Mukul, An Auberge Resort, Nicaragua /
Nicaragua may be Central America’s best-kept secret, or maybe the secret is already out. It’s a little hard to tell as Mukul has a way of being at full capacity while simultaneously making you feel like you have much of the place to yourself—just the right amount of buzz, activity, and beachy retreat: a difficult balance to strike.
Mukul is a place for those searching for a luxury hideaway experience in an off-the-beaten-path locale.
Then take your pick: a three-hour car journey to the Emerald Coast or a 22-minute exhilarating chartered flight weaving past smoking volcanoes and deep craters. Thankfully, the pilots take it in stride; this is their every day in Nicaragua.
Arriving at Mukul
Ending up at the most southwestern point of Nicaragua, in a breathtaking bay on the Pacific Ocean, made the flight a distant memory. In every direction, natural hues set the color palette of the holiday. The blues of the water and the sky, the creamy white sand, and the thatched palapas define the resort. That, along with the palm trees, mango trees, and vibrant greens of all types of cacti, complete the scenic backdrop.
Bohios (tree-top villas) climb the landscape and cut up into the steep hills. One and two-bedroom villas line the beach, each with its own plunge pool, an outdoor palapa, a low-slung white crocheted hammock to snooze, and its private path to the sea.
While offering much of what you would come to expect from a world-class resort: convivial common areas (with coffees, teas, and treats always within arm’s reach), gorgeous pools, luxe bedding, spacious and well-appointed rooms, water sports, excursions, and enticing menus, Mukul found a way to take it a step further.
Outstanding Service at Mukul
Servers that remember your name, who know where you prefer to sit at the beach club, which smoothie the kids like, how you take your cappuccino, and ask at what temperature you would like your plunge pool to be set. I will never forget the Beach Club staff, Melvyn and Ronny, who joined all the kids in volleyball, baseball, and soccer each day.
By noon, the sand was scorching, and you could barely walk a few feet without sprinting to the sea. It was an endearing moment to watch Melvyn watering the sandy soccer pitch with a hose so the kids and their newfound friends could play without burning their feet!
The property encompasses 1,675 acres of the Emerald Coast. Thankfully, chauffeured golf carts and vans are on hand to take you around, whether to the spa, which sits at the top of the property with majestic bay views, or to the expansive tree-top yoga deck. Or, should you want to work off some of the ubiquitous rum drinks at Mukul, you can take one of the complimentary bikes and cruise around at your leisure.
On-Site Activities
Surfing was the main event and holiday highlight for the three of us. I nominated myself in-house photographer and spent leisurely hours under a large thatched canopy on the beach capturing my husband and kids surfing, getting pummeled by waves, and boogie-boarding with wild abandon. I had three good books on hand and a bottle of rosé. With lunch served on the beach daily, along with the staff occasionally passing through with fresh fruit skewers, there was virtually no reason for me to move.
The fantastic thing about Mukul is that the surfing is just outside your villa; no need to take a long boat ride unless you prefer a different break, which Mukul is happy to oblige. The surf school, TropicSurf, was a class act; my daughter fell in love with the South African surf instructor on day one.
The kids booked lessons each day and had the time of their lives, due largely in part to the supportive and enthusiastic crew at TropicSurf. You could hear Gavin or Grant yelling an encouraging ‘woohooooo!’ to the kids at any given moment.
We spent eight nights at Mukul: surf-filled days, sunset cocktails on the sand, leisurely al fresco dinners, and early nights to rev up for the next day’s activities, or lack thereof in my case. In late March, there were almost cloudless skies, low humidity, and no mosquitoes.
Watching the sun dip over the westernmost cliff’s edge became a nightly ritual, racing to the beach bar to grab our cocktails, then joining the guests who all came out from their villas for the spectacular color show.
Each night’s sunset was unique, but nothing compared to our last night. It was as if the sky was hand painted with thick sweeping brushstrokes of magenta and orange; the palette made even more intense as the sun retreated slowly into the sea. The colors first reflected off the water and then evolved into deeper and richer shades until the stars finally came out.
Mukul Dining
Mukul has three restaurants: the open-air La Terraza, the Tres Ceibas Beach Club, and the formal tasting menu at La Mesa. While the food quality and menu choices exceeded our expectations fully, my only wish for Mukul was for them to have more dining options. The Beach Club had themed nights that were geared towards families with small kids, but we felt it was a little contrived. Italian night in Nicaragua? So we opted for the other two spots and threw in some room service and a seven-course tasting menu one evening at La Mesa.
A highlight was the Thursday night beach front, Nica Luau, which I had low expectations of after Italian night. Rectangular iron filigree lantern-lit trees along the beach and threw pretty dappled light all around. Waiter service (rather than the expected beach buffet) offered everything from grilled octopus, shrimp, and lobster to lamb chops and sirloin steak. We found ourselves spontaneously having dinner with another family we’d just met, our kids having surfed together with their son all week. The moon was just about full, adding more ethereal light to the evening. The glow of the water was nothing short of spectacular. It was one of our nicest evenings! And only a two-minute stumble down the beach to the villa afterward.
Mukul = McCool
Mukul is the kind of place that takes hold of all of your senses, from the taste of fresh shrimp ceviche, the scent of the ripe mango trees, the exfoliating sand underfoot, and, of course, the sweeping views of the sea. But I found myself paying particular attention to sound.
The chirping of the omnipresent magpie jays at breakfast, the fronds of the palm trees roaring in the gusty wind, the rustling and ultimate clashing of the countless hermit crabs under the shrubs at dusk, and never not hearing the lapping and crashing of the waves in the near distance. It is the acoustic soundscape of Mukul.
And while the secret of Mukul might already be out, it is enchanting nonetheless.
