Rosewood Mayakoba vs. Banyan Tree vs others (Cancun, Mexico)
Nov 26, 2020, 10:20 am
Nov 26, 2020, 1:52 pm
If you were happy at Rosewood before, I don't think going to BT makes sense unless you want a beachfront multi-bedroom.
Jan 24, 2021, 10:19 am
Hard product: We loved the Banyan Tree hard product, both in the villa and in the public areas. The villa pictures on the website speak for themselves, and everything was as expected. We booked a Serenity Pool Villa, which I would recommend for the hot tub and heated main pool; when we arrived the heat had been off and our main pool was rather chilly, but it got up to a nice temperature within a day after requesting they turn the heat on. This time of year it was warm midday but cooler in the morning and evening, and I'm not sure we would have gotten much use of the villa pool at its starting temperature. As it was, we ended up spending several of our days mostly in the villa laying in the sun and using the pools.
We were in villa 523, which from the map looks likely to be one of the more private options -- we faced the dead end path leading to villas 401-402, which didn't get much foot or vehicle traffic. Notably, the Banyan Tree's internal waterways are non-navigable (and much smaller than the main Mayakoba waterways), adding to the privacy, whereas most if not all of the Rosewood villas face bigger waterways where boats will come by occasionally. The only exception is the BT's Spa Pool Villas, which face the main waterway leading to and from the BT and would have boats passing; we noticed that some of them have significantly more plant cover in front than others. (I think some of the three-bedroom villas on the north side of the hotel are also somewhat close to a navigable waterway, but those mostly seemed to be farther away and with more plant cover in between.) We also had good sun throughout the day, which I'm not sure if that would be as true of some of the villas angled in different directions. One warning, we did have a group of raccoons visit the villa several times shortly after dusk.
The public areas are also quite nice, and the lobby has an impressive grandeur, especially after dark. The Banyan Tree seems to have done an especially good job, better than the other Mayakoba resorts, of integrating the development's waterways into the resort, with a circular canal running directly through the center of the main building, creating an especially dramatic approach to the property by boat that reminded me, in vibe, of the casino scene in Skyfall. (I found the Rosewood's main public areas particularly underwhelming by comparison, though I guess some might take the more generous tack of calling them "intimate.")
The hotel has just opened a new beach area which was pleasant and modern, with lots of different types of seating and shade options, although it seemed like it might be a bit on the small side if the hotel were full. There is also a new beach pool which is simple but nicer than the old beach pools (which can still be seen if you walk up the beach a bit -- it is not totally clear to me what that space is being used for now; it's still open and there are chairs around but it didn't look like there was active service in those areas like in the new beach club).
The new beachfront villas mentioned on the hotel's website and once listed for a Dec 2020 opening are still very much under construction, and look to have a more modern style than the rest of the resort, and I guess we'll see what the pricing looks like, but personally I can't see choosing those villas with their small plunge pool and much-reduced privacy over the "normal" villas with a much more expansive and private outdoor space. As at all of the Mayakoba properties, the beach area is a ~1km distance from the main part of the hotel, which was easily covered by bike or by golf cart. (Warning: there is one short hill to cross a bridge on the way to the beach, and there is an easily missed sign that you should dismount and walk your bike, because as it turns out the bikes the hotel offers don't do well on hills and the rubber "chain" tends to fall off on hills, as happened to us and another party right behind us on our first trip to the beach.)
The main pool is also great, very large and while there weren't a ton of chairs it was never busy while we were there. Both of the public pools were on the cool side but nice during the midday heat; the ocean was also on the cool side but probably a bit warmer than the pools and entirely bearable. Unfortunately the ocean floor in front of the beach club was kind of annoying -- lots of rocks and shells randomly scattered around, and unexpected drop-offs in depth. There was also some seaweed in the water as is common in the area, though not too bad and the hotel staff were working endlessly to rake up whatever washed up onto the beach.
I also walked up the beach to see the other Mayakoba hotel beaches, and they all looked fairly similar, and all offer a beachfront pool, so the hard product I think would be pretty similar there, though not sure how service levels and F&B offerings may vary. When we went to the Rosewood for dinner one night, I didn't get a close look, but the main Rosewood pool looked at best equal to the BT main pool in size and design.
Service: I can understand the consensus is that the Rosewood is probably a step ahead in the service department, as the service at the Banyan Tree was generally good but not on the level of some of the top luxury resorts I've stayed at. There were a few little points of confusion like making us a reservation for, and blindly putting us into a golf cart headed for, a restaurant that was closed that night, and in general it didn't feel like there was quite the same level of proactiveness I've seen elsewhere -- for example when we went over to the Rosewood for dinner, upon arrival one of the staff out front promptly welcomed us, checked with our driver where we were headed, and escorted us most of the way there -- all standard stuff for a luxury hotel but I didn't get the sense quite the same would have happened at the Banyan Tree.
That said, everyone at Banyan Tree was very friendly and the service was overall very good, with gracious service at the restaurants (including things like knowing us by name after a day or two at breakfast, and offering us an extra free appetizer when our mains were delayed--though I hadn't even really noticed by that time--at Saffron) and pools (where the same drinking water as in the rooms is provided free of charge upon arrival, and where they come around periodically during the day with free little snacks) so I wouldn't hold it against the property -- I would just note there might be a bit less polish than the Rosewood for anyone considering between the two. For me, the larger and more useful private outdoor space at the Banyan Tree villa easily outweighed any small downsides with the service relative to the Rosewood.
I was also a big fan of the hotel's iPhone app, which I would definitely recommend to get if you're going to be staying there. It allows you to use the app to request housekeeping services when needed (particularly useful because another slight ding on the service is that, unlike some other similar high-end resorts I've stayed at, they aren't quite as good about noticing when you're out of the room, for example at breakfast, and making a point to slip in for housekeeping then), as well as call for extra towels, water, or other items (drinking water is replenished free any time you need it), and other things. The app also includes links to all the restaurant menus with prices, which is handy since the hotel doesn't otherwise post them online. Speaking of...
Dining: The main thing to know is that the restaurants are expensive. Which I guess is not surprising when you're captive at a resort like this, but the price level was still jarring. Our rate included a promo, unfortunately no longer offered, for 20% off food & beverage, which helped a bit, but it was still a lot. Indeed, I think our incidentals for 6 nights on this trip were more than the incidentals bill for 5 nights at the W Maldives -- despite the latter including roundtrip seaplane flights. At both places we had a 20% off F&B offer and breakfast included. Meals were also generally more expensive than at, say, 4-star resorts in Hawaii. I mention those 2 examples in particular because those are places where the price is often justified by the logistics of their locations, a constraint that doesn't really exist here.
In general the food was very good, and some dishes really shined, but others were just okay, especially for the price. By contrast, the one meal we had at the Rosewood, at Agave Azul, was exceptional and while also expensive, I thought was genuinely worth the price. But, it was just one data point, so I don't know if we may have just gotten lucky. Of course, we mostly ate at the Banyan Tree because the 20% off offer only applied there, but if we hadn't had that offer, we wouldn't have felt as bound to the BT's restaurants and could have perhaps better mixed the BT's villas with restaurants from the other properties. (The Mayakoba properties all provide free transportation among themselves, so it's easy to make use of the other properties' restaurants, and in theory you can charge to your room from any of the other properties, although they weren't able to do this at Agave Azul for some reason, so don't head to one of the other properties without your wallet, just to be safe.)
Some of the highlights of our food at the Banyan Tree included: the steaks at Tomahawk were exceptionally prepared; the Italian food at Cello wasn't the best Italian food I've had but it was well above average for North America; the complimentary freshly-baked bread served before the meal at both of those restaurants was wonderful; the green curry and fried grouper at Saffron were real standouts; and the poke bowls at the beach club were a nice lighter option. Perhaps the biggest disappointment was the room service menu and the lunch menu at the pool and beach, which wasn't bad, but was definitely a little basic, particularly the Mexican options. A few of the cocktails were also misses, although the margaritas and piña coladas were consistently great. The breakfast was solid for North America, but despite Banyan Tree being a Singapore-based hotel brand, it wasn't on the level of lavishness you sometimes see in Southeast Asia.
We also partook in the Ixchel dinner-on-a-boat offering, which I was pleasantly surprised by and turned out to be a highlight of the trip. We did the 5:30 trip, which I would recommend as it was nice to be able to do the "nature cruise" aspect of the trip while it was still light out, and it combined good food with getting to see a bit of nature as well as an architectural tour of the other Mayakoba hotels. We had the Mexican menu, which was definitely the best Mexican food we had at the hotel. (There are also Thai or Italian menu options -- you can see the menu choices under the in-villa dining menu, oddly, in the hotel'sa app.) It's not cheap, but considering the price of the other restaurants, it's not that much more expensive either, and in addition to the bottle of wine on the boat, the excursion also included a welcome cocktail in the bar beforehand and a surprise bottle of champagne waiting for us in the villa when we got back. (I was also pleasantly surprised that the 20% discount also applied for that excursion.)
A few thoughts on the COVID situation: I picked this hotel in particular because it seemed like a safer option than a big high-rise hotel where there would be a lot of indoor spaces, elevators, etc., and in general I was happy with the choice in that respect. All of the restaurants have ample outdoor dining space and pretty much all of the hotel's public spaces are mostly outdoors, so I felt pretty comfortable in general. All hotel employees were also excellent about wearing a mask at all times, and most guests were wearing one at least in the corridors of the main building, though again those areas were pretty much all at least one wall open to fresh air so you could debate whether that was even necessary.
There were only two areas where it seemed like COVID could be taken more seriously: many people used the fitness center without masks, and there wasn't any sort of reservation system or special ventilation, so that felt uncomfortable. And the breakfast was still a buffet, which I was very surprised by. Ultimately I'm not sure if it was really too bad of a risk, as the hotel staff were good about enforcing masks in the buffet area, much of the food was prepared by the staff behind counters, and some other items such as fruit and yogurt were portioned into individual plates/containers and covered with plastic wrap. But the main hot items were in theory served by a staff member but they were often absent so many people served themselves, and there were also some sections such as the breads which were out in the open and normal serve-yourself buffet style without anyone ever stationed there to help. I brought hand sanitizer with me to use at the breakfast table after a trip to the buffet to be safe; the restaurants generally provided hand sanitizer upon arrival but it wasn't left at the table to use again after touching communal bread tongs, etc.
(CUN also remains the same circus it always is, so it's not a risk-free trip, but at least one can wear an N95 mask throughout their time at the airport, keep away from the biggest crowds as much as possible, and hope for the best.)
Jan 29, 2021, 11:36 pm
The new construction should be nice, but it will make it even more glaring that the original rooms are looking a little worse for the wear.
Mar 22, 2022, 4:11 pm
I already posted a thread about a trip planned with my husband and twin 4-year olds. We were all booked for the Rosewood Mayakoba. Coming from the SF Bay Area, for what that's worth.
Well, things have changed - we now have my mother and father in law joining us (we are no taking them as a 50th anniversary/80th birthday trip). The inclination is to switch to the Montage Kapalua, which my family went to once and we were supposed to go with my in laws last year (cancelled due to health reasons).
We could book them a room at the Rosewood Mayakoba instead. But it will end up costing us about $7k more to take them with us to the Rosewood vs. the Montage Kapalua.
This trip is in May. So, there are some downsides in Mayakoba - sargassum, current crime issues. But I have to admit I am very intrigued by the Rosewood and was looking forward to it.
So, basically, my questions:
1) Is it worth spending significantly more for the Rosewood Mayakoba over the Montage Kapalua - just from a resort perspective itself?
2) I can look at something in Punta Mita or Cabo instead, I guess. But just from a resort perspective, any reason for me to advocate for one of those places over the Montage Kapalua?
I should note that my in laws are somewhat mobility impaired. They are also not luxury travelers AT ALL. So, they won't be picky in the slightest. This is just about me
That being said, I would like to make the experience special. I don't, however, want to throw away $7k to go to a place that's only an incremental improvement.Thanks!
David
Jul 23, 2023, 10:09 am
Rosewood Mayakoba
Rosewood Mayakoba
, MX
3 nights at Rosewood Mayakoba in Riviera Maya (13 Photos)
Rosewood Mayakoba
My wife and I recently spent 3 nights at Rosewood Mayakoba in Riviera Maya. We enjoyed our stay overall primarily for the beach/pool area, solid dining options, and comfortable, spacious room. For a quick trip, we would not hesitate to return. The Rosewood is one of four resorts within the Mayakoba community. The Rosewood is a massive property with 129 rooms/suites I believe. Bikes are provided at your suite so you can ride anywhere around the property on the paved bike/walking trails. They will give you rides in golf carts any time you don’t feel like taking your bike somewhere. For this short trip, we did not venture off property at all, so we didn’t get a chance to try some of the restaurants at the other resorts within the community. Below are my overall impressions of our stay.
Check In/Arrival
We arrived at Cancún airport around 10am and quickly made our way through customs. At the curb we were greeted by our driver carrying a Rosewood sign. We were picked up in one of their Escalades and welcomed with cold towels as well as cold water. The drive was easy, just 40 mins and then we arrived at the Mayakoba complex. We drove a winding road through trees for a few minutes and then arrived at the Rosewood. Even though we arrived early, our room was ready for us upon arrival. We briefly went through some check in formalities in the reception area and then we were quickly on our way to our suite. They drove us to it on a golf cart along with our bags, but our room was very close to the main area.
Room
We booked a Lagoon Studio Suite (#302) which is the base level of suite, but this room was plenty spacious. It included a dining table/area, large couch, king bed, massive tub, double vanity, indoor and outdoor shower, as well as a sitting area outside and a small plunge pool. On a trip like this, we are primarily spending our time at the beach, pool, dining, in the gym, or at the spa, so we didn’t spend a ton of time in the room. The outdoor shower was a great way too cool off after a long day the beach or after an intense workout. The plunge pool was just too warm too use, as it was pretty small and would get heated up all day long, so then by the time the sun went down, it kept its temperature and was very uncomfortable to be in. The bed was comfortable and the bedding was plush, making for a good night of sleep. The air conditioning was strong and necessary to make up for the hot temperatures outside, to go along with the high humidity levels. Overall, we were very happy with the room we stayed in and felt it was a good fit for this trip.
Service
At check in we were assigned two butlers (Christian and Gerry). We were able to communicate with them through the Rosewood Mayakoba app, primarily using them to secure dinner reservations or request a golf cart when necessary. Otherwise, where we experienced service from the staff was mainly at the dining outlets and the beach/pool area. The service at all of the restaurants was attentive with the exception of our last dinner at the Zapote Bar (I will touch on this in the dining section).
At the Punta Bonita restaurant, we experienced friendly service and Fabian was particularly helpful looking after us each day at the pool. He saved the same seats that we had the previous day and suggested drinks and food items for us that weren’t readily available for lunch, but found ways to make them available for us. His service for us felt personal and that went a long way. Additionally, all of the service at the beach was prompt and attentive in terms of keeping us stocked with water or fulfilling any miscellaneous requests we might have.
Activities
We didn’t participate in any formal activities, although we were interested in the eco tour through the mangroves, but the timing didn’t work out. We did utilize the spa/fitness area quite a bit. The fitness center was great and had all the necessary equipment to get a great workout in. Despite the heat, I would take daily runs along the paved paths amongst the mangroves and these trails worked perfectly for me to cover some mileage. Had our trip been a bit longer, we would have definitely taken advantage of more activities on offer and gotten more active, but outside of working out daily, our focus was primarily on relaxation.
Dining
Overall we were happy with our dining experience. We went in knowing that prices were going to be exorbitant, so that took away the sting of such high prices. It’s one thing to get charged an arm and a leg for disappointing dining experiences, but we enjoyed just about all of the dishes we had. Breakfasts were served from 7am-11:30am at the Casa del Lago restaurant, just off the the main reception area. There was an extensive breakfast menu that was available to order off of a la carte, as well as the continental breakfast buffet which included pastries, yogurts, and an extensive assortment of fruits. Service at breakfast was prompt on all 3 of our mornings.
The first night we ate at their Asian restaurant Agave Azul. Standout dishes there were the salmon maki roll, spicy cucumber salad, rock shrimp, udon noodle special, and the pork belly stir fry. The view of the lagoon in the mangroves makes this dining experience particularly enjoyable. I don’t drink alcohol, but there was a list of mocktails available at all of the restaurants and I enjoyed a different one each night, my wife enjoyed all of the cocktails she tried at all of the restaurants.
The second night we partook in the Al Fresco dining which took place in the adults only pool area. This menu was primarily based around their Mexican grill items, including meats and seafoods as well as a variety of other dishes. We ordered the special appetizer which was a shrimp dumpling made with plantain and corn dough. This was the best dish of the evening. The catch of the day (sea bass) was served with cucumbers and avocado which I found to be excellent and the barbacoa dish served with hummus and chickpeas was also very strong. The only dish I wasn’t a big fan of was the nopales salad, it just lacked flavor.
For our third and final night, we are at the Zapote bar. The menu included dishes with middle eastern inspiration and so we ordered the dip sampler with hummus, olive tapenade, and muhammara. This was served with pita and naan breads, both of which tasted great. We started with the fennel and orange salad which was good as well. For mains, we tried the shrimp entree and the beef/lamb kebabs and ordered a side of the tabouleh salad. Overall we had another good meal, but here the service was really lacking. Our waiter tried his best, but you could tell he was spread thin amongst a number of tables. It took a while for certain requests to be fulfilled and he brought us a chicken dish instead of the shrimp dish we had in fact ordered. The indoor/outdoor area we were in was really hot and after a while we were tired and just ready to return to our room, so here the experience could have been better with a bit more prompt and attentive service.
We are all of our lunches at the beach/pool area and really enjoyed these ranging from guacamole, to al pastor tacos, to nachos. They also had good smoothies available that we enjoyed. Overall, our dining experience was a good, albeit very expensive one.
Pool/Beach
The beach/pool are is divided into two sections, adults only and families. The adult side has 3 relatively small rectangular pools, and plenty of cabanas and loungers. The family side has a massive pool and hot tub, more cabanas, as well as the Punta Bonita restaurant/bar. We ended up spending the majority of our time at the family pool because we preferred the pool itself to the adults only pools, and there weren’t too many kids that detracted from the peace and quiet. We were told that since we were visiting in low season that the availability of chairs was great. The resort overall seemed quiet, but hearing that certainly did not make me want to return in peak season. Over the years, we have traveled to the Caribbean in low season and although it can be scorching hot, we do appreciate that the resorts we’ve visited haven’t been particularly crowded.
The beach was soft and comprised of white sand. The water was very warm and comfortable to just swim around in. They had non-motorized water sports available, but we mainly just swam around and relaxed in the water. There was essentially no seagrass on the beach or in the water, as it would appear that the Rosewood or perhaps the entire Mayakoba complex undertook a massive process of clearing it all out and creating a swimmable area with bouyes to restrict any additional seagrass from getting near the shore. Certainly an undertaking, but very much appreciated to allow guests to enjoy the ocean. We spent the majority of our time each day at the beach/pool area enjoying the ocean, enjoying the beach, and just relaxing under umbrellas. This area was the perfect place to do just that.
Location/Facilities
The resort is a part of the Mayakoba complex near Riviera Maya. We never ventured off the property, so I cannot comment on that aspect of things, but it was a 40 minute drive from the airport and it’s just a long string of resorts on both sides of it. That being said, the beach was never crowded and there weren’t people walking up and down it coming from other resorts. When you’re at the Rosewood, although there are resorts on both sides of you, you feel very secluded and like you are in a private location.
As far as facilities, the Rosewood has everything one could want from a high end beach resort. The property is massive! The fitness center is excellent and a place you can get a great workout at. The spa facilities (which can be used by any guests even if you are not receiving a spa treatment) are excellent too. It includes a hot tub, cold tub, steam room, and sauna in both the men’s and women’s locker room. There is also a large spa pool which has lounges chairs around it. This area of the resort is very quiet and secluded, so we made sure to enjoy some time at the spa before venturing down to the beach. We did not do any spa treatments on this trip.
The setup at the beach/pool area is also expansive and very well maintained. We made great use of this area and spent the majority of our time there. There’s also a pool near the Casa del Lago restaurant and reception area which we were often times tempted to use, but never got around to, simply on the basis that we would always go back to the beach area. The resort has everything you would need from a facilities standpoint and we took advantage of most of the facilities even in our short time on property.
Overall
All in all, we enjoyed 3 relaxing nights at the Rosewood Mayakoba. This was my first time in Mexico and I was very encouraged at the experience we had at one of the highest regarded resorts in the country. Given the proximity to my home airport, I would definitely consider returning to the area and trying Rosewood Mayakoba again. I’m also tempted to try Hotel Esencia or Chable Maroma to see how they compare. I’m also keen to try the One&Only Mandarina or Sussuros del Corazon in Puerto Vallarta to experience some of the high end resorts on the other side of the country. Previously I had never been tempted to visit Cabo, but after this Mexican Rosewood experience, perhaps it’s worth it to go just to try Las Ventanas.
Jul 23, 2023, 6:39 pm
Jul 24, 2023, 8:38 pm
Feb 14, 2024, 9:03 am
Eterero, St Regis and The Edition all inside the same gates.