Luxury hotels of the Riviera Maya
Apr 19, 2010, 3:23 pm
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
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nizuc masterplan suggests hotel units wont have ocean view, although condo residences will.
original plans/pricing (pre lehman) indicated just 3 beachfront villas for ~$11MM / ~$11K/nt
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/11210042-post264.html
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Apr 19, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Apr 19, 2010, 8:56 pm
#17
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: NY
Posts: 231
+1 for the Rosewood
Rosewood is great. Food and service is excellent. Just want to add the beachfront suites are excellent for small young families. There is a sofa bed opposite the king bed, the plunge pool is great and suites short walk to the beachside pool. Convenience wise best location.
However I have no desire to vaca in Mexico b/c it is so disfunctional w/ drug wars. Cancun seems a world away from those issues, but still...
Looking forward to our stay this summer at your ideal tropical resort, FS Hualalai! Also like to know that my vaca $'s are helping the US economy^
However I have no desire to vaca in Mexico b/c it is so disfunctional w/ drug wars. Cancun seems a world away from those issues, but still...
Looking forward to our stay this summer at your ideal tropical resort, FS Hualalai! Also like to know that my vaca $'s are helping the US economy^
Apr 20, 2010, 6:30 am
#18
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Here there and everywhere
Posts: 6,303
Well, this is not really true. I have stayed in a beachfront suite at MO and your terrace juts out onto the beach, so of course, everyone walks past and there is no privacy at all. For this, you have to go onto your roof where there is a tiny private rivulet of a pool and lots of loungers - then you have privacy.
The most private accommodations are inland.
At Rosewood, the lagoon-facing suites are very private indeed because you do not have people walking past your suite, yet you still get amazing views of the water and wildlife. I much prefer these to the beach accommodation, unless of course you take the Presidential and then it is very private.
The most private accommodations are inland.
At Rosewood, the lagoon-facing suites are very private indeed because you do not have people walking past your suite, yet you still get amazing views of the water and wildlife. I much prefer these to the beach accommodation, unless of course you take the Presidential and then it is very private.
Apr 20, 2010, 6:34 am
#19
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: just West of London, UK
Programs: British Airways Silver
Posts: 123
Very interesting as I got back a week before David!
The only additional point I would make is that many of the villas at Banyan Tree that aren't beach-front are still on the water - a small river running through the properties at Mayakoba. We didn't find the trip to the beach from our gorgeous waterside villa onerous at Banyan Tree and enjoyed cycling over to the beach - took about 5 mins. We enjoyed the peaceful outlook and the privacy that not being beachfront affords - let's face it, Riviera Maya is NOT a great beach! I would echo other comments about overall food being a great disappointment throughout the entire area and would put me off returning!
The only additional point I would make is that many of the villas at Banyan Tree that aren't beach-front are still on the water - a small river running through the properties at Mayakoba. We didn't find the trip to the beach from our gorgeous waterside villa onerous at Banyan Tree and enjoyed cycling over to the beach - took about 5 mins. We enjoyed the peaceful outlook and the privacy that not being beachfront affords - let's face it, Riviera Maya is NOT a great beach! I would echo other comments about overall food being a great disappointment throughout the entire area and would put me off returning!
Apr 20, 2010, 1:11 pm
#20
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Chicago
Programs: UA- 1P
Posts: 274
Stayed at the Rosewood during the same week, and I agree about the beach. The hotel was great and we were staying on the beach side of the resort so no complaints there (i.e. we didn't have to wait around for the golf carts all day)... but if you are, as I am, a big swimming in the ocean kind of person then this place just isn't for you.
This forum is about luxury hotels and in that regard Rosewood Mayakoba is great, but I probably won't be going back to Playa because the beach just doesn't cut it.... and it's too windy.
This forum is about luxury hotels and in that regard Rosewood Mayakoba is great, but I probably won't be going back to Playa because the beach just doesn't cut it.... and it's too windy.
Apr 20, 2010, 1:21 pm
#21
Join Date: Feb 2003
Programs: UA1K, *G & Wife of UA1K MM
Posts: 3,431
Unfortunately, I just found this description of "privacy" on tripadvisor from someone who actually stayed in the beachfront suite at the Rosewood...
"The seemingly isolated resort is, in fact, surrounded by hotels as far as the eye can see, and some are pretty ugly. The guests at these hotels walk and jog up and down the beach in an endless (if not vast in numbers) procession of etiquette-free gawkers. Sitting on our deck by the ocean was like being in a shop window on Madison Avenue. People didn't just glance at us, they stared, with crooked necks and gaping mouths, from 10 yards away. The hotel staff was fast to prevent them from setting up shop on our beach or ever coming anywhere near the room, but there was no sense of privacy whatever from 9 AM to sunset, except in the room with the curtains mostly closed."
The reviewer loved the rest of the resort, however.
"The seemingly isolated resort is, in fact, surrounded by hotels as far as the eye can see, and some are pretty ugly. The guests at these hotels walk and jog up and down the beach in an endless (if not vast in numbers) procession of etiquette-free gawkers. Sitting on our deck by the ocean was like being in a shop window on Madison Avenue. People didn't just glance at us, they stared, with crooked necks and gaping mouths, from 10 yards away. The hotel staff was fast to prevent them from setting up shop on our beach or ever coming anywhere near the room, but there was no sense of privacy whatever from 9 AM to sunset, except in the room with the curtains mostly closed."
The reviewer loved the rest of the resort, however.
Apr 20, 2010, 3:56 pm
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
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the point of going places besides amanyara is value/cost. although it has gotten mixed reports here.
rosewood is on the north end of mayakoba. then (upcoming) viceroy, fairmont, banyan tree, and then what looks like empty land on the mayakoba development.
http://www.banyantreemayakoba.com/#/...AYAKOBA%20MAP/
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=s...,0.017445&z=16
rosewood is on the north end of mayakoba. then (upcoming) viceroy, fairmont, banyan tree, and then what looks like empty land on the mayakoba development.
http://www.banyantreemayakoba.com/#/...AYAKOBA%20MAP/
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=s...,0.017445&z=16
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Apr 20, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Apr 20, 2010, 7:27 pm
#24
Join Date: Feb 2003
Programs: UA1K, *G & Wife of UA1K MM
Posts: 3,431
When I am ready for a lovely beach resort with really good food, exceptional service, but don't want to do much more than dive or snorkel, I will go to Amanyara. I won't be expecting much greenery as the property is relatively dry.
When I want to be more active (I'd love to tour Mayan ruins and swim with whale sharks) but don't care much about food or having the prettiest beach, I will head to Mayakoba. If I pick my hotel properly, I can expect very good service. Overall, I'll expect more jungle and greenery compared to the Turks and Caicos. I will also expect to encounter more tourists.
To all, please feel free to correct me.
Apr 20, 2010, 8:57 pm
#25
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 570
Amanyara or BT Mayakoba
If your ocean front with a small private beach at Amanyara then I vote for Amanyara. If at Banyan Tree Mayakoba and you stay in the 800 rooms (806), the two bedroom sunset villas then I would be just as happy there. You can see the beach and water from your second floor bedroom and deck and no one will pass in front of your pool and hot tub. The room is much larger then Amanyara and the bath area is much nicer. I also did not feel like we needed more then two people to utilize the whole villa as each area was unique. With Amanyara, unless you use the outside deck area you tend to get up under the other person as once inside the pavillion there is only one reading chair and a desk at which to sit. BT has one of the most comfortable day beds in the living room, perfect for a nap or to watch TV.
The Spa at Banyan Tree is a proper spa.
The service at both places is really good so I think going to both at different times is the correct response!
The Spa at Banyan Tree is a proper spa.
The service at both places is really good so I think going to both at different times is the correct response!
Apr 21, 2010, 7:36 am
#26
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 751
Updated Thoughts on BT and MO
Having recently returned from the area, I wanted to provide some feedback. I've already been to the Rosewood, Banyan Tree and MO, so this will not be a complete review.
Our first stop was the Banyan Tree where we were upgraded to one of the three bedroom beach villas. Wonderful. I think that if you can get the upgrade (or have the deep pockets), this is the accommodation to have in the area. The villa itself is not that different that the other two bedroom villas (with the addition of the third bedroom on the first floor), but the location is really perfect: you are on the beach, but set back far enough so that those walking the beach cannot really see into your private space.
Unfortunately, my one major complaint about the resort is still very much true: none of the pools, except for the main pool in the jungle, are heated. Since we were there right after a cold spell, our private pool and the beach pool were pretty much unusable, which is sad. I did speak to the GM about this and he told me that they just received the OK (and the funding) to install heaters in all of the pools (both private and beach) and that this is slated to be done by the end of November (so figure it'll actually be done by spring of 2011
).
We ate at Saffron (which was not open the last time we were there). The food was good, but not great. The atmosphere was wonderful, however.
Service was, if anything, even better than last year. I still contend that the service at this resort is some of the best in the world.
After four nights at the BT, we went to the Rosewood. Here, our stay was not quite as wonderful, although still nice. We were in one of the spa (or island) villas, which was very nice and extremely private. These villas face the cenote and behind that is the area were the residences were to be built. Since that project has been canceled, there is nothing there except jungle, so it's nice from a privacy perspective. There were many deferred maintenance issues with the room, however. For example, the front door to our villa was beginning to fall off it's hinges and never really closed correctly, some of the lamps were held together with duct tape (!) and the wooden trellis over the private pool was rotted and in danger of falling down completely. The layout of the room, however, is wonderful and feels very much like an urban loft with soaring ceilings and a double height wall of windows. The spa island is also 'adults only', so a nice place to stay if you want guaranteed quiet.
When we were at this resort for the first time, the service was efficient, but cold. At that time, I chalked it up to the newness of the place. However, during this stay, the service was less efficient and colder, so they moved in the wrong direction on both counts. The 'butler' was pretty much useless (we all know the drill, you see them at check in and then at check out when they want a tip). We like to interact with the employees and really, no one there was interested in engaging us in conversation. I could go into further details, but won't. Suffice it to say that we never really felt welcome here.
The Rosewood has grown in wonderfully, and visually has become a lovely resort. Walking the grounds here is much more pleasant than walking thr grounds of the BT. They have really done a great job hiding the villas with some very beautiful plantings. The main pool in the jungle is still one of my favorite pools anywhere (and is usually pretty empty since everyone here heads to the beach pool). A note about the beach villas: I avoid these rooms because of the privacy issues. While walking on the beach (and I was walking close to the water, not close to the rooms), I could not only see the pool area of each beach villa, but I could see entirely through around half of the villas (the front doors are glass and those doors were plainly visible). So I would say that privacy could be a real issue there. If I was looking for beachfront accommodations in the area, I would either opt for the beach villas at the Banyan Tree or a beach suite at the MO. Although I am not crazy about the MO, the beach suites there seemed to have more privacy than those at the Rosewood. Or (and I will probably be kicked out of this forum for saying this) consider the beach villas at the Fairmont. I actually like the way these look from the beach because they are elevated, so while one can see into the pool area from the beach, it's really not possible to see any further into the room (not a recommendation of the resort itself, just a note that those rooms look decent).
Finally, a note about children. First a disclaimer: I don't have kids, I don't particularly like kids, and when I am on vacation I don't want to see (or hear) kids – although I can tolerate those that are well behaved and quiet. Unfortunately, both resorts were teeming with families. And honestly, these were some of the worst behaved children I have ever encountered. We were not there during the spring break weeks, so I cannot use that as an excuse. I will not get into details because it's only going to start a flame war – I am only mentioning this so that those who are going for a quiet couples escape (or for quiet time alone) are warned.
Our first stop was the Banyan Tree where we were upgraded to one of the three bedroom beach villas. Wonderful. I think that if you can get the upgrade (or have the deep pockets), this is the accommodation to have in the area. The villa itself is not that different that the other two bedroom villas (with the addition of the third bedroom on the first floor), but the location is really perfect: you are on the beach, but set back far enough so that those walking the beach cannot really see into your private space.
Unfortunately, my one major complaint about the resort is still very much true: none of the pools, except for the main pool in the jungle, are heated. Since we were there right after a cold spell, our private pool and the beach pool were pretty much unusable, which is sad. I did speak to the GM about this and he told me that they just received the OK (and the funding) to install heaters in all of the pools (both private and beach) and that this is slated to be done by the end of November (so figure it'll actually be done by spring of 2011
).We ate at Saffron (which was not open the last time we were there). The food was good, but not great. The atmosphere was wonderful, however.
Service was, if anything, even better than last year. I still contend that the service at this resort is some of the best in the world.
After four nights at the BT, we went to the Rosewood. Here, our stay was not quite as wonderful, although still nice. We were in one of the spa (or island) villas, which was very nice and extremely private. These villas face the cenote and behind that is the area were the residences were to be built. Since that project has been canceled, there is nothing there except jungle, so it's nice from a privacy perspective. There were many deferred maintenance issues with the room, however. For example, the front door to our villa was beginning to fall off it's hinges and never really closed correctly, some of the lamps were held together with duct tape (!) and the wooden trellis over the private pool was rotted and in danger of falling down completely. The layout of the room, however, is wonderful and feels very much like an urban loft with soaring ceilings and a double height wall of windows. The spa island is also 'adults only', so a nice place to stay if you want guaranteed quiet.
When we were at this resort for the first time, the service was efficient, but cold. At that time, I chalked it up to the newness of the place. However, during this stay, the service was less efficient and colder, so they moved in the wrong direction on both counts. The 'butler' was pretty much useless (we all know the drill, you see them at check in and then at check out when they want a tip). We like to interact with the employees and really, no one there was interested in engaging us in conversation. I could go into further details, but won't. Suffice it to say that we never really felt welcome here.
The Rosewood has grown in wonderfully, and visually has become a lovely resort. Walking the grounds here is much more pleasant than walking thr grounds of the BT. They have really done a great job hiding the villas with some very beautiful plantings. The main pool in the jungle is still one of my favorite pools anywhere (and is usually pretty empty since everyone here heads to the beach pool). A note about the beach villas: I avoid these rooms because of the privacy issues. While walking on the beach (and I was walking close to the water, not close to the rooms), I could not only see the pool area of each beach villa, but I could see entirely through around half of the villas (the front doors are glass and those doors were plainly visible). So I would say that privacy could be a real issue there. If I was looking for beachfront accommodations in the area, I would either opt for the beach villas at the Banyan Tree or a beach suite at the MO. Although I am not crazy about the MO, the beach suites there seemed to have more privacy than those at the Rosewood. Or (and I will probably be kicked out of this forum for saying this) consider the beach villas at the Fairmont. I actually like the way these look from the beach because they are elevated, so while one can see into the pool area from the beach, it's really not possible to see any further into the room (not a recommendation of the resort itself, just a note that those rooms look decent).
Finally, a note about children. First a disclaimer: I don't have kids, I don't particularly like kids, and when I am on vacation I don't want to see (or hear) kids – although I can tolerate those that are well behaved and quiet. Unfortunately, both resorts were teeming with families. And honestly, these were some of the worst behaved children I have ever encountered. We were not there during the spring break weeks, so I cannot use that as an excuse. I will not get into details because it's only going to start a flame war – I am only mentioning this so that those who are going for a quiet couples escape (or for quiet time alone) are warned.
Apr 21, 2010, 8:39 am
#27
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
There were many deferred maintenance issues with the room, however. For example, the front door to our villa was beginning to fall off it's hinges and never really closed correctly, some of the lamps were held together with duct tape (!) and the wooden trellis over the private pool was rotted and in danger of falling down completely...The spa island is also 'adults only'...
...the service was less efficient and colder, so they moved in the wrong direction on both counts...
...I can tolerate those that are well behaved and quiet. Unfortunately, both resorts were teeming with families. And honestly, these were some of the worst behaved children I have ever encountered. We were not there during the spring break weeks...
...the service was less efficient and colder, so they moved in the wrong direction on both counts...
...I can tolerate those that are well behaved and quiet. Unfortunately, both resorts were teeming with families. And honestly, these were some of the worst behaved children I have ever encountered. We were not there during the spring break weeks...
i think most here (incl those with kids) agree re appropriate behavior.
it comes up enough re adults as well.
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Apr 21, 2010 at 11:36 am
Apr 21, 2010, 9:19 am
#28
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 751
Yes, and the behavior of the adults associated with the children in question was equally atrocious. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, as is said...
Apr 21, 2010, 11:32 am
#29
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: NYC
Posts: 9,120
Most important in my mind is the quality of the beach - which varies widely along the Riviera Maya. The older properties seem to have the better beaches (e.g. Maroma). I've heard the beaches at the MO and BT are not at all great.
Apr 21, 2010, 7:01 pm
#30
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: YYZ
Programs: Earned: AC SE, AA PLT - Comped: DL PLT, Avis PC, Hertz Platinum
Posts: 781
Did Banyan Tree Mayakoba in February, hoping it would compare well to Amanyara (our fave destination), unfortunately it didn't.. I'm sure it's quite a lot of intangibles that I probably can't put my figure on as to why it didn't live up, but:
a) we had a pavillion at amanyara that was fairly close (walkable) to the main pool/beach. *Hated* the cart system at BT.
b) Even though there was only 1 restaurant open for dinner, the food at Amanayara was much better, room service as well.
c) I think mostly it's that the service as Amanyara seems effortless..and at BT they...are very obviously trying incredibly hard? I can't really pinpoint it, but we felt way way way more at home at Amanyara than BT, though could also be a function of the size of the resorts.
BT was still excellent though..amanyara A+, BT a solid B+
Last edited by mattm00se; Apr 21, 2010 at 7:27 pm