The whole spa experience was very relaxing. Everything I had hoped it would be. My masseuse even gave me advice as to why I was so tense in certain parts of my body, which was very helpful. The music really added to the serene ambience. The only reason my review is not higher is because of the front desk. My husband called to make this reservation a couple of days in advance. When he spoke to them, they asked for a card to put on file. We explained that we'd be using Disney gift cards to pay for this. They assured us that was fine and that they just needed a card to hold the reservation. When it came time to pay, I handed over the gift cards and was told I could not use them, as they were not technically owned by Disney. Had I known this, we would not have gone to Mandara. So I ended up paying $300+ out of pocket that I had not anticipated. It was very enjoyable, but not something I had planned on paying for outright. read more

We did the couples massage. We had the room to ourselves. The people were so nice and helpful. They were very accommodating. The tea was amazing and relaxed us. The view from the suite was beautiful. The therapists were so warm and welcoming. I had a sunburn and she made sure to be gentle and recommend a lotion for it. Even when we got home and called to find out the name of the tea, they were more then happy to help. We never felt rushed and took our time after the massage. I have never been to a spa like that since. read more

First off, I'd like to give a shout out to Duane and Deziree. They are absolutely wonderful people who have incredible healing hands! Their massages were perfect. In terms of the spa itself, I am extremely upset and appalled. When we made the reservations on the phone this morning, we were told the time of our reservation, and the cost it would be for a couples massage, $390. My husband and I are on our honeymoon, and thought we'd treat splurge and ourselves to a couples massage. When we arrived on time for our appointment, we were told that we were supposed to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the time of our appointment, and that our massage countdown had already started. When we notified the spa staff that the personnel on the phone who booked our appointment earlier didn't tell us this information, we were rudely told that it's just 'what we're supposed to do'. We were also told on the phone that since we paid over $100, that we would be able to get $25 off our bill. Thankfully the [manager?] accommodated us when we requested a later appointment, so we could enjoy the entirety of our massage (~$400 isn't a cheap massage and we expect to enjoy the whole 80 minutes)! Everything went smoothly with our masseuses, the massages were amazing, but when it was time to check out, we were appalled that a substantial gratuity was enforced. My husband and I ended up paying just shy of $500 for 80 minute couples massages. We were also informed we couldn't use the $25 off that we were told because we weren't guests of the Dolphin Resort. All in all, if I could hire Duane and Deziree to do our massages while excluding the spa and it's undisclosed overpriced fees, I would in a heartbeat. I guess all the money we spent goes to the spa itself, instead of fairly paying their masseuses. I am enormously underwhelmed but what the spa offers and provides for the price. I'm so disappointed. I do NOT recommend this spa, but I DO recommend Duane and Deziree's massages, and to hide your wallets from this greedy business. read more

I liked this place. I had the massage and facial. The massage therapist was one of the best I had ever been too, she was excellent. I think her name was Sarah, petite blonde. The facial - was below average, felt rushed. Technician was too chatty. I want to relax, not carry on a conversation. And they will add 20% tip to your bill for tip automatically, but you are told this when you book. read more

My spa experience was terrible, the worst experience I have ever had when traveling. I booked a manicure for my birthday and when I had shown up for my appointment, the last appointment of the day, they told me they did not have time to do my nails because I already had polish on my nails, I would have to rebook. They told me I booked the appointment wrong, how was I suppose to know a manicure did not mean they would remove my existing polish? I have never had to book two separate appointments. Nevertheless they rebooked me for the next morning, I show up and the front desk tells me I booked a gel manicure but the manicurist told me I did not book a gel manicure and if I wanted gel I would have to reschedule. Not wanting to reschedule AGAIN, I tell her regular polish is fine. For $60 it was the worst manicure EVER, my cuticles still hurt and they are bloody from her cutting them way too short. She was not pleasant to say the least. I waited 2 hours for my nail polish to dry and they still were tacky, unfortunately they messed up and I called down to the spa to see if they could fix it. The lady who answered was very pleasant to talk to and told me she would get me in right away. When I arrived it was the same manicurist I had prior and she was worst than before. She made comments during the repainting about how I clearly was not careful and I should know not to use the restroom for at least 2 hours after my manicure, she acted like she was talking to a child. It was very unprofessional. I will not use this spa again, like I said worst service I have ever encountered, it's a shame because the girls at the check in counter were fantastic. read more

I didn't give it one star because both therapists were extremely nice and attended to my needs; however, the facilities are nothing short of disappointing. For the price point I was expected to dish out, I left extremely underwhelmed. When I arrived around 9:30a, there was a construction crew of 3 guys in the men's locker fixing the water pipes. This wouldn't be a problem, however, the locker area is so tight, that I could barely get around them during the first hour of my visit. I made it worked and decided I'd spend some time in the steam room. Well, I should have taken a parka into the steam room because the temperature was extremely mild and the guest has no option to increase/decrease temperature, or even, kickstart the machine. Everything is controlled from a backroom that guests have no access to. O, did I mention the steam room is literally 4ft x 4ft. Seating for 2 people is almost impossible so don't even think of laying down to relax in the steam room. The men's room attendant did see me in there and he brought over a spray bottle (a very industrial, commercial like bottle) that had a eucalyptus scent so I could spray inside the steam room. Nice gesture by him, but at the moment you open the door, it took another 15 minutes before it got warm enough to enjoy the qualities of a steam room. I still had about 30 minutes till my first treatment, so I decided to slip into a robe and enjoy the communal common areas. Shouldn't you melt into spa furniture? For the most part, everything was extremely hard and it was difficult to get comfortable into any position. They boast an "outdoor sun deck," which I admit, it a nice feature; however, the furniture outside was full of mold and had very noticeable wear, some seats were even missing cushions. Okay, okay Alex, stop being so rough on the Mandara and go rinse off before your first treatment. I returned to the men's locker room to take a quick shower before my massage. You'd think the following would be the height of my disappointment, but stick with me. I turned the water on, trying to get a sense of the heat. Well, with the lever pulled all the way back to the hottest temperature, the only water coming out was cold. I moved to another stall, and then the last (there are only 3) and eventually, I was able to get a light trickle of warm water. O, and the best part of the 3 stalls, all were infested with multiple (at least 8 to 10) gnats in each stall. Yes, bugs! To think I have experienced all of the above and I still have yet to go into my first treatment. The reason I went early is so that I could enjoy the facilities. You'd think a spa that charges upwards of $400 to $500 for a couple of services, would have amenities to complement the charge. Please note, there is not gym facility to use, there is no WiFi, there is no sauna, there is no whirlpool/hot tub, there is no mixed nuts and fresh fruit, there is definitely no sense of luxury. Luckily, both my massage therapist and aesthetician were good, which is the reason for my 2 stars. This spa is located inside of the Dolphin Hotel on Walt Disney World (WDW) property near Epcot. It is not a WDW property and this spa is not affiliated with WDW. During my "relaxing" spa day, the hotel had schedule a site wide testing of the alarm system, which is wired into the spa, including the treatment rooms. Imagine, a relaxing massage, and for a period of about 15 to 30 minutes, you repetitively hear "WARNING: This is not an emergency. We are testing the alarm system." Accompany that with sirens and flashing lights. The relaxation was unbearable. Now, I don't blame that on Mandara, but obviously there is a lack of consideration and planning between the hotel and the spa company. Could this not be done before or after hours? Could the spa not fore worn their patrons this is going to be happening, even before scheduling their appointments? I imagine these sort of protocols are mandatory and planned in advance, so it would be up to the spa to keep aware of these exercises so they can properly inform their customers. I'd like a refund! read more

Went their with a colleague and we were specific with reserving female therapists for both our massage and facial services. 1) the product knowledge of the staff taking our reservation was sub par, and reference to their booklet for details on the services while placing me on hold was odd. I like staff to know what they are selling. 2) upon arrival we were told that we had a male therapist instead of female and this is not what we reserved and confirmed prior to arrival. They had to juggle things around and the manager had to intervene to give us female therapists. 3) the coed lounge was kind of dingy in some areas and in need of some maintenance which it looked like was let go and ignored for sometime. Same with the bathrooms in the locker room. 4) my robe had holes at the bottom and yellow stains from long term wear inside the sleeves, not sure why these were not replaced and old ones discarded. 5) service was sub par and the overall experience left me with a not so pleasant taste. I've been to several spas and enjoy the occasional retreat, the least I expect is taking the reservation properly and clothing *robes in good condition. Will I return here ? No, I was happy to go there but even happier to leave quickly. Thank you read more

The staff helped me to pick out the perfect massage. It was relaxing and stress relieving. My masseuse Ashley did a wonderful job. I enjoyed my experience so much, I am pampering myself by getting my first facial there tomorrow. read more

Even if you are serving a guest at the end of the day, the facilities should be just as nice as the morning. There were dirty piles of towels in the lobby, used tea mugs in the lounges, the refreshments were gone, no toliet paper in bathroom stalls, hair balls on locker room floor, and overflowing trash bins everywhere! I am very disappointed I spent money coming to this "high end" spa. read more

The spa is on Disney property & is beautiful. However, they will delete time from your service, but charge you full price for the service if you are late because of issues with parking at the facility etc. We gave ourselves plenty of time to arrive but had an issue with parking at the hotel & my husband couldn't walk fast as he injure his foot. My husband got a couples massage as my birthday present for me - he paid for two 50 minute massages & we received 25 to 30 minutes massages for the full price. No understanding, no accommodation etc. The staff did not care we were upset or that the experience for my birthday was ruined. In the waiting area I had tears because I felt bad for my husband / my husband was hugging me .... Spa did not care. read more

My spa experience was very disappointing. I had booked a Balinese massage, Reflexology and manicure pedicure at 8:00am. The experience was definitely below average and extremely over priced. The masseuse for the massage and reflexology was late and seemed tired. The reflexology was definitely not at all what I expected. There was no pressure at all, it was just light caressing. I was really expecting it to be much more of an acupressure just like the description in your catalog. My manicurist/pedicurist complained of a stomach ache and not feeling very well while I listened to chain saws because the spa was under construction. Within the hour my nail polish started peeling off. After a miserable 4 hours I could not wait to get out of there. Much to my dismay to add to the experience I was charged $475.00! I was sad and felt totally ripped off. I will definitely not be returning and would not recommend this to anyone. read more