Outstanding getaways at new Riviera Maya hotels

Trade in that hotel feeling for your own unique waterfront villa at Banyan Tree Mayakoba, Riviera Maya.

By Nina Gass

Some new and unbelievable Mexico hotels have opened, tempting an immediate winter getaway. Combining luxury, value and a number of unique and totally refreshing amenities, these new Riviera Maya hotels are sure to please even the most discriminating traveler — from families to adults only — with beaches, fine dining and glorious R&R:

• Banyan Tree Mayakoba: This stunning resort does not offer rooms. Instead, the accommodations are villas, which I can only describe as your very own house with a private pool in the middle of a jungle. Children are welcome at this resort, which gives it a family feel amongst the unique Asian and Mexican art and architecture. Unlike day spa options at other Mexico hotels, this one offers trained massage therapists from Thailand who can apply Eastern arts of healing and renewal. There are 16 spa treatment pavilions from which guests rotate through a series of treatments for total body and mind rejuvenation.

• Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun: Located on the beach the Travel Channel named the world’s best for  four years running, this adults-only resort epitomizes the best that all inclusive vacations have to offer. For me and my husband, standout features at this “romantical” resort are the champagne breakfast, four-poster bed, six restaurants and a seemingly endless list of activities. Compared to other all inclusive vacations I’ve experienced, this one really stands out because the level of service at Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun is out of this world. Be sure to catch the resort’s exclusive specials that change throughout the year, including rounds of complimentary golf.

• Be Tulum: Among the newest Riviera Maya hotels, Be Tulum is an adults-only, boutique-style hotel with individual soaking pools in each airy room. Other highlights of this resort include indoor and outdoor showers, two-story cabanas with pathways that lead straight to the beach, and ecological architecture that makes you feel as though you are part of the natural surroundings. Although all suites are just steps from the beach, try to get the Ocean Suite for an unmatched level of exclusivity.

As winter approaches and you feel that chill in the air, planning a trip to Riviera Maya for a stay at one of these new resorts is a way to linger over warm weather and sunshine just a bit longer.

Nina Gass is a freelance travel and business writer who lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband and two boys. An avid traveler and dreamer, Nina makes the most of her international family connections throughout the U.S., Australia, England, and Mexico.

Tagged: Hotels, Mexico