Every staff member you meet on arrival at Rosewood Mayakoba, located on the northeastern edge of the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico, says “welcome home.”
In that initial time of acclimation and settling in, it feels strange: you haven’t figured out the bike route to the gym, or which breakfast place you’ll enjoy most, or if you’ll want to face the ocean in your lounge chair or one of the pools. But by the time you check out (hopefully many days later), all that hesitation is gone. It is all as familiar and comfortable as home—likely why so many guests return here as often as they can.
Adults-only area Aquí Me Quedo (Courtesy of Rosewood Mayakoba)
The Rosewood Mayakoba property is 18 years old, but went through a major refresh in 2020. This winter, they renovated their Punta Bonita Beach Club and added a couple of new private residences. It is located a quick drive from the Cancun airport, clumped together in the Riviera Maya with some other luxe brands (Alila, Fairmont, and Banyan Tree) around El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba (the first and only Latin American course to host the PGA Tour).
After you check in, you descend an outdoor spiral staircase and step aboard a boat, welcome drink in hand (green juice with or without mezcal). A lagoon winds through the entire property and its preserve of mangroves, and all guests are delivered to their rooms this way, regardless of which tier or location that may be. All “rooms” are basically ultra luxe bungalows, with glimpses of birds, turtles, fish, or maybe even a crocodile or two along the way.
Once you arrive, you’ll never want to leave. The rooms are plush and understated with authentic-wood tones, neutral hues, ceramic and tile details, and books displayed throughout. Each guest, even kids (and babies!), gets a bike, already parked outside the front door to use during the visit. All in blue and purple tones, mostly cool vintage cruisers, the bikes add a casual, fun, and free vibe.
(Courtesy of Rosewood Mayakoba)
Ocean front suites—there’s just 18 of them—are unique in that their back deck opens up straight to the soft white sand, complete with small, private infinity pools, chaise lounges, and outdoor seating. The other rooms, actually all suites, are river-facing, some literally propped up over the lagoon and, notably, each room comes with a butler… so there’s that. Large, luxe private villas are available for rent as well.
Rosewood Mayakoba is a resort that you don’t really need to leave for any reason, in part due to a wide array of dining options. Most everyone starts the day with the continental breakfast buffet loaded with fresh juices and fruit, regional pastries, chia seed pudding, and tropical overnight oats at Casa del Lago.
Zapote Bar (named one of the North America’s 50 Best Bars and honored in 2025 as a best international hotel bar by Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards) is the hot spot: lively, with craft cocktails, amazing live music every night of the week, glowing candlelight, and regular visits from guest bartenders and chefs. A secret side room is used for undercover tequila tastings from very rare bottles. It’s not bookable, so be sure to be nice to your bartender if you hope to be invited into the tiny space with wall tiles signed by previous guest bartenders. The DJ is accompanied by a band of musicians on the flute, bongo drums, tuba, guitar, and more. The vibe is infectious, with everyone bopping and shaking in their seats.
Zapote Bar(Courtesy of Rosewood Mayakoba)
Under a large greenhouse tent is La Ceiba Garden & Kitchen, a venue for a special bi-weekly farm-to-table-like dining experience. Long tables, wine pairings (and tequila), garden beds, a fire pit, and atmospheric lighting create a more connected experience than just sitting at a restaurant where you’ll likely make some friends. It’s also popular for weddings, for good reason.
The resort has four pools to choose from, one of which is the newly renovated Punta Bonita Beach Club, with a family-friendly pool area and nice spots for beach lounging. Right next door is the adults-only Aquí Me Quedo, which also has an excellent breakfast option.
The Rosewood Spa also has a small, protected pool within its doors, plus a cenote with a small deck, where they offer a variety of classes and treatments. Sometimes, depending on the conditions, they hold moonlight ceremonies under a full moon. You can hike around and check out the bats and cave at a second cenote near the entrance. The ancient Maya considered these sinkholes to be the gates to the underworld, and very sacred.
La Ceiba Garden & Kitchen(Courtesy of Rosewood Mayakoba)
Every morning there is a boat-led eco tour to learn about the local wildlife. You’ll definitely see two types of iguanas, cormorants, turtles, and more, as well as La Isla Secreta, a tiny island speakeasy accessible only by boat and only open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from 8-11pm.
A bike ride along the Nature Trail, a route shared between all the hotels here in Mayakoba, takes you past the main cenote and to a new butterfly enclosure. El Pueblito, a simulated village, has shops, a cooking school, and the Rosewood-run La Fondita with great tostadas and mezcal.
Rosewood properties around the world like to collaborate and feature events and activities that connect them. The annual Yo Amo México invites guest chefs from sister resorts to showcase their cooking. The first round at the end of January featured the culinary team from Rosewood San Miguel de Allende. When I visited in February, there was food and drink from Rosewood Las Ventanas al Paraíso in Cabo San Lucas. There is still time to book a visit for the final session of 2026. Coming up April 19-23, and featuring talent from the newly opened Rosewood Mandarina in Puerto Vallarta, it will include live cooking at Zapote Bar, a group purification ceremony, a garden dinner, and an intimate dinner in a villa.
If you can’t make it to Mayakoba on short notice, Rosewood has plenty of other reasons to take a trip, starting with cocktails inspired by the four elements of the Huichol worldview at Barra Peñasco, which opened at Rosewood Mandarina in November 2025. Closer to home, The Manor Bar at Rosewood Miramar Beach in Santa Barbara, nods to its library-like setting with literary-inspired cocktails, and Shipwreck Bar—literally a bar inside a restored schooner at Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort on Hawaii’s Big Island—will serve reimagined tropical cocktails.// Rosewood Mayakoba, Ctra. Federal Cancún-Playa del Carmen Km 298 (Playa del Carmen, Mexico), rosewoodhotels.com
Rosewood Mayakoba after dark(Courtesy of Rosewood Mayakoba)
