Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya: luxury ecotourism meets Mexican flair

Along Mexico's northeast Yucatán Peninsula, about half an hour south of brash tourist haven Cancún, lies the well-loved strip of Caribbean coastline, Riviera Maya. Halfway between the party central Playa del Carmen and bohemian beachtown Tulum you'll find Mayakoba: a 600-acre oasis of lagoons and canals that wind through dappled mangrove forests, and slip out over flour-like sand into the bright turquoise sea and the world's second largest barrier reef. 

The private complex is one of Mexico's foremost areas of sustainability and conservation, home to more than 200 species of wildlife – and four hotel groups: Rosewood, Fairmont, Banyan Tree and Andaz Mayakoba, each connected by a dream-like lagoon but staking out its own quiet stretch of sand. 

Playa del Carmen is just a few miles north, for all your shopping and nightlife needs, while Tulum offers world-class archaeological ruins, but Mayakoba is a place to switch off and reconnect with nature. Guests of one hotel are welcome to visit and eat at any other – but after five days with every meal at Andaz I can't imagine why you'd want to. It's a hotel that is as close to perfect as you can imagine, and one I would definitely choose for a honeymoon.

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In most luxury resorts there appears to be a compromise. Perhaps high-quality service comes with a haughty vibe, maybe authenticity is sacrificed for gimmicks or sustainability for overwhelming choice on the menu, or it could simply be packed and hectic. Not so at Andaz Mayakoba.

The hotel

The Hyatt concept hotel is so integrated with the landscape that it seems to have sprouted from roots in it, and has none of the inauthentic, in-your-face consumerism you might expect from an all-inclusive resort. Instead, the entire ethos is to arrive as a visitor, depart as a local – one who cares deeply about the region, its flora and fauna and the future of its indigenous communities.

This is the holy grail of resorts: luxury comfort and fine dining that's perfectly at home barefoot on the beach, and staff members who make you feel welcome: attentive but not annoying; informal but not inappropriate. After five days I was on first-name terms with several. 

The hotel boasts its own private stretch of beach, dotted with stone-coloured beds (not sun loungers; actual beds with pillows) and dozy, swaying palms. There's also the 18-hole golf course, the Naum wellness spa for traditional Mayan rituals and 214 rooms, including 41 suites, with plunge pool terraces either overlooking the beach or lagoon. 

Guests can stay on the north side of the lagoon, next to the signature open-air lobby, two out of five restaurants and the spa, or on the ocean side, with the remaining three restaurants and beach access (each side has its own freshwater pool). Thanks to the eastern outlook, the ocean-side rooms offer access to the most spectacular sunrises, which take the edge off any jet lag.

A golf buggy ride between the two sides, via a twisted path that scythes through the mangroves, can take up to 10 minutes. It seemed inconvenient at first, but I grew to enjoy this miniature safari (multiple times a day; I wasn't taking any chances on one of the resort's free-to-hire bikes after a tequila or two), and spotted some of the complex's extravagant birds or lazy iguanas. 

Although the hotel has a peaceful, adults-only vibe, the complex offers an array of activities for children and adolescents, including a Mayan treasure hunt, arts and crafts and a "choco lottery".

Rooms

The soothing rooms have cool-toned floors and open layouts, sand and stone colour schemes with pops of bright, Mexican pink and traditional Mayan accents. The terraces of the ocean-view rooms leads down onto the beach, with a view marred only by water filters, which protect the beach from unsightly seaweed.

The Hyatt Grand Bed™ is as enormous and high-tech as the name suggests, and you might need a degree in advanced physics to operate all the switches and plugs. But it's impossible to find fault with the walk-in rain shower.

The rooms offer some thoughtful touches: a beautifully painted book of Mayakoba's bird species, and a guide to the region's cenotes: underground water-filled caves. Plus, the supply of Gummy Bears (replenished daily) went down a treat. 

Eating and drinking

Some might be put off by all-inclusive, for fear of being bored of the same food day after day. But this is where Andaz stands apart from its competitors. Executive chef Miguel Gomez unifies five restaurants under a farm-to-table concept: bright Mexican flavours with an international twist. You quickly learn that each restaurant has a totally different vibe. 

The lagoon-side pavilion Cocina Milagro boasts the most comprehensive (and whimsical, thanks to the doughnut tower) breakfast buffet I've ever seen, complete with stewed nopales (Mexican cactus), the perfect accompaniment to a fresh omelette. Tinta del Pulpo, looking out across the pool towards the ocean, serves down-to-earth but elevated Mexican street food: fresh ceviche, artisan beers and addictive prawn tacos. The vegan restaurant VB offered a dizzying range of juices and fresh salads, and surprisingly good cocktails.

The remaining two have been rated among the top 250 restaurants in Mexico, by Guía México Gastronómico: Sotavento, a romantic feet-in-the-sand beach hut, serves fresh Mediterranean-style seafood under a canopy of fairy lights. The fine dining Casa Amate is decorated like a high-class library room, offering a gastronomic tour of Latin America: pork belly with achiote sauce, Venezuelan arepas, roasted plátanos in coconut milk, or Uruguayan chupin (fish soup).

The Andaz ethos is clear: the ingredients are almost exclusively local, and the seafood is sourced via a growing sustainability movement called pesca con futuro, or "fish with future". This is food that loves where it comes from, and wants you to love it, too.

Activities and excursions

Andaz offers an extraordinary selection of cultural experiences, including Mayan meditation with the Naum Spa's resident shaman, cacao wellness workshops, cooking classes, mezcal tasting and a guided tour of the local cenotes. 

Two stand out in particular. Firstly, a small eco-cruise tour of the lagoon, through the Mayakoba mangroves. Accompanied by an impossibly fresh breakfast, you wind through the dappled green light and try to spot as many animals as possible: caimans, giant iguanas, terrapins, and an endless assortment of flashy birds.

The hotel also organises an excursion to a remote Mayan village in the forest, about two hours' drive away, near the Melipona bee reserve. This is the world's oldest and smallest bee species, whose honey is said to have healing properties. The community harvest the honey from the critically endangered species in the traditional way, while offering tourists the chance to support the work by buying their handmade crafts. 

After trekking through the forest to see the buzzy hives, the village abuela – grandmother – invited us to eat with her family. For all the luxury fine dining, those handmade tacos were a culinary highlight.  

Harriet Marsden was a guest of Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya and luxury tour operator, Untold Story Travel, which offers bespoke travel experiences to Mexico and destinations around the world. Rates at Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya start from £310 per night (andazmayakoba.com). 

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