Monday newsletters always feature top 10 travel lists to inspire.
Today (March 28, 2016): Top 10 best beach resorts & hotels in Mexico.
Mexico is one of the world’s most beautiful countries, with a diverse cultural scene, spectacular nature, a rich history, and a vibrant society. The sunny nation is also known for its stunning white-sand beaches and turquoise waters, which are the playground of Europeans and Americans during the northern hemisphere’s colder winter months. If you are thinking about traveling to Mexico for your next beach getaway but don’t know where to stay, you have come to the right spot. Below is my top 10 list of Mexico’s most exclusive beach resorts.
Do you agree or have a favorite Mexican beach resort that didn’t make my list? Leave it in the comments or take my poll below.
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10. BELMOND MAROMA RESORT & SPA, RIVIERA MAYA
Tucked away amid 25-acres of preserved jungle on the Yucatan Peninsula, hacienda-style Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa stands for pure escapism with a touch of Mayan magic. The resort is located along one of the Caribbean’s most pristine beaches, composed of a mixture of fine powder sand and pink coral. Lazy days are spent in the ocean and poolside restaurants or by strolling through flower-filled gardens where parrots and butterflies perch. Nearby, you can explore some of Mexico’s great heritage sites, dive in mysterious underwater caves, or shop till you drop in Cancun.
- Hotel website: Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa
- Other accolades: Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa also features in my top 10 list of the world’s most beautiful hotel beaches.
- Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, one 30 minute massage per person, and Maroma floral bed decoration on arrival).
9. FOUR SEASONS PUNTA MITA, RIVIERA NAYARIT
Punta Mita is a picturesque fishing village located just 45 minutes from Puerto Vallarta and is an oasis of white-sand beaches and turquoise waters that boasts some of the best snorkelling, scuba diving, and surfing in the world. As such, it should come as no surprise that a world of tropical adventure awaits you at one of the region’s top resorts, the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita. Here, guest enjoy casita-style accommodations with beachfront or ocean views, restaurants that capture the distinctive flavours of regional Mexican cuisine, a full-service spa, and outdoor activities galore.
- Hotel website: Four Seasons Punta Mita
- Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, and $100 USD food & beverage credit).
8. VICEROY RIVIERA MAYA
Hidden in the small village of Playa Xcalacoco just outside Playa del Carmen, Viceroy Riviera Maya is a seaside refuge extending deep into the primitive Maya tropical forest. The 41-villa luxury resort represents unpretentious luxury, exuding the ambience of an opulent residential compound. The resort’s design respects and accentuates the pristine qualities of its dramatic jungle and seaside setting. Intimate and serene features blend seamlessly into the dense tropical foliage, dining is available both indoors and outdoors, and yoga classes and spa treatments overlook coastal splendor.
- Hotel website: Viceroy Riviera Maya
- Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, and $100 USD resort credit).
7. CAPELLA IXTAPA, ZIHUATANEJO
This Zihuatanejo resort enjoys a spectacular setting, attached to majestic cliffs above the Pacific Ocean’s crashing waves. An open-air reception area and soothing, warm breezes welcome guests as they transition into an extraordinary, adventure-filled vacation. The wonderful intermingling of modern and traditional Mexican touches of textured handmade clay and stone meeting sleek marble and polished hardwoods are seen throughout the resort. The 59 suites all come with a private infinity edge pool and terrace that opens up to the breathtaking views of the Pacific Oceans.
- Hotel website: Capella Ixtapa
- Accolades: Capella Ixtapa also features in my top 10 list of the world’s most spectacular cliffside resorts.
- Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast for 2, early check-in, late check-out, and $100 USD resort credit).
6. BANYAN TREE MAYAKOBA, RIVIERA MAYA
Banyan Tree Mayakoba takes the Caribbean lifestyle to new heights. Located 40 minutes from Cancun International airport and within the gated resort development of Mayakoba near Playa Del Carmen, the resort offers a unique sense of tranquil and private space immersed in an untouched bounty of freshwater lagoons and mangroves, complemented by touches of the Banyan Tree brand’s signature Asian hospitality and warmth. Each of the 118 freestanding villas curls around its own individual garden and pool area, in a unique layout inspired by courtyard houses of the Far East.
- Hotel website: Banyan Tree Mayakoba
- Other accolades: Banyan Tree Mayakoba also features in my top 10 lists of the world’s best health spas, the world’s most amazing hotel lobbies, and the world’s best family resorts.
- Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (room upgrade, daily breakfast, $100 USD resort credit, preferential green fees at the El Camaleon golf course, 10% discount at our Banyan Tree SPA, early check in, and late check out).
- Review: click here to read my review of Banyan Tree Mayakoba.
5. THE RESORT AT PEDREGAL, LOS CABOS
The Resort at Pedegral is located at the southernmost tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. Encompassing 24 spectacular mountainside and oceanfront acres, the luxurious resort rests at the very point where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez, near the legendary rock formations known as Land’s End. The beach resort is reached via a 300-meter long tunnel that separates the hotel from the town of Cabo. The Resort at Pedregal features 66 luxurious bedrooms and suites, each with a private terrace and plunge pool as well as spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.
- Hotel website: The Resort at Pedregal
- Other accolades: The Resort at Pedregal also features in my top 10 list of the best health spas in the world.
- Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, $100 USD spa credit, and complimentary VIP airport transfer with beachfront suite bookings).
- Review: click here to read my review of The Resort at Pedregal.
4. ST REGIS PUNTA MITA, RIVIERA NAYARIT
As the first St. Regis property in all of Latin America, this resort features discerning service, 120 exquisite accommodations that bring the balmy outdoors inside, thoughtful amenities, and spectacular grounds. It energizes, rejuvenates and refreshes the mind, body and spirit of its guests with two Jack Nicklaus signature golf courses, a tennis center nestled in a palm grove, three spectacular infinity pools, a luxe Remède Spa, and superior international cuisine among its seemingly endless offerings. Nearby, the Marietas Islands beckon with natural beauty and outdoor adventures.
- Hotel website: St Regis Punta Mita
- Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast for two, early check-in, late check-out, and $100 USD spa credit).
3. ONE&ONLY PALMILLA, LOS CABOS
Set amongst the stunning natural geography of the Baja Peninsula alongside the Sea of Cortez, One&Only Palmilla affords extraordinary views of the Los Cabos landscape and beachfront access to one of the few swimmable beaches in the entire region. Accommodations are presented in single-story and three-story buildings, encircling the resort grounds along the peninsula’s edge. Perched above the beach, all 173 casually elegant rooms, suites, and villa offer 24-hour butler service and a patio or balcony facing out towards the sea, allowing optimum privacy and unobstructed scenic views.
- Hotel website: One&Only Palmilla
- Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast for two, early check-in, late check-out, 30 minute Virtuoso exclusive spa experiences per booking, and set of his and hers aromatherapy candles).
2. ROSEWOOD MAYAKOBA, RIVIERA MAYA
Surrounded by emerald jungle, Rosewood Mayakoba is a Riviera Maya resort that defines a private world of rare luxury and refined beauty. Inspired by Mayan traditions, this 1600-acre resort enclave sits along a mile‐long arc of white Caribbean sand, nestled just north of the picturesque waterfront town of Playa del Carmen. Designed to blend harmony with natural mangrove landscapes, Rosewood Mayakoba is an oasis of luxury offering 128 suites with private plunge pools, rooftop sundecks, garden showers, individual docks and the finest modern design and details.
- Hotel website: Rosewood Mayakoba
- Other accolades: Rosewood Mayakoba also features in my top 10 lists of the world’s best luxury resorts with private plunge pools and world’s most beautiful overwater accommodations.
- Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, and $100 USD spa credit).
1. LAS VENTANAS AL PARAISO, A ROSEWOOD RESORT, LOS CABOS
Las Ventanas al Paraíso’s constant innovation built the resort’s reputation as one of the world’s premier destinations. Since opening in 1997, this hideaway has captivated guests and celebrities with its expansive suites, inspired cuisine and spa, the resort’s sanctuary of renewal and revitalization. Designed to be in harmony and become one with the local ambience, Las Ventanas nestles into the natural slope and contours of the surrounding desert landscape and the external color scheme reflects the white of the sands and ocean surf.
- Hotel website: Las Ventanas Al Paraiso
- Other top 10 accolades: Las Ventanas al Paraiso features in my top 10 lists of luxury hotels where you have the best chance to spot celebrities, the world’s most amazing outdoor hotel rooms, and the world’s most amazing beach resorts.
- Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, early check-in, late check-out, daily breakfast, and $100 USD spa credit).
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Mexico looks warm and wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Well done On the list for next hols