Which are the best boutique hotels in Riviera Maya, including Cancun & Playa Del Carmen? The best resorts include KASA Hotel Riviera Maya, Mayakoba Resort, Banyan Tree, Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa, Chablé Maroma, Grand Velas Riviera Mayan, Le Blanc Spa Resort, Viceroy, Papaya Playa Project, Hotel La Semilla, and Rosewood Mayakoba.
If you love to lounge on the beach, serenaded by the surf, look no further than the Riviera Maya, sprawled along the Yucatan’s northern Caribbean coast. A journey to this serene world, immersed in the green perfume of the jungle, captivates the soul with unimaginable natural beauty and pure, simple refinement.
1. KASA Hotel Riviera Maya
Kasa Rivera Maya is located in the gated community of Puerto Aventura, just 15 min south of Playa del Carmen. Puerto Aventura is the only marina community in Rivera Maya.
KASA Hotel Riviera Maya is a luxury boutique hotel in Puerto Aventuras next to the lagoon on the Mexican Caribbean Sea. This private, gated beach and golf community boasts beautiful beaches, a full-service marina, and a world-class signature golf course designed by Tom Lehman. You and your family can also take a stroll around the village center, where you can enjoy the sights and various delicious restaurants, local shops, and cafes.
At KASA Hotel Riviera Maya, all the rooms are spacious, with luxury linens that make you feel like royalty. The decor is airy and fresh, with a color palette of white, blue, and brown, evoking the coastal location of the resort as well as with the tan and ochre tones. Most accommodations include a kitchen with a coffeemaker, stainless steel refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, bar stool, and counter seating; a dining room with a table and a sitting area with a view of the lagoon or the garden. There is also an inviting “hanging” swing on the terrace.
The large, infinity-edge pool with a swim-up bar will likely be your second home during your stay, but you can also take one of their complimentary bicycles or a golf cart shuttle to explore the village.
Each of the tropically-inspired, luxury KASA hotels gives guests the feeling of being in a “home away from home” or as they say in Mexico, ‘Mi KASA, Tu KASA’ and each boutique and luxury hotel is committed to providing casual, professional service for guests to enjoy with family and friends. Their incredible portfolio of luxury beachfront hotels can be found in Mexico, Turks & Caicos, the Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, and Belize.
2. Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa
Belmond hotels are some of the best in the world. We are major fans of the Belmond Cipriani Venice and the Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa is similarly good, in a different way.
This boutique hotel is beachfront. 63-rooms are aligned with the azure sea and are hidden among 200-acres of lush jungle on Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Spend your days with your feet in the soft sand and cocktails in your hand. Try the award-winning spa or indulge in fantastic food at the two restaurants, the bar, or the celebrated wine cellar. At night, the staff light 1,000 candles around the hotel, one by one, making the atmosphere even more magical.
3. Hotel La Semilla
Hotel La Semilla is a boutique Rewards Category 5 Marriott Bonvoy hotel in Playa del Carmen, which is infused with a sense of Mexican heritage and style thanks to vintage Mexican furniture and the finest flea market finds from haciendas in the Yucatán region and around the country.
The hotel possesses a laidback simplicity with lounging spaces where mismatched pieces of furniture, such as in the Cocina Loft restaurant, create the feeling of relaxing at a friend’s house. Guests are encouraged to explore the owner’s favorite restaurants or to bring their own food to the hotel to be enjoyed in any of the lounge spaces or even in the garden surrounded by candles.
The nine guestrooms (test this boutique hotel is tiny!) range from 20 to 38 m², with the Cuartitos room and the Cuartoz Terraza room featuring a queen-size bed, and the Cuartos room and the Suites Terraza offering a king-size bed. The Cuartos room plays host to a sitting area, while the Cuartoz Terraza room and the Suites Terraza each boast a terrace with a sitting area. The Suites Terraza also offers an outdoor bathtub or shower.
4. Banyan Tree Mayakoba
The Riviera Maya meets the Orient at Banyan Tree Mayakoba. In the ancient Maya language, Mayakoba means village over water. Banyan Tree Mayakoba is true to this definition, surrounded by lagoons, mangroves and bordered by the sea. One of the larger boutique hotels in this review.
Here, attentive staff members remove their shoes when entering the 123 villas and residences, each of which is decorated with handcrafted Mayan furnishings and features both a private pool and an outdoor soaking tub. Expert therapists utilize traditional Asian healing techniques in the renowned spa, while the Thai-infused restaurant, Saffron, is overseen by chefs from Thailand. Golfers navigate over a cenote on the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleón, a PGA championship course; guests can also take a boat tour around the mangrove-lined canals. The Tulum and Coba ruins lie nearby.
5. Rosewood Mayakoba
Surrounded by the emerald embrace of the jungle and caressed by warm Caribbean breezes, Rosewood Mayakoba is built along a network of lagoons and the Caribbean Sea.
Rosewood Mayakoba is imbued with the unique spirit of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Situated along a mile-long arc of white sand on the Riviera Maya, Rosewood Mayakoba is the heart of a 620-acre luxury resort enclave located 40 minutes south of Cancún and north of the charming seaside village of Playa del Carmen.
The resort’s 129 suites and 11 villas make this one of the larger boutique hotels in our listing and they are strikingly modern in design. Upon arrival, guests are transported by luxury boats or golf carts to their own personal sanctuary. All of the suites feature crisp, open spaces, contemporary furnishings, wooden lattices, and glass hiding doors for natural airiness. Accommodations are complemented with such details as spacious bathrooms, plunge pools, and private boat docks. There is also a multi-bedroom Private Residences offering a private heated plunge pool and a stunning view.
In terms of dining, the elegant restaurant Casa del Lago serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Punta Bonita offers guests Mexican cuisine in a casual atmosphere with a beachfront view. Agave Azul celebrates the Asian cuisines from the northern region of Mexico. Aquí Me Qudo’s La Cantina serves the best of Mexican street foods and drinks with freshly-made, Caribbean coastal-inspired fares out of a retro-fitted food truck at the adult-only seaside oasis. La Fondita draws inspiration from Mexico City’s neighborhood spots, serving favorites like tostadas, tacos, and aqua frescas. Pan Dulce highlights the sweet side of Mexican cuisine, specializing in pastries, cookies, bread, and custom desserts. Both La Fondita and Pan Dulce are located in El Pueblito. The resort also features bar options; Casa del Lago Bar, Punta Bonita, Aquí Me Quedo, and La Fondita.
6. Le Blanc Spa Resort Cancun
Le Blanc Spa Resort Cancun is a luxury All-Inclusive boutique hotel in Cancun with great food and top-notch service. Le Blanc Spa Resort Cancun is perched on a tranquil beach with a stunning turquoise ocean.
This is a smaller hotel than most of your other options in the hotel zone in Cancun. The hotel offers stylish decor in calming white and greys, and the staff are brilliant. They will run you a bath, hand you a towel as you get out of the pool, and refill your poolside cocktails before you even realize you need a refill.
The pools here are lovely: an infinity pool by the beach and a smaller pool on the terrace. Both pools offer free food and drink. For meals, there is à la carte dining with French, Italian, and Asian food included as well as room service 24/7.
7. Chablé Maroma
The brand-new Chablé Maroma, Riviera Maya is 30 minutes from Cancun, yet feels worlds away from the hustle and bustle of Cancun’s popular beach nightlife. If you want to enjoy the area’s beauty but want to avoid the resort of Cancun itself, this is a great hotel choice.
Guests can enjoy a convenient retreat to Chablé Maroma, a collection of 70 villas featuring private access to 650 feet of prime beachfront, private pools, and moon showers. The spacious villas offer glass walls that bring nature in and an inviting outdoor living area.
With an emphasis on whole-body well-being, the resort induces relaxation with a beach yoga deck, a full-service spa with eight treatment cabins, water sports, a gym, fitness classes, and cooking classes. Chef Jorge Vallejo of Mexico City’s acclaimed Quintonil and his team created innovative Mexican dishes highlighting local ingredients and seafood. As a member of Leading Hotels of the World, Butler, and Concierge service sweeten the stay for guests in search of impeccable and memorable service.
8. Papaya Playa Project
Papaya Playa Project is a Rewards Category 6 Marriott Bonvoy hotel nestled on the coast of the Mayan Riviera, adjacent to sparkling waters and the only Mayan ruins on the sea. Sustainability prevails here, and guests will luxuriate in rustic simplicity in modest yet comfortable beachside bungalows.
The Papaya Playa Project exudes healthy creativity from organic, locally sourced meals served on the terrace of the beach club to cocktail and jam sessions at the resort’s creative pop-up Tribal Room. This hotel is very different from your generic Marriott.
9. Viceroy Riviera Maya
The Viceroy Riviera Maya boutique hotel just north of Playa del Carmen. This adults-only hotel has acres of beach and jungle-lined paths of the resort.
With pure white sand and turquoise waters, lush and untamed wild, and just 41 private villas you can enjoy exclusivity with your own private plunge pool. Discover complete relaxation and rejuvenation during your nature-filled experience, and find serenity at the full-service spa.
The Coral Restaurant + Bar has been recently refurbished, and there’s a brand new pool deck with poolside cabanas and a new pier with overwater hammocks.
10. Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya
Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya immerses guests in a hidden paradise, where style meets nature. This is the best Hyatt on Riviera Maya Situated on 25 square acres of breathtaking oceanfront, preserved mangrove and lagoon surroundings, Andaz Mayakoba invites travelers to indulge in one of its 214 guestrooms, including 41 luxury suites.
The resort’s breathtaking design reflects Mayan culture in a mystical environment. Four unique restaurants and bars with pool, lagoon, or ocean views will offer a distinguished culinary experience. Amenities include a spectacular 18-hole golf course designed by Greg Norman, outdoor pools, a full spa, a fitness center, and a kids’ club.
Pick a private plunge pool room, and you can cool down in privacy just steps from the beach.
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