I’ve said it before but true luxury really is in the detail and that’s why I was totally blown away by Rosewood Mayakoba, a luxury resort in Riviera Maya Mexico.
Beautiful Mayakoba is a resort that encompasses four hotels, including the spectacular Rosewood Mayakoba, The Fairmont, Banyan Tree and Andaz as well as a golf course, residences and a Mexican village. The resort itself is only a short distance from the popular city of Playa del Carmen and the Mayan fortress in Tulum, making it the perfect destination for a trip to Mexico. I’m going to tell you a bit more about the resort as a whole in upcoming posts but first I want to tell you about the fantastic time that I had staying at Rosewood Mayakoba
The experience began with my very smooth airport pick up, I was helped into a spacious, air-conditioned vehicle with every amenity I could need, cold water, snacks even a phone charger. It got even better when the driver said, there will a welcome cocktail when you arrive…do you want tequila in it? Of course, I wanted tequila… it was my first time in Mexico and having just landed from a ten hour flight, a Margarita was definitely calling my name.
Only half an hour drive from Cancun airport, we quickly arrived and as soon as I stepped out of the car, I already loved the hotel’s beautiful open plan lobby with stars hanging from the ceiling. The cool cocktail was pressed into my hand, and not only that, it was accompanied by a napkin embroidered with my initials! The bar was already set high from the beginning and from here it just got better and better…
‘Your transport awaits, Mrs Silver…’ Built in a style that blends with the natural environment, the resort of Mayakoba is located on a lagoon that connects the four hotels allowing you easily drift between, sampling other restaurants, pools and beaches. When you arrive you are taken to your room via the hotel’s beautiful river boat.
It was a short distance to my room but I was refreshed with fruit and water as I enjoyed a little float along in the sunshine!
A stairway led straight from the water and up to my beautiful Deluxe Lagoon Suite; the rooms appear to float nestled in amongst the mangroves and indigenous wildlife!
We even saw this guy in our room one day!
Now follow me up the stairs…I can’t wait to show you around…
Leading up from the dock is a huge terrace and sundeck, beautifully made with natural materials and including a heated plunge pool.
Inside the sliding door there’s hugely spacious, open plan living, sleeping and dining area, with furnishings all beautifully made from natural materials such as limestone and wood in order to blend with the natural environment.
I was with my friend, Thashnee and the room was even big enough to allow for a double bed each!
Plus all the luxurious amenities such as a coffee machine and CD / DVD player.
When we arrived there was fresh fruit, a bottle of rosé and best of all…
Amazing fresh nachos, guacamole and salsa…honestly I ate so much of this when I was in Mexico, I think I nearly turned into an avocado!
There’s also tequila in the room should you ever run dry but honestly there’s not a chance of that at Rosewood Mayakoba. Every room has a dedicated butler who is always on hand to help with your every need, from packing and unpacking, to booking restaurants and suggesting excursions. The service here was incredible, there was fresh fruit every day, each evening a little Mayan character was left on our bed and one night this chocolate Mayan calendar was bought to our room before dinner.
One night we even came back to the room to find our initials embroidered on our pillows and then before we left the pillow cases were wrapped up beautifully for us to keep. But I haven’t even shown you the best bit yet! Through a dressing room is the most incredible bathroom….
And quite honestly the biggest bath I’ve ever seen! Huge floor to ceiling windows mean that it’s also flooded with natural light making it feel even bigger.
You actually get outside by walking through the rain shower…
And into another huge outdoor shower fringed with palm fronds…don’t you just love taking a refreshing shower outside in the hot weather?
And I loved the glass shower amenities.
From here you can look and see back into the beautiful bathroom.
But I’ve not even finished showing you around yet!
Head upstairs and there’s a gorgeous sun deck…
Perfect for watching the sunset or a (Tequila!) sunrise.
Getting around the hotel is easy…there’s the lagoon, of course, or you can take a walk along the path lined with gardens or the cooling shade of palm fronds…
Otherwise you don’t need to walk too far before one of the friendly members of staff will pick you up in a golf buggy and take you where ever you want to go!
The hotel is pretty much divided into two main areas, at the top is the lobby, main pool, boutique and more refined dining areas. Or you can head to the beach to check out the other pool, casual restaurant and bar. I’ll go into more detail about the food itself in another post but for now I want to give you a little tour of these two different parts of the hotel.
Adjacent to the lobby and down a cactus lined path…watching out for the resident iguanas…you’ll find the hotel’s Casa Del Lago Restaurant.
Casa del Lago serves food all day and you can enjoy an extensive buffet and à la carte menu for breakfast whilst sitting on the decking or in the cool comfort of the restaurant.
For lunch you can head poolside for a menu of Mexican food and dinner is Italian food, inspired by Mexican flavours. Though Mayakoba is a gated resort, it’s not one of those places that could just be anywhere, care is taken to preserve the Mexican identity of the place through out. Actually that’s the ethos of Rosewood hotels, currently in 11 locations each is inspired by the history and culture of its country and as you know one of the most important factors for me in choosing a hotel is the sense of place.
In the evening the bar is the perfect chic venue for a Margarita.
The pool itself is bordered in beautiful Bougainvillea…
And appears to naturally blend with the lagoon below…
And you can choose to lie in the shade of the palm trees or enjoy the warm rays of the sun in the comfort of this calm oasis.
In the evening Asian-inspired restaurant Agave Azul Sushi & Tequila bar is the hottest location in the Mayakoba resort.
It’s also located right next to the hotel’s boutique which is stocked with gorgeous designer clothing, local handicrafts and souvenirs. From here it’s about a five-minute walk to the hotel’s glorious Sense spa, but I’ll go into detail about that later. Now shall we head to the beach?
The hotel’s private beach is pretty much white sands in either direction as far as the eye can say…and whilst you’ll be in the company of others enjoying the sun, it’s not at all crowded and you won’t be lacking for a sun lounger.
Sitting just above the beach is the hotel’s infinity pool, a place where beautiful blues blend into one. There’s plenty of cute cabanas for shade, there’s even a mini spa station for massages!
There’s another small boutique as well as this pretty juice cart serving fresh homemade drinks.
The hotel’s Punta Bonita restaurant is located here and it’s perfect for a lunch of Mexican food on the beach or just a few casual snacks at the bar. Also open for dinner, beach front barbecues are one of their specialities
There’s a selection of the best Magaritas I’ve ever tried, some of which are said to have healing properties…and while I don’t know about that, they definitely help you relax!
At around noon the actual best thing ever happens. Champagne o’Clock! Seriously this was the best poolside treat I’d ever had and I’ve never seen anything like it before. Thash and I happily sipped on our complimentary glass of Taittinger as we enjoyed the view.
And that wasn’t the only poolside amenity, the team also passed around fresh fruit lollies, and vodka and orange shots. We certainly felt well looked after.
As you can see attention to detail is taken to another level and it was for this reason and many others that I loved Rosewood Mayakoba. I was truly blown away.
PIN FOR LATER:
Rosewood Mayakoba
Ctra. Federal Cancún-Playa del Carmen KM 298 Solidaridad, Q. Roo
CP 77710 Mexico
+52 984 875 8000
I was invited to review by Rosewood Mayakoba and the Mayakoba Resort