Hotelsforlife

Any thoughts on which is the better choice?

tmr10001

Rosewood... we had a bad stay at the Banyan Tree in January. We went for drinks at the Rosewood and thought it was very nice and wished we had stayed there. Please do a search for Banyan Tree trip reports on here and you can see my review.

luxtrvlwrks

I second the vote for Rosewood.

Any additional details that you could provide about what you are looking for in a resort / vacation would be helpful in terms of recommendations.

katesy

We stayed at both last spring, and while both are nice resorts, I think BT is the better choice. Food was remarkably poor at Rosewood, and it felt crowded at the pool and beach (not to mention...lots of kids). BT has nicer rooms, warmer service, better food, and you get a much larger villa pool and outdoor area that is more private. We are headed back to BT in a week, so I will update if things have changed.

Ericka

As an outsider looking in (someone who hasn't been to either) I've read good reviews of both. They have a similar layout with waterways and smaller beachfront. Both look beautiful and have good service. If/when we go, we will probably base our decision on the packages and rates available at the time.

ray1022

Am at Banyan Tree now. Avoid this property and book Rosewood instead(if you must come to mayakoba). Not up to the service standards that us flyertalkers expect. Mishap after mishap. Will do a more detailed trip report upon return, but I see why this is not a virtuoso property. (we had to stay here due to a wedding we are in).

Hotelsforlife

After returning from both, I ended up preferring the Banyan. I do agree that the service is slightly better at Rosewood.

CarletonSloth

Just got back from 4 day getaway, stayed on beach side in oceanview. We stuck with the room despite being upgraded to beachfront suite by FHR amenities as wanted the larger space with my son (pull out sofa instead of rollaway). Rooftop deck with pool was nice but we all missed the beachfront room too much that, if go back, definitiely that is way to go. Saw clear improvements from September "refresh" especially in food. The quality of food was clear step up from a year ago. Service is still just phenomenal, anticpating needs, learning from your habits (butler brought beer and drinks and snacks up to us on deck third day in late afternoon because we had asked for it last two days). This resort is really humming and deserves kudos, only downside is it was much busier than last time. You don't notice at all as so spread out and private most of time, except for beach club area which was very crowded comared to a year ago. But still no problem getting chairs, etc set up, just busier feel.

ps9a

Was looking at heading to one of these two (Rosewood, BT) over Memorial Day, or possibly the Viceroy-- has anyone here stayed there for comparison sake? I'm going with my wife (no kids yet), so we'd actually prefer less of a family scene.

Hotelsforlife

BT is much less family oriented. It's a very romantic. The rooms are spectacular. I'd avoid the Viceroy.

ps9a

Thanks, Hotelsforlife. Any particular reason you'd avoid the Viceroy? It seems to get pretty solid reviews on TA... was also looking at the Maroma for the beach.

luxtrvlwrks

Maroma is great if you love the beach and there is a lot of room to spread out both there and at the pools.

Rosewood has plenty of tranquil spaces for retreat (if needed) and a variety of food options, including those at the other Mayakoba properties.

Banyan is nice if you want a large private pool and plan to spend most of your time at your villa.

I have not yet been to Viceroy. They recently had a fire and lost several villas and had others damaged. They are fully operational, but you may want to wait to visit.

lotuseater52

visited the property 2 years ago while staying at the Ritz Cancun. Thought I'd be blown away, but came away underwhelmed. Had lunch at the beach restaurant, service was amateurish, food just okay, and was shocked by how small the beachfront and beachfront pool were. Glad wed chosen the Ritz, even with its more traditional, smaller rooms.

Haven't seen Rosewood, but would have to choose that between the two. I was also more impressed with the Fairmont.

ps9a

You'd choose the Ritz and the Fairmont over the Banyan Tree? Is that based on value or your assessment of the rooms? Fairmont has rates under $200/night now... assumed it wasn't in the same ballpark as the BT or Rosewood, as I don't generally associate Fairmont with luxury.

lotuseater52

ps9a, both the Fairmont Mayakoba and the Ritz Cancun are AAA 5 diamond hotels.

While I'm sure the rooms win at the Banyan Tree over those two, I would bet my life that the service and beach are better at the Ritz, as well as the value. (Rooms at Ritz are impeccably clean and comfortable, with beautiful marble bathrooms but definitely not over the top luxury rooms. The Club level is a must.)
As for overall property, the Fairmont looked very nice, and it is a great value...