts, so much that we didn't eat lunch. Usually we had leftovers from the dinner before that we munched on.
Thursday nights are "Lobster night" and Friday nights are "Italian night." We arrived on Friday so missed the lobster. A grilled fresh lobster is $300 pesos and lobster thermidor is $350 pesos. Based on our experience, this would be a definite reason to come back to the restaurant! Plus a two-for-one happy hour is from five to six in the afternoon.
Overall
We were quite impressed with the Dolphin Cove Inn. The facilities are clean and well-maintained. There are a lot of stairs so it would be difficult for those that have difficulty navigating stairs. If you are planning a trip to Manzanillo, and you want to relax and unwind, you should put the Dolphin Cove Inn on your short list. They have many repeat customers. If you live in Manzanillo, at times you too need a getaway. I came to appreciate the beauty that is Manzanillo by stopping to decompress. I'm very glad that I had this opportunity and I'm confident that you will be glad too!
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Thanks for the review! I’ve always seen the Dolphin Cove Inn, and heard good things about it from visitors, but now I know more.
Sounds great!
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