Nicaragua is quickly becoming one of the most popular travel escapes as it offers breathtaking scenery, exotic wildlife and thrilling adventures. As more and more people are choosing to travel to Nicaragua, it is becoming difficult to find that secret getaway many of us desire. During our time in Nicaragua, MenStyleFashion were able to review The Mukul Resort and Spa located in the south of the country on the Pacific Coast. The direct translation of ‘Mukul’ is ‘secret’ in Mayan, and we came to know why as our experience progressed. If you are someone who appreciates luxury, I’d keep reading.
First Impressions
Upon arrival to the resort we were greeted by friendly, professional staff who directed us to the lobby. We were very surprised to hear that all their staff spoke English. If you’ve ever been to Central America, you’ll know it is quite something for one business to have all their staff able to communicate effectively in English. This made any communication with them extremely easy and made them all very approachable. We also want to add that every single staff member we encountered greeted us with smiles and an offer to help. First impressions were fantastic.
Background Information
Mukul Resort is located in a giant private cove owned by Carlos Pellas. The Pellas family is famous around the world for their high quality rum named ‘Flor de Caña’ and they made sure that the whole resort revolved around the story of the Rum. One of the coolest experiences of our time there was a unique rum tasting session where one of their rum experts talks to a group of up to four people about how to properly taste rum and what sets Flor de Caña apart from the rest of the competition. There was also a stunning cigar room where you could find some of the most luxurious cigars from around the world.
Spa
The spa at Mukul Resort offers the ultimate pampering experience. The spa consists of six temples, each one offering a different ancient healing treatment. When you book a treatment at Mukul Resort, the whole temple is yours. You are personally escorted to your temple, and are met at the door by a certified therapist. We experienced a deep tissue massage at the Ancient Sanctuary Temple. The temple had a stunning ocean view with a private pool and steam room. All the rooms in the temple were elegantly designed and perfectly kept. The lighting and smell of the rooms all contributed to an inviting and relaxing atmosphere. Our therapist’s name was Silvio. He started the ritual with a footbath using a sugar and an essential oil scrub. This experience in particular was very indulging, and set the tone for the rest of the treatment. The next part of the ritual included spending 15 minutes in the private steam room followed by a shower to detoxify and clean the body. Next, we entered the treatment room, where the therapist started the session with aromatherapy and breathing exercises. Our therapist Silvio was exceptionally professional and skillful throughout the session. We were very impressed by how knowledgeable he was and how the entire session was tailored to our individual needs. The session ended with a chakra/energy balancing session that took the word relaxation to a whole new level. Right from the beginning, Mukul Spa offered a 360 degree relaxation experience. The facilities, staff, and treatment truly make you feel like a king or a queen.
Golf
The Mukul Resort and Spa also offers one of the most scenic golf courses I’ve ever played. I’ve been lucky enough to play at some of the world best courses and Mukul’s course was a joy to play. The scenery was spectacular, the course was as pure and faultless as a carpet and it didn’t play like your usual resort golf course. Designed by David McLay Kidd, it offers players of all playing abilities to be both challenged and rewarded creating a thoroughly enjoyable experience. We were also lucky enough to play with the Club Pro Gustavo Betancourt (@gusstavobet on Instagram & Twitter) who shared his stories of encounters with PGA professionals and movie stars at Mukul.
In addition to this, I was given brand new Taylormade rental clubs, Titleist Pro-V1 golf balls and a brand new Titleist glove for my round! If you’re a golfer, you’ll understand why I’ve chosen to mention that.
Food & Drinks
We had our lunch at the Beach Club; a section of the property that offers golf, surfing, food, drinks and the beach all in one place. We ordered both seafood and a steak and were blown away by the quality. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium as requested, the fish was slow cooked to excellence and it was all melt-in-your-mouth. As you can expect, the bar offered every drink imaginable but we opted for some natural juices. You will see the pictures of our food and drinks but take our word for it: it was mouth-watering. With the cool breeze, the beach atmosphere and the kind staff, lunch was something we never wanted to end!
Pool and Sea
When you walk through the main entrance, the first thing you encounter is a lounge and pool area. The double Infinity pool invites you to take a swim and enjoy the ocean view. There are luxurious places to sit and relax everywhere from poolside, luscious grass and even on the sand!
Facilities
As you can expect from a 5-Star resort, the facilities were immaculate. Every detail of the place was perfect. From the elegant entrance to the grass on the golf course, it was spotless. Something we really feel we need to point out is the fact that you feel like you have the whole resort to yourself. We were told by staff that even when the resort is at maximum capacity, guests frequently ask if there is anyone on the property! I guess the resort has mastered the ability to give each person the privacy they often desire. That’s vitally important when special guests such as Morgan Freeman, Scarlet Johansson, Michael Fassbender and T.I. visit the resort.
The Secret is Out!
Having spent a full day at Mukul, we came to truly understand why the place is called ‘Secret’. At all times, you feel like you have the resort to yourself and relaxation is something to easily achieve. Due to the way the resort is structured and the way the staff interacted with us, you really start to feel at home and a sense of familiarity takes over. This resort is unlike any other. Forget the commercial resort feel, this resort was welcoming and thorough to the point where you almost feel like you know the owner. You feel like simply by knowing this place exists, you’re in an exclusive group of people who have been given the opportunity to know Mukul.
