Mexico

A glorious, colonial style hotel located on the coast of the resort of Playacar. Having done extensive research (for months on end may I add – no surprises there) and also seen glowing TripAdvisor reviews, I had pretty high expectations of this hotel.

The good news is that my expectations were totally exceeded from the minute we stepped out of the car. We arrived relatively late in the evening and were greeted with a glass of champagne whilst we checked in. Always a good start in my eyes.

The lobby areas here are so grand and impressive. Huge high ceilings and chandeliers with splashes of marble everywhere.

I loved the small, individual blocks of rooms and the bridges and hidden mini pools on your walk from the beach to the lobby. It gives the resort a really spacious feel.

Our room was near the Spices restaurant and main pool area, so we never had far to walk. It was more or less perfect – more on the traditional side and meticulously clean. Loved the addition of L’Occitane toiletries. Wi-fi or lack there of is normally a huge frustration of mine but we had perfect signal in all areas of the hotel – including the beach!

We had room service several times during our stay and this was significantly better than I have experienced in other hotels. Average delivery time was 30 minutes, the menu was really varied and the food always arrived hot rather than lukewarm!

The beaches here were literally perfect. Untouched white sand. Undoubtedly postcard material. The pool/beachside service here was also amazing. Endless staff on hand when you need anything, a drink, a club sandwich, a towel. No lifting a finger necessary. I’m also pretty sure I lost several hours gazing up at the palm trees (pictured) from my sun lounger. Always the sign of a good holiday in my eyes!

One of the main draws of this hotel was the sheer choice of restaurants that were available on the Half Board package. The Royal Hideaway has 6 different restaurants with so much on offer, including a gourmet italian, Mexican and Japenese/Thai – the choices are endless!

We were lucky enough to have the private dining room in Azia restaurant one evening where you take your shoes off before entering the room and sit at a traditional japenese table which sinks into the floor. Very cool.

Spices restaurant is also great as it’s right on the beachfront (breakfast is served here too). Just one thing to be aware of with the Half Board package which is that the hotel insist that you make reservations for each restaurant before you dine. When we were there we were asked to decide the schedule of restaurants for the whole six nights not long after we had checked in! Slightly odd – but don’t be too put off by this as there is flexibility to chop and change throughout your stay.

So to sum up. This resort is fab. It’s so easy to see why this is a member of Leading Hotels of the World. The Half Board package makes it a good value option too.

Beautiful in every way!

We spent 3 nights at this hotel for the family wedding at the end of our trip. I cannot thank said family members enough for picking this hotel for their wedding. I don’t use the word incredible lightly, but this hotel is I.N.C.R.E.D.I.B.L.E.

Most resorts in Mexico are gated communities and as we pulled into the main gates of Mayakoba (village over water in Maya language) we started to get the feeling of complete and utter exclusivity and this continues in the 5 minute drive up to the Banyan. As we arrived, I was literally blown away with the welcome from the staff (flower bracelets and green juice provided on arrival, nice touch!) and the first sight of the lobby is unforgetable with the Banyan Tree on display.

Check in here is done from your villa. What a great idea this is. We were whisked onto a buggy and to our pool villa within 5 minutes of arriving at the hotel. Luckily we had only come from Playacar, but this is a huge plus point if you’ve had a long flight.

Without being over the top, I am pretty confident in saying that opening the front door to this villa was one of the high points of my entire life. Huge mahogany doors which led to our own private garden which backed onto the Mayakoba lake. Two huge sun loungers plus a day bed sheltered with it’s own roof in case the sun gets too much. Plus a hamock outside the bedroom to sit and watch turtles swim past (in case you get bored of floating in your own private pool). What a dream.

Inside was just as impressive! The biggest bedroom I have ever had the pleasure of staying with huge high ceilings and separate walk in wardrobe. The bathroom was also unbelievable. His and hers sinks and Banyan Tree branded products everywhere. Including towels with the green tree emblem embroidered. The attention to detail is second to none and it’s easy to see why the Banyan Tree chain has such a huge following.

Can I add we also had an outside bath tub complete with a wall of candles? This also came with it’s own  menu where you can pick from various options and have the staff come and draw you a bath and provide champagne and chocolates etc (extra charge for this, of course).

Let’s also talk turndown service, the epitome of a luxury hotel experience. Hats off to the Banyan Tree for the best the best turndown service I have ever received! We returned to our villa on the first evening to find two Banyan branded black silk robes on the bed, slippers at the foot of the bed, incense burning and calming music coming from the speakers – guaranteed for a good night sleep! If that’s not enough to impress you, the hotel also provide you with a little gift each night on your pillow. On our 3 nights we received a little wooden turtle, a mayan style purse and a shot glass – amazing!

On the last night of our stay we decided to give room service a try and this was well worth it. Our dinner was delivered within 30 minutes and in a huge mayan style basket which kept the food really warm.

If we hadn’t have been staying at the hotel for a wedding then it would be fair to say that we may have actually gotten through our 3 night stay without bumping into a soul as the whole resort has such a private and exclusive feel.

As the resort is quite large, the easiest way to travel around is either by bike (each villa is provided with their own), boat or by buggy. A cycle to the beach from the hotel reception would potentially take 15-20 minutes, so a a buggy may be more preferable if it seems a little strenous! A must is to also take a boat tour which the hotel run regularly throughout the day. We went on a trip for an hour along the lake looking at all the wildlife (and got a good chance to have a peek at the Rosewood next door).

The two main highlights of our stay here were of course, the family wedding. You have a choice of locations for your wedding in the resort and we were lucky enough to experience a beach ceremony and reception at the beach club. The drinks reception on the beach following the ceremony was magical – soft string lights, the mariachi band playing in the background and further up the beach one of our party even saw some turtles hatching! Bucket list moment defined.

Our second highlight was visiting the spa. The Banyan Tree chain are renowned for their spas and we couldn’t have stayed here without trying this out! We opted for the rainforest experience where you get taken through various different rooms in the spa – including some amazing tropical walkthrough showers and the opportunity to make your own scrub. Well worth doing! Plus you can use the pool/hot tub facilities afterwards.

An unforgetable luxury trip – I’m still thinking about the margaritas now!

Sophie x