Summary
We visited Mayakoba – just outside of Cancun – Mexico during spring break 2022 with our kids and a close family friend that have kids of the same age (7 and 4). The flight from NYC was very easy – 5 hours or so and even less coming back – directly into Cancun. Our hotel organized a seamless pickup for us but there many options outside of the airport. Given the size of our group, we found it best to take the hotel car and it was a great start to the trip. Overall, the food, activities, service, weather make this destination wonderful
Accommodations
Mayakoba is a planned community – with tennis courts, golf courses, restaurants, water activities and more. Four hotels make up the core of the development – we stayed at the Rosewood Mayakoba which is one of the nicest hotels/resorts we have been to. It is nestled across a beautiful lagoon whereby rooms – and the other hotels – can be access by waterway. Daniel Scott is an amazing GM and is always present around the property meeting with and engaging guests. The beachfront location, along with several pools, restaurants, special events, kids clubs etc. make this an unforgettable experience.
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Dining
We loved so many of the dining options on our trip. We tended to stay local to mayakoba for most dining options – our favorites included Zapote (Mediterranean) in addition to special dinners at Aqui Me Quedo –Mexican Grill (Mexican) and La Ceiba Kitchen and Garden (International). For these latter two, you need to reserve them well in advance. The Mexican Grill is a wonderful buffet on the beach with eclectic street food, seafood, a delicious Sundae bar and vast drink options. The Ceiba dinner – named after a tree in the hotel’s farm to table garden – is an intimate dinner with Daniel and his leadership team that is a must do while in Mayakoba. Make sure to reserve your spot well in advance as the dinner only happens a few times per week and fills up quickly. Often Daniel will share some of his finest tequilas during this amazing, multi-course dinner. Outside of the Rosewood, we had two wonderful dinners at the Banyan Tree – Saffron (Thai) and Cello (Italian) were our favorites.
Activities
Our favorite activities on the trip included an outing at the amazing El Camaleón Mayakoba Golf Course along with relaxing treatments at the Rosewood Spa. We also enjoyed an afternoon playing tennis at the Mayakoba Tennis complex. One of the most fun but unknown activities is to take a boat ride through the canals to dinner at the other hotels whenever you decide to do that – even consider a Tapas Cruise. We also did a wonderful day sailing trip outside the complex with Paradise Catamarans and had the best time. A highlight certainly was the snorkeling in the calm waters – the kids truly loved it.
Recommendation
As evidenced by the many people we saw booking return trips on our last day, we would highly recommend a trip to Mayakoba. The team, the experience and the destination are all outstanding.
