Mexico’s Riviera Maya is a popular romantic getaway spot for a reason. With amenities like swim-up suites, spa treatments à deux and even pole-dancing classes for a little bit of sizzle, the region’s hotels are perfect for lovebirds. Whether you’re celebrating a milestone anniversary or the beauty of new love, here are the most romantic hotels to hang with your sweetie.
Banyan Tree Mayakoba
Each of the 122 villas at Banyan Tree Mayakoba, a resort in Playa del Carmen,has a private plunge pool so you don’t have to worry about splashing kids or any other interference while you swim. Ideal for foodie couples, there are a whopping 13 dining and drinking options, but the most intimate choices are a private dinner in the wine cellar and a boat cruise up the lagoon.
Viceroy Riviera Maya
With just 41 villas and a strict no-kids-under-14 rule, Viceroy Riviera Maya in Playa del Carmen is perfect for a grown-up romantic getaway, with private plunge pools, romantic turndown service and canopied beds. For the couple that likes to spa and namaste together, treatments can be done in tandem, with Mayan-inspired accents, such as the scent of burning copal or usage of medicinal herbs harvested from the onsite garden. Private yoga classes are held on the beach (there are group classes, too).
El Dorado Casitas Royale
El Dorado Casitas Royale is a hotel-within-a-hotel, adults-only all-inclusive resort in Puerto Morelos. The hotel features the best of both worlds: 10 restaurants so you don’t have to leave the property — from La Isla’s Mediterranean dishes served in an open-air palapa to Kampai’s Pacific Rim theme — and romantic suites with infinity pools, large hot tubs and swim-up access. Book a couple’s treatment at Náay Spa, which begins with a 45-minute Water Journey to calm the mind.
Hotel Esencia
On the 50-acre grounds of a former private estate, 40-room Hotel Esencia in Tulum is posh to no end. You’ll forget you’re at a hotel and instead think you’re at a rich cousin’s vacation pad. The health-minded hotel, which added new Beach Suites in 2017, features a spa with organic ingredients plus a cold-press juice bar and complimentary afternoon tea. Ask to arrange a private dinner for two on the sand.
Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun
For couples that want to never leave the resort, this Secrets adults-only all-inclusive resort in Cancun delivers the goods, with ground-floor suites offering swim-out access, plus the staff will set up dinners for two on the beach. Dining is ultra-romantic: try Bordeaux, which dabbles in French cuisine.
UNICO 20˚87˚ Hotel Riviera Maya
Acoustic guitarists serenade couples at UNICO 20˚87˚ Hotel Riviera Maya, one of Riviera Maya’s newest properties in Puerto Morelos. The adults-only hotel has a chill vibe, with an elevated cocktail list and a rotating-chef program at one of its five eateries that attracts only the best, like a former Top Chef contestant from Mexico.
Mahekal Beach Resort
Private casitas with plunge pools, hammocks and butler service, right on the resort’s 920-foot beach? Yes, please! Mahekal Beach Resort in Playa del Carmen completed a $16-million transformation in 2016 and offers Ocean Front Beach Houses, plus adults-only penthouse suites with butler service. Four pools and five restaurants round out the offerings.
Azulik
Azulik in Tulum is for the couple that truly wants to escape from it all. Accommodations are in 48 wood-crafted villas — with no TVs to help you unplug — that are so stunning you’ll want to whip out your phone for a photo. (But not post to social media, in the interest of detoxing, of course.) Bathtubs with a view are filled with sacred cenote water, and an ideal size for couples bathing together.
Temptation Cancun Resort
Rooms designed by Karim Rashid in pops of bright colors made Temptation‘s debut last year a huge hit. This sexy adults-only, all-inclusive hotel offers Thirty-minute pole-dancing classes (extra charge applies) to help couples retain their sizzle, while SHE is a restaurant entirely focused on aphrodisiac cuisine. A topless-optional beach and a nightclub called Bash are two other amenities for guests.
