{"id":18824,"date":"2016-04-27T16:00:56","date_gmt":"2016-04-27T16:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?p=18824"},"modified":"2021-10-28T16:51:15","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T16:51:15","slug":"best-luxury-hotels-riviera-maya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/best-luxury-hotels-riviera-maya\/","title":{"rendered":"Best luxury hotels in the Riviera Maya"},"content":{"rendered":"

All it took was one visit. One visit and I was hooked on more than a feeling for the Riviera Maya<\/a>, Mexico’s Caribbean coastline spanning from Cancun to Tulum.<\/p>\n

The lush jungle, sugary sand, salt-kissed air, high design, villa-style quarters, and fresh food\u2014I could go on, do you have 45 minutes?\u2014is so intoxicating it’s impossible to\u00a0stay put at one hotel. So, during my first visit, every night at sundown, I\u2019d walk along the shore more interested by the cluster of cool hotels<\/a>\u00a0than the sexy hour of power that gives the region its je ne sais quoi<\/em>.<\/p>\n

An embarrassing amount of visits later\u2014I like luxury and hand-crafted margaritas, OK?\u2014I\u2019ve checked into the sandy stretch’s most refined stays (in the name of research), and it\u2019s these edited escapes that give add the word “riviera” to Maya.<\/p>\n

Grand Velas Riviera Maya<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Grand<\/p>\n

As the only all-inclusive resort in the bunch, don\u2019t let \u201call\u201d and \u201cinclusive\u201d scare you into thoughts of less-than-savory buffets, activity directors with overactive loud speakers, and watered-down drinks you wish were water. Grand Velas Riviera Maya<\/a>\u00a0(pictured above) brings class, world-renowned cuisine, high-end design, and exclusivity back to this resort genre. Case in point: When I stayed at the hotel in late 2015, an ELLE Magazine<\/em> photoshoot had just wrapped.<\/p>\n

Set over 205 acres and built with a price tag of US$250 million, the resort features three unique enclaves: Grand Class marked by its adults-only serenity and beachfront locale, Ambassador Class touting suites with oceanfront vistas and a lake-sized pool, and Zen Grand Suites, a jungle-posh sanctuary set in the Mayan jungle.<\/p>\n

Couple this with a roundup of restaurants\u2014one helmed by the winner of Iron Chef Canada (2014)\u201424-hour room service with food that makes you salivate; a three-to-one staff-to-guest ratio; and suites\u00a0bigger than your average city dwelling touting jet tubs, private balconies, no-holds-barred minibars (a Snickers a day is good for you, right?), and your view of an all-in vacation just got sweeter.<\/p>\n

Banyan Tree Mayakob\u00e1<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Banyan<\/p>\n

A hop-skip up the beach from Grand Velas, the Banyan Tree Mayakob\u00e1<\/a> looks more like a tycoon’s tropical home splashed across the pages of Architectural Digest<\/em> than a 107-villa resort.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, the Banyan Tree\u2019s brand of chic is understated meaning you won’t see Saint-Tropez-bronzed men clad in yacht-wear or women wrapped in sequinned beach coverups. Instead, the hotel’s village-on-water setting edging an intricate series of natural canals invites a more subdued scene.<\/p>\n

Combining Thai taste and Mexican mi-casa-es-su-casa<\/em> hospitality, the resort has all the fixings of a world\u2019s best escape\u2014a rainforest spa, restaurants with white-glove service, 3,000-square-foot villas with private plunge pools and Italian espresso machines, and an attached PGA Tour site golf course\u2014and still manages a boutique hotel feel.<\/p>\n

Rosewood Mayakob\u00e1<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Rosewood<\/p>\n

Also part of the master-planned and ultra-plush Mayakob\u00e1 development, the Rosewood Mayakob\u00e1<\/a> is a where you go to lay low and sit\u00a0in the lap\u00a0of luxury like past guests U2, Paul McCartney, and Tory Burch.<\/p>\n

Viewfinder Tip: Visit in shoulder season to score a highly discounted rate on these luxurious Riviera Maya resorts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Because of its lush and secluded setting designed with an A-list clientele in mind, this elite retreat manages a far-flung feel\u2014enter nearby cenotes or snorkeling in the Yucatan\u2019s crystal clear waters\u2014coupled with the comforts you\u2019d expect at a haute hideaway: a raw bar for beach-conscious bods, an infinity-edge pool overlooking the Riviera Maya\u2019s sprawling\u00a0shoreline, and a spa situated on its own island.<\/p>\n

Complete with modern, whitewashed pavilions hovering over a series of lagoons, at first it\u2019s unclear if you\u2019re in the South Pacific or Mexico until you spot the property\u2019s Tequila Library or notice the elegant local lanterns throughout. Ol\u00e9.<\/em><\/p>\n

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

\"Viceroy<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for the Yucatan\u2019s most foxy plot, check into the Viceroy Riviera Maya<\/a>. A perennial pin on the Los Angeles\u00a0and New York City\u00a0tastemakers maps, the 41-villa hotel mixes boho and natural beauty\u2014just like the people who visit.<\/p>\n

Spread over six acres of jungle giving way to the ocean, the resort is an ode to its surroundings with thatched-roof buildings, beach-hued interiors decorated in earthy wares, and a curvy lagoon pool mimicking the location\u2019s meandering estuaries.<\/p>\n

In keeping with its upscale-natural vibe, yoga classes invigorate the muscles while the menu\u2019s local ceviche feeds the soul. And since you\u2019re in Mexico, wash it down with a tarty-sweet salt-rimmed margarita from Coral Grill + Bar\u2014you earned it.<\/p>\n

P.S. Feel free to bring Fido, but you\u2019ll have to leave the kids home while at this adults-only stay.<\/p>\n

What hotels are you pining to stay at in Mexico?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Calling out the most edited escapes along Mexico\u2019s Yucatan Peninsula<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":18829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1813,1927,1783,1782,1777,1797,1791,1947,1776],"tags":[43,212,33],"authors":[2232],"class_list":["post-18824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beach","category-cancun","category-caribbean","category-destinations","category-family","category-luxury","category-mexico","category-riviera-maya","category-type-of-vacation","tag-adults-only","tag-all-inclusive","tag-couples","authors-trip-styler","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBest luxury hotels 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\" 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