Rosewood Mayakoba Is the Most Special Resort in Mexico—Here's What It's Like to Stay There

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When I say that Rosewood Mayakoba is the most special resort in Mexico, I'm not speaking hyperbolically. It truly is a magical place. Just a 45-minute drive from the Cancun airport, you'll find Mayakoba. It's a private gated community made up of 620 acres of beach, jungle, and lagoon, so you could call it a resort within a resort.

Rosewood Mayakoba, one of four Rosewood properties in Mexico, opened in 2008. My first stay was for my honeymoon in 2018, and we had such an incredible, memorable time that we decided to return for my husband Mark's birthday seven years later. As a testament to how much the Rosewood brand is constantly evolving and enhancing the guest experience, there was a plethora of new things to see and do. Read on for my firsthand recount of our early-spring stay at the resort and why I wholeheartedly feel that it's worth a visit (or, better yet, repeat visits).

Rosewood Mayakoba is situated along the Riviera Maya coast with its white sandy beaches and clear blue water. The lagoons and jungles surrounding the rest of the property give it an incredibly unique feel. Among the property's many features, standouts include Sense, a Rosewood Spa—which inhabits its own private island—and Zapote Bar, the award-winning cocktail destination that opened in 2021.

Rosewood Mayakoba is one of Mexico's top luxury resorts, and the attention to detail and level of service it provides are unmatched—trust me. Upon entering the property, you drive through a well-kept jungle of sorts, which takes you to Rosewood Mayakoba's entrance, where you're greeted with a refreshing frozen beverage presented alongside a bottle of mezcal if you choose to imbibe. One of the first things you'll notice is that the resort is very much an indoor-outdoor experience (even the lobby is situated outdoors) and that everywhere you look is picturesque. It's pretty much impossible to take a bad photo here.

After checking in, you'll be whisked away to your stand-alone villa via a private boat along the lagoon. You'll quickly notice that the property's design clearly prioritizes its guests' privacy, which is one of the many reasons it's been a favorite vacation spot of celebrities for years. We arrived at our villa's dock, and the two butlers (who were wonderful, I might add) for our stay were waiting to show us around our suite for the next four days and give us the lay of the land. It's clear from the start that every element of the service at Rosewood Mayakoba is incredibly personalized and thoughtful. We were greeted with a lovely welcome amenity, which included ingredients for a signature cocktail that our butlers showed us how to make ourselves.

There are five restaurants at the resort along with dining experiences throughout the week, such as a lovely Chef's Garden Dinner and a Mexican grill on the beach. It's worth noting that each of the stunning restaurants is alongside a body of water, so the views are stunning no matter where you choose to dine. There are four pool areas, and each villa includes a private plunge pool. It's safe to say that you'll be spending a lot of time in the water.

Would I stay at Rosewood Mayakoba again? Given that this was my second special-occasion visit, the answer is 100% yes. Between the impeccable service, jaw-dropping views, uniqueness of the property, plethora of things to do, and close proximity to the U.S., I can say with confidence that you'll have zero regrets about splurging on a stay here.

Whether you prefer a packed itinerary or a more leisurely one, the resort offers plenty of options for how to spend your days there. My husband and I chose the former, so here's a recommended itinerary, which was similar to ours. Between our planned activities, we enjoyed relaxing on the beach or by one of the many pools, of course.

There are 129 suites on the property, each featuring a spacious floor plan with a well-appointed bathroom (massive soaking tub and outdoor shower included). Outdoors, a large terrace and private plunge pool await you. There are several types of villas to choose from, including beachside lagoon-view suites, deluxe overwater lagoon suites, and lagoon studio suites. We stayed in a lagoon studio suite and found it to be the perfect size for a couple.

Since the property is quite sprawling and it can be a bit of a hike to the beach and various restaurants and spa, the resort offers a shuttle service via golf carts throughout the day and night, and each villa comes with bikes for each guest. My bike-riding skills have faded, so I relied on walking and the golf cart pick-ups, which were always speedy.

On a separate part of the property, Rosewood Mayakoba offers private residences. I got a chance to tour one of the lagoon residences (where the overhead photo of the pool pictured above was taken), and it was breathtaking, to say the least. Living in one of these homes and getting to take advantage of all of the amenities the resort provides? Real estate goals.

As I mentioned, Sense, a Rosewood Spa is situated on its own private island. (No boat needed, though—there's a bridge.) There, you'll find indoor and outdoor relaxation lounges, a steam room, a sauna, a cold-plunge pool, and 12 stand-alone treatment rooms that you walk through the jungled paths to get to. There's also an incredibly relaxing and spacious hydrotherapy pool, an outdoor yoga pavilion, and a fully equipped fitness center.

Many of the treatments offered are rooted in the Mayan culture that's so prevalent in the region. A couple of the spa's signature experiences are the shaman-led Temazcal ceremony and Kuxtal Sensory Garden ritual.

I wanted to choose something from the newest offerings at the spa, so I opted for the Seed Grounding Ritual, one of five new treatments created in partnership with Ground Wellbeing and available only at Rosewood Mayakoba. After leading me to my treatment room, my technician shared that I coincidentally chose the most popular of the five rituals. It consisted of a botanical scrub with sea salt that you rinse off in the in-room shower followed by a massage using an incredibly hydrating but nongreasy balm and a peat mask for your feet. It was one of the best spa experiences I've ever had, hands down. Here's another recommended treatment: If you prefer a more traditional massage, the Curative Fire and Ice Therapy earned a rave review from my husband. Inspired by ancient Mayan medicine, it's a contrast therapy consisting of warm and cool stones.

Whether you're a serious foodie who wants lots of dining options or just want to enjoy the regional cuisine, you're going to be pleased with the offerings here. For many guests, the day begins with breakfast at Casa del Lago, which looks over the resort's main pool and features an expansive spread with different offerings each day. The selection of fresh-cut fruit alone was something to behold. (At night, it transforms into a romantic, candlelit space with Italian cuisine on the menu.) The other breakfast option is Aquí Me Quedo, the property's adults-only beach club, where you can enjoy healthy fare inspired by the cuisine of the region with your toes in the sand. At Aquí Me Quedo, you'll also find the lunch spot La Cantina, a casual food truck, and the can't-miss Mexican grill on the beach if you're lucky enough to be there on a Thursday evening. The other beach-front restaurant is Punta Bonita, where the ceviche menu is not to be missed. I should note that it will be closing later this year to make way for a brand-new restaurant.

Two other restaurants on the property that we loved were Zapote Bar, the newest of the bunch, and Agave Azul. Zapote Bar is an award-winning cocktail haven (more on that in a bit) that features the cuisine of the Yucatán Peninsula infused with Middle Eastern flavors, all cooked over a live fire in the open kitchen. Be sure to start with the Zapote Sampler so that you can try an assortment of the delicious dips to enjoy alongside your cocktails.

Agave Azul is where to go for Japanese and Chinese cuisine melded with the cuisine of the region. The seafood was unbelievably fresh at the lagoon-side space (sitting on the outdoor patio is a must), and the usuzukuri is a must-order.

On our final night, we attended the Chef's Garden Dinner at the La Ceiba Garden & Kitchen, which is held two nights each week. The chef was on hand to serve up a delicious multicourse meal inspired by the region. It was such a highlight of the trip for us, and it's a great opportunity to socialize with other guests and members of the staff, as you're sitting alongside them at a lovely communal table.

One last dining-related tip: If you want to venture into Mayakoba's village square (you should), be sure to make a stop at La Fondita, Rosewood's Mexico City–inspired taqueria, for lunch.

If enjoying craft cocktails is on your vacation agenda, you won't be lacking in options here. Lucky for you, Zapote Bar happens to be one of the top cocktail bars in the world. It's had multiple honors bestowed upon it since opening, including making it on the lists of the World's 50 Best Bars and North America's 50 Best Bars. Choosing which drinks to order is an almost impossible task, but my two recommendations are Mono, which the bartender muddled in front of me, and Mezcal Stalk. A DJ with a flute and mini bongo drums arrived as soon as our first drinks were delivered to us.

The other noteworthy cocktail destination is La Isla Secreta, a Tulum-inspired speakeasy hidden among the mangroves, which you hop on a boat from Zapote Bar to get to. Making a post-dinner visit during your stay is a must—just be sure to wear bug spray.

While we can certainly appreciate a leisurely afternoon on the beach, Mark and I like to experience all that the places we visit have to offer, so we kept quite busy with activities throughout our stay. One of our favorite on-site experiences was a midday cooking class at La Ceiba Garden & Kitchen with the executive chef and sous-chef of the resort. It was a treat, to say the least.

A benefit of the resort-within-a-resort location was that you can also take advantage of Mayakoba activities, including on-property golf and private lessons led by local experts. We opted for a pickleball lesson at the sports center and kayaking on the lagoon. I learned that I was slightly better at pickleball than kayaking.

You can expect a five-star luxury experience whenever you stay at a Rosewood property, and they really go above and beyond here. Our butlers were always there to meet our every need. (I like to think that we didn't have too many!)

It's all about the details at Rosewood Mayakoba. The bathroom stocked D.S. & Durga Jazmin Yucatan products (heavenly), there were fresh mangos in our room each day, and each night, we'd come back to special surprises that were left during turndown service, such as little wooden Alebrijes creatures on our pillows.

We were lucky enough to have perfect weather during our stay, but I was impressed to see that the resort plans an entire rainy-day schedule of activities in the event that inclement weather is in the forecast. On the aforementioned perfect-weather days, the staff often greets you with fun surprises on the beach, such as a midday cocktail made of mezcal, pineapple juice, and lime and champagne o'clock, which is as great as it sounds.

The guests during our stay included a good mix of couples, groups of couples traveling together, and families. There are plenty of activities to keep kids occupied for the entirety of a stay.

Given my profession, I was sure to take note of what people were wearing at the resort, and I was glad to see that I had packed appropriately. The vibe during the day was casual yet chic. I spotted lots of bright bikinis, linen button-downs as cover-ups, and trendy accessories like Miu Miu cowboy hats, colorful Polo Ralph Lauren baseball caps, and elevated flip-flops. (Fun fact: If you don't want to pack a beach tote, there's one waiting for you in the closet of each room.) My suitcase contained a mix of shorts, crochet cover-ups and accessories, and flat sandals and mesh sneakers for daytime.

Evening attire was much dressier but still relaxed. I saw lots of colorful printed dresses of every length with heels and polished flat sandals. For men, lightweight button-downs and linen pants or shorts with loafers were popular options. I packed a mix of fun dresses and skirts and versatile accessories that would go with each of my outfits. (I was committed to only bringing a carry-on for our four-night stay.) My sole pair of heels was my tan Toteme kitten-heel flip-flops. People really dressed to impress here but didn't seem like they were trying too hard.

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