Etéreo, Auberge Resorts Collection
Etéreo feels less like a traditional beach resort and more like a contemporary Mexican sanctuary built between mangrove forest and Caribbean Sea. Located within Kanai, the resort draws heavily from Mayan philosophy, Mexican art and the natural landscape. Works by celebrated Mexican artist Manuel Felguérez help establish its distinctive visual identity, while additional installations and locally crafted pieces make art part of the experience rather than decoration. (Auberge Resorts)
The resort is particularly strong for travelers who want wellness without sacrificing design, food or atmosphere. SANA, its Auberge Spa, draws inspiration from cenotes, native botanicals, water and indigenous wellness traditions. Etéreo also builds the stay around culinary experiences, encounters with nature and opportunities to engage with regional culture.
What makes it special: The combination of serious contemporary Mexican design, Mayan-inspired wellness and the protected natural environment of Kanai. It is sophisticated without feeling formal.
Best for: Couples, wellness travelers, design lovers and guests seeking quiet, modern luxury with a strong sense of Mexico.
Instagram: @etereoauberge
Official Hotel: Explore Etéreo
Maroma, A Belmond Hotel
Maroma has something newer resorts cannot manufacture: history. Originally created by a Mexican architect who fell in love with this stretch of coastline, Maroma was the first hotel built here. Following its redesign by Tara Bernerd, the property combines its original character with contemporary interiors created using materials and textiles sourced from Mexico. With just 19 rooms, 50 suites and three villas, it retains the intimacy of a hideaway rather than feeling like a sprawling resort. (Belmond)
Its defining experience is the relationship between jungle, beach and Mexican culture. Guests can experience Maya stargazing, underwater meditation, temazcal, cacao rituals, cenote excursions and encounters with the resort’s Melipona bee sanctuary. Maroma Spa by Guerlain is particularly significant as Guerlain’s first spa in Latin America, combining the French maison’s expertise with Maya-inspired treatments and native ingredients. (Belmond)
Food gives Maroma another reason to visit. Woodend by Curtis Stone centers on live-fire cooking, while Casa Mayor explores regional Mexican flavors and Bambuco focuses on inventive cocktails. (Belmond)
What makes it special: Maroma has soul. It feels established, romantic and unmistakably Mexican rather than designed simply to look luxurious.
Best for: Romantic escapes, sophisticated couples, food lovers and travelers who value heritage, privacy and personalized service.
Instagram: @belmondmaroma
Official Hotel: Explore Maroma
The Riviera Maya EDITION at Kanai
The Riviera Maya EDITION at Kanai is the choice for travelers who want their Caribbean escape to feel contemporary, social and architecturally ambitious. Mexico’s first EDITION sits within a protected nature reserve surrounded by mangroves and approximately two miles of white-sand coastline. Its 182 rooms and suites combine the minimalist EDITION aesthetic with references to the Yucatán. (Marriott)
The scale of the design is part of the experience. A lagoon-sized central pool creates the visual heart of the resort, while SO’OL brings a more energetic beach-club atmosphere to the oceanfront. The extraordinary 2,500-square-meter Sky Rooftop Villa includes five bedrooms, expansive terraces and a semi-Olympic infinity pool. (Marriott)
Below the resort, a cenote-inspired spa creates a completely different mood, with three vitality pools, sauna and extensive wellness facilities. Dining is equally ambitious, including KI’IS by Francisco “Paco” Ruano and SO’OL by Tomás Bermúdez. (Kanai)
What makes it special: This is Riviera Maya luxury with an edge. Architecture, nightlife energy, gastronomy, oversized pools and dramatic spaces make EDITION feel younger and more fashion-forward than many traditional five-star resorts.
Best for: Design-conscious travelers, stylish couples, groups of friends and guests who want relaxation during the day with more energy after sunset.
Instagram: @editionrivieramayakanai
Official Hotel: Explore The Riviera Maya EDITION at Kanai
La Casa de la Playa
La Casa de la Playa is not simply the smaller, more exclusive sibling of the Xcaret resorts. With only 63 suites, it was created as Grupo Xcaret’s ultra-luxury boutique interpretation of Mexican hospitality, with architecture by David Quintana and an unusually strong emphasis on privacy, craftsmanship and personalized experiences. (Xcaret)
Every suite has its own private pool. Interiors incorporate work from Mexican artisans and artists, while some suites include remarkable details such as volcanic-stone hydrotherapy tubs and even jellyfish habitats connected to Grupo Xcaret’s reproduction program. Butler service and private luxury airport transportation reinforce the residential feeling. (Xcaret)
The major differentiator, however, is access. Guests receive extensive access to Grupo Xcaret’s parks and experiences, with private transportation, creating a vacation that can move from complete seclusion to cenotes, underground rivers, nature and adventure without sacrificing luxury.
Food is another destination in itself, with concepts from chefs including Martha Ortiz, Andoni Luis Aduriz and the Rivera-Río brothers, plus a dedicated chocolatería, wine cellar and tequila and mezcal bodega. (Xcaret)
What makes it special: It combines the privacy of a 63-suite boutique hotel with an enormous ecosystem of Xcaret experiences. Few resorts can offer this level of privacy and this much to actually do.
Best for: Couples, milestone trips, serious food travelers and guests who want ultra-luxury but become restless sitting beside a pool for five days.
Instagram: @lacasadelaplaya
Official Hotel: Explore La Casa de la Playa
Rosewood Mayakoba
Rosewood Mayakoba is the resort for travelers who understand that the highest level of luxury is often the absence of friction. Set between emerald lagoons, mangrove forest and the Caribbean, the experience begins with one of its signatures: guests can arrive through Mayakoba’s waterways by boat, immediately separating the property from the outside world. (Rosewood Hotels)
Its 129 suites and villas are spread through the landscape rather than concentrated inside a conventional hotel building. Private terraces, plunge pools and butler service create a residential feeling, while the waterways, wildlife and car-free areas of Mayakoba make the surrounding ecosystem part of everyday life. (Rosewood Hotels)
Rosewood’s “Sense of Place” philosophy is particularly effective here. Mexican art, cacao ceremonies, temazcal rituals and Mayan herbal traditions connect the polished resort experience to the Yucatán. Dining ranges from seaside Mexican cuisine to La Ceiba Garden & Kitchen, where dinners beneath the Ceiba tree incorporate local ingredients, sustainability and traditional cooking techniques. (Rosewood Hotels)
What makes it special: Service and privacy. Rosewood Mayakoba does not need spectacle. Its strength is making an exceptionally sophisticated resort feel natural, personal and effortless.
Best for: Couples, families accustomed to five-star travel, privacy seekers and travelers who prioritize service over scene.
Instagram: @rwmayakoba
Official Hotel: Explore Rosewood Mayakoba
Banyan Tree Mayakoba
Banyan Tree Mayakoba creates one of Riviera Maya’s most unusual cultural combinations: Mexican landscape and hospitality interpreted through Banyan Tree’s Asian heritage. The resort unfolds through mangroves, freshwater lagoons, canals and Caribbean coastline inside Mayakoba’s private gated environment. (Banyan Tree)
Privacy is central to the experience. Spacious pool villas allow guests to retreat into their own world, with some villas offering enormous private pools overlooking the lagoon. When guests leave the villa, Mayakoba opens up through bicycles, nature trails, lagoon kayaking, snorkeling, golf and ecological experiences. The resort even provides access to Burródromo, a cenote reserved for Mayakoba guests. (Banyan Tree)
The Banyan Tree Spa is another major reason to choose it. Its philosophy combines centuries-old Asian healing traditions with Mexican ingredients and influences. The Rainforest hydrothermal experience, wellness rituals and the brand’s Eight Pillars of Wellbeing make this one of the stronger choices in the region for travelers who genuinely care about spa and restoration rather than treating wellness as an amenity. (Banyan Tree)
What makes it special: Private-pool living, Asian-influenced wellness and the extraordinary Mayakoba ecosystem. It feels romantic and secluded while still providing enough activities for a longer stay.
Best for: Honeymoons, couples, spa travelers, families wanting villa privacy and guests seeking a genuine retreat.
Instagram: @banyantreemayakoba
Official Hotel: Explore Banyan Tree Mayakoba