“Welcome home, Mr. Todd.”
Andrea, my butler for the next four days, stood arrow-straight dressed in an ensemble resembling something Lara Croft might wear on a simple stroll through the local agora: Indiana Jones meets jungle casual.
“We have both almond and soy milk in your refrigerator and have stocked extra bottles of water in your suite, per your preferences,” she continued as she tapped away on her iPad. It was sheathed in a leather sling bag that crossed her body, dangling at her side.
She knew that I preferred non-dairy milk with my morning coffee from my previous visit to the resort, and evidently I put a sizable dent in their water supply during my last trip as well. All the info she needed was tucked efficiently in her iPad, which also contained my flight information, my dinner reservations, and my spa appointment details so that she could be sure to keep me on track in case I strayed.
“Would you like me to unpack your bags for you?” Andrea asked.
Who is going to say no to that?
This is a typical check-in at Rosewood Mayakoba, but only after you are led down from reception with a glass of “today’s smoothie” onto the dock below the main lobby area. From here you board a boat, which takes you along the jungle canals directly to your suite. Andrea, or one of the many other staffers on property in charge of butler service, greets you from your personal dock as you arrive. Each butler services a small cul-de-sac of suites – neighbors that you have to sense more than see. RW Mayakoba is laid out in a way that provides a ton of privacy.
The overall theme at RW Mayakoba, at least the one that I perceive when I’m there, is wellness. It has an otherworldly feel to it, and if you were dropped there blindfolded you would hardly guess you were in Mexico at all. One would likely guess somewhere more remote. The Maldives maybe, but with a jungle. The middle of the South Pacific? Whatever the guess, it’s hard to imagine it being just a forty-minute transfer south of the Cancun airport.
Back to wellness. It’s certainly a travel trend these days with more and more meditation and spa retreats popping up. If your resort isn’t offering some type of wellness experience you’re missing out on a large demographic of late.
RW Mayakoba seems to intertwine that theme in every aspect of the resort. They’ve weaponized inner peace in a way – it’s forced upon you without you realizing it. Riding along the manicured paths on your bicycle (each suite is provided with a few) is calming and quiet. The paths all look the same, so you’re bound to get lost or take a wrong turn, and you really don’t care. The next thing you know, you’ve accidentally exercised. How did that happen?
Rosewood is situated inside the gated resort of Mayakoba, which contains a few other resorts including Banyan Tree, Andaz, and Fairmont. Each are reachable through the canals or by land, so you can actually go off-property for dinner at one of the many restaurants available and never leave Mayakoba. If you’re there, and want to step away from Rosewood one evening, my recommendation is Saffron, a Thai-inspired restaurant at Banyan Tree. A second security gate awaits you at each of the resorts making the Mayakoba properties some of the safest locations in Mexico.
A feature around the beach club at RW Mayakoba are “pop-ups”, which can be anything from “Champagne O’Clock” (servers appear randomly with flutes of champagne for anyone interested) to “Ice Cream Treats” (you probably get the idea). These happen without warning or schedule. Just a little bonus for your afternoon.
I’ve been to a lot of resorts, but I’ve never seen a specialty dinner for guests as well done as the La Ceiba dinner at RW Mayakoba. La Ceiba is the main garden on property from which the kitchen staff pulls their fresh supplies. On an unrelated note, there are hibiscus gardens used by the maid staff to select fresh blooms they place on your bed daily.
The chef’s dinner in La Ceiba takes place every Wednesday and Saturday and is open to all guests as an add-on cost dinner option. Groups can’t take over the space on these nights without exception – I know because I’ve tried. It’s an offering for all guests and I applaud them for staying true to that.
Certain resort staff join the guests for dinner and engage everyone in conversation. They handle this in a seamless way, with help from local wine and of course tequila, and before long you are long-lost friends with every stranger within earshot.
The chef’s dinner at La Ceiba is a do not miss.
I spend a lot of time in spas at resorts, not necessarily getting treatments, but just taking advantage of the facilities. I’m not a fan of resort spas that only allow access to the steam room, pool, dry sauna, cold plunge, etc., if you have a scheduled treatment on that day. This is becoming less and less common thankfully, but having access as a guest isn’t worth much if the facilities have nothing to offer.
The Sense Spa at RW Mayakoba is truly a special place. The treatment rooms are situated away from the main spa building along boardwalk paths that wind on and on just below the jungle canopy. There are hidden meditation spots as well around the spa grounds – small nooks that would otherwise never be found.
The spa pool is a quiet oasis with draping walls of flora, lined with hammocks and plush-cushioned lounge chairs. It’s a great place to read or sleep, honestly.
The basic spa facility offerings are located in the locker rooms. Both the male and female sides have a dry sauna, steam room, whirlpool, cold plunge, and showers. There are also exfoliating rubs that you can try – concoctions they whip up in their herbal chemistry lab, located on the spa grounds in a thatch apothecary. That’s the best way to describe it.
RW Mayakoba is a special place. The staff go out of their way to bring you a little closer to peace throughout your entire stay. The room product is second to none and the service is excellent. Cancun is a reasonable flight distance for most with direct flight options from all the major airports with few exceptions. It isn’t the cheapest place you’ll ever stay, but it’s unforgettable for reasons other than money.