{"id":17782,"date":"2013-05-07T21:07:46","date_gmt":"2013-05-07T21:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?p=17782"},"modified":"2021-10-28T16:44:28","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T16:44:28","slug":"romance-in-the-riviera-maya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/","title":{"rendered":"Romance in the Riviera Maya"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the past 12 years – since my daughter was a toddler – my family and I have visited the Riviera Maya<\/a> five times. We love this stretch of coastline on Mexico\u2019s Yucatan Peninsula for its ease of access (flights from our home Denver airport to Cancun are direct), the guaranteed warm weather (it\u2019s cold<\/em> in Colorado in the winter), and variety of things to do (snorkeling in cenotes<\/em>, ziplining in adventure parks, touring Maya ruins).<\/p>\n

Here are my picks for top child-free resorts in the Riviera Maya<\/a> for a romantic getaway \u2013 hotels I wouldn\u2019t hesitate to book with my husband, whom I hope is reading this (hint, hint):<\/p>\n

Viceroy Riviera Maya<\/strong><\/p>\n

Situated on seven miles of white-sand beach, the Viceroy Riviera Maya<\/a> enjoys an enviable location a few miles north of Playa del Carmen (40 miles south of Cancun). With just 41 thatched-roof villas \u2013 each with a private plunge pool and outdoor shower \u2013 it\u2019s truly an intimate resort with some unusual services. For example, a resident soap butler delivers fresh bars of hand-cut, artisanal soaps made in local Maya communities and formulated with organic ingredients found on the Yucatan Peninsula.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sunrise at the pier at Viceroy Riviera Maya<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The adults-only resort further honors local culture with its resident Shaman, who welcomes all arriving guests with a special Mayan blessing designed to remove negative energy and spirits \u2013 what a great way to set the tone for a relaxing, romantic getaway!
The Viceroy Riviera Maya\u2019s pier is private, available only to its guests, where you might practice yoga, have a private dinner for two, or catch a boat to go snorkeling. Still other fabulous amenities and services: on-site cooking classes, a full-service spa offering Mayan rituals (such as the Temazcal steam), and \u201ctropical butlers\u201d who are quick to offer iced face cloths to loungers around the outdoor pool.<\/p>\n

Royal Hideaway Playacar<\/strong><\/p>\n

I like this property because of its convenient location in the Playacar development of several all-inclusive resorts, all set right on the beach. It\u2019s an easy, straightforward walk on sidewalks – about 30 minutes at a moderate pace – to downtown Playa del Carmen, with its plethora of shops, dining options, and upbeat nightlife.<\/p>\n

That said, the Royal Hideaway Playacar<\/a> is all-inclusive, so you never have to leave the property if you don\u2019t want to, since all meals \u2013 and drinks \u2013 are included in your nightly rate. I appreciate that dinnertime brings an air of sophistication to the resort: men are required to wear collard shirts, long pants, and closed shoes for dinner at the a la carte restaurants. What a great excuse to get dressed up nightly for a romantic meal!<\/p>\n

Also included in the nightly rate: a champagne welcome, your own villa concierge, the use of six different pools, tennis courts and water sports, and 24-hour room service (heck, you never have to leave your room, ahem). And I\u2019ll tell you this: they take the \u201cchild free\u201d policy very seriously here. Years ago, when I was staying at a family-friendly resort down the beach, I tried to walk onto the Royal Hideaway property just to \u201ccheck it out for a future visit\u201d while carrying my baby son. I couldn\u2019t get past the pool\u2019s security guard. So if you think you might miss your own children too much when spotting other peoples\u2019 kids by the pool, the Royal Hideaway Playacar, an Occidental Resort, is for you.<\/p>\n

El Dorado Maroma<\/strong><\/p>\n

When my best friend got married last year, this is where I suggested she book her honeymoon; she did, and she reported back that it was the perfect place to de-stress after the wedding and connect with her new husband. Foodies, they both appreciated that this adults-only, beachfront property about 14 miles south of Puerto Morelos is not only all-inclusive, but \u201cGourmet Inclusive,\u201d with quality dining experiences and first-class service.<\/p>\n

In fact, mealtime at El Dorado Maroma<\/a> is often a festive affair: the most popular night at Sabores, the Mexican-Caribbean restaurant, is the weekly serenade from a classically trained opera singer; at Asian-inspired Kiyoko, the chef prepares meals in front of the guests for an interactive experience; an authentic fish market allows guests to select their own fish from the catch of the day and have it grilled at the oceanview Papitos Gourmet Beach Club. <\/p>\n

\n

Viewfinder Tip: Snorkel gear and kayaks are complimentary for guests at El Dorado Maroma.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Choose from various types of suites and villas, including swim-up suites, where you can step right off your terrace into a lazy river that connects to the main pool. Or you can lounge in one of the beach beds on the pristine sand, where beach waiters take drink orders and deliver gourmet bites to guests. If you\u2019re inspired to be active during your stay at El Dorado Maroma, borrow complimentary snorkel gear or kayaks to play in the ocean in front of the resort.<\/p>\n

So many luxury resorts, so little time. Other upscale spots I\u2019d love to visit with my husband include the child-free Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun<\/a>, as well as these others that do allow kids: Grand Velas Riviera Maya<\/a>, Fairmont Mayakoba<\/a>, and Banyan Tree Mayakoba<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What’s your favorite romantic resort? <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oceanfront resorts that roll out the red carpet for couples<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13396,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1813,1782,1957,1797,1791,1774,1947,1825,1776],"tags":[212,33],"authors":[2239],"class_list":["post-17782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beach","category-destinations","category-honeymoon","category-luxury","category-mexico","category-occasions-and-seasons","category-riviera-maya","category-tropical","category-type-of-vacation","tag-all-inclusive","tag-couples","authors-kara-williams","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRomance in the Riviera Maya | Expedia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Romance in the Riviera Maya | Expedia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Oceanfront resorts that roll out the red carpet for couples\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Expedia Travel Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-05-07T21:07:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-10-28T16:44:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/05-riviera-maya-header-size_1230x400.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1230\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jamie McNeely\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jamie McNeely\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/\",\"name\":\"Romance in the Riviera Maya | Expedia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/05-riviera-maya-header-size_1230x400.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-05-07T21:07:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-28T16:44:28+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/593dbd40dd1d061c8d049105752b2c5e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/05-riviera-maya-header-size_1230x400.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/05-riviera-maya-header-size_1230x400.jpeg\",\"width\":1230,\"height\":400},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Explore\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Type of vacation\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/type-of-vacation\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Beach\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/type-of-vacation\/beach\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Romance in the Riviera Maya\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/\",\"name\":\"Expedia Travel Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/593dbd40dd1d061c8d049105752b2c5e\",\"name\":\"Jamie McNeely\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jamie McNeely\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.waveinteractive.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/author\/jamie-mcneely\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Romance in the Riviera Maya | Expedia","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Romance in the Riviera Maya | Expedia","og_description":"Oceanfront resorts that roll out the red carpet for couples","og_url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/","og_site_name":"Expedia Travel Blog","article_published_time":"2013-05-07T21:07:46+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-10-28T16:44:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1230,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/05-riviera-maya-header-size_1230x400.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jamie McNeely","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jamie McNeely","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/","name":"Romance in the Riviera Maya | Expedia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/05-riviera-maya-header-size_1230x400.jpeg","datePublished":"2013-05-07T21:07:46+00:00","dateModified":"2021-10-28T16:44:28+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/593dbd40dd1d061c8d049105752b2c5e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/05-riviera-maya-header-size_1230x400.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/05-riviera-maya-header-size_1230x400.jpeg","width":1230,"height":400},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/romance-in-the-riviera-maya\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Explore","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Type of vacation","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/type-of-vacation\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Beach","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/type-of-vacation\/beach\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Romance in the Riviera Maya"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/","name":"Expedia Travel Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/593dbd40dd1d061c8d049105752b2c5e","name":"Jamie McNeely","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jamie McNeely"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.waveinteractive.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/author\/jamie-mcneely\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17782"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17782"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55912,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17782\/revisions\/55912"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17782"},{"taxonomy":"authors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/authors?post=17782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}