Mexican beach haven a gateway to Caribbean paradise

Take your pick from five swimming pools at this sprawling resort and leisure complex.

Fairmont Mayakoba guests can be whisked along the canals by covered motor boat.

Riviera Maya is a beguiling name for a holiday coast and the perfect setting for the gated compound of Mayakoba, an integrated development covering 97ha of tropical forest, resorts and leisure facilities near the resort town of Playa del Carmen, and 50 minutes from Cancun, on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. The Gulf of Mexico is to the north and eastwards as the seagull flies are Cozumel, Cuba and the myriad islands of the Caribbean. It’s an undeniably popular spot for North American holidaymakers and, accordingly, the scale is big and bold, with a championship golf course and aquatic activities in abundance.

Aerial view of Fairmont Mayakoba resort, Mexico.

Its star resort, Fairmont Mayakoba, which opened in 2006, was the first on an estate threaded with lagoons and a network of canals in which guests are whisked along on lancha, or canopied motor launches. This has given rise to the much-quoted description of “the Venice of the Caribbean”. Other notable properties sharing the coastline and waterways are Banyan Tree, Rosewood and Andaz. If I were to compare this resort community to a multi-faceted Asian estate, then Bali’s Nusa Dua and Laguna Phuket in southern Thailand fit the bill.

I am bound for a Caribbean cruise and have checked into Fairmont Mayakoba for some dry-land R&R before flying from Cancun to Fort Lauderdale. Not planning to venture far from the resort, I’ve opted for an all-inclusive dining package, which includes selected minibar and menu items. Breakfast at La Laguna, with its views of mangroves from a sheltered deck, means a knockout buffet and substantial dishes to order, such as eggs benedict with Canadian bacon or smoked salmon. Did someone mention eggs? How about fried huevos on corn tortilla with refried beans, Oaxaca cheese, ham, peas, fried plantains and tomato sauce. Or a breakfast burrito with the works. Suddenly the all-inclusive dining package seems excessive and lunch a redundant meal.

Casita Suites are spacious and airy, with wraparound balconies.

There are 401 guestrooms in nine categories, including a loop of 34 Casita Suites, comprising two per freestanding villa with upper or lower accommodation choices. These are a superb choice, especially on the top level, with space and airiness, huge bedroom, separate living area with convertible sofa bed, wraparound balcony, and two marble bathrooms, the larger with a tub. The decor isn’t completely up to the minute but it’s smart and comfortable, with feature walls in fiesta colours, and sufficient design touches to confirm that this is Mexico. Dark timbers and limestone finishes feature throughout and the technology is excellent. If you opt for a top-tariff Beachfront Casita Suite, expect a private plunge pool and an easy stroll to the Caribbean Sea. The beach has been undergoing rehabilitation since 2017 and now stretches to the sea in a 60m-wide swath, its edges planted with mature palms.

La Laguna restaurant at Fairmont Mayakoba resort.

And now for some exercise. There are five pools across the resort, including adults-only options, and swim-up bars are popular, with DJs catering for the party crowd at night. Bikes and optional helmets are provided free of charge for guests to get around or call for a staff-driven golf cart. The precinct covers more than 18ha and do slow down to observe sun-bathing iguanas and to enjoy the gardens, planted with water-conserving plants and native species, all part of the resort’s rigorous land and sea environmental program. Take out a catamaran, sea kayak or SUP or just loll on the white sands. I recommend the guided ecology boat tour to see many of the 300 bird species on the peninsula. Then there’s the Willow Stream Spa, where traditional Mayan ingredients are used in some treatments, such as honey sourced from stingless Melipona bees.

Or you could (almost) eat a bee if you sign up for an Edible Insect Degustation event at La Laguna, where ingredients are “prepared and seasoned using simple yet flavourful herbs”. If you’re game, Mexican chefs will gussy up grasshoppers, maguey worms, ant eggs, and escamoles (larvae from the chicatana ant), all washed down with agave-based mescal. The resort’s tequila bar could well be your next stop, with fiery habanero chilli margaritas a specialty. El Puerto serves mod Mexican and Asian fare, while Las Brisas, in a beachside pavilion with a wide terrace, dishes up the likes of a tasty lobster roll in pita-bread and premium steaks. There’s also a cevicheria at Las Brisas and an oceanfront bar. Go for the green curry ceviche or whole fried fish served with handmade tortillas.

For golfers, this is a serious destination. The Greg Norman-designed par 72 El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Course is adjacent to Fairmont Mayakoba and the only Mexican course played on the annual PGA tour (earlier this month). There’s a Jim McLean academy, cool GPS-equipped buggies, velvet fairways and immaculate greens with a signature seventh hole that features a cave in the middle of the fairway. Rental clubs are Calloway, and Titleist golf balls are available; the country club-style golf house features portraits of major players, including Australians Adam Scott and Jason Day. It’s a rare privilege for an amateur golfer like me to play on a PGA tour course, with an iguana keeping me company at a tee, and another highlight of a stay at a resort of great scope and style.

Jo Makito was a guest of Accor.

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CHECKLIST

Fairmont Mayakoba

Carretera Federal Cancun, 77710 Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico;
[phone]; fairmont.com.

Tariff From about $420 a night.

Getting there Fly into and out of Cancun airport.

Bedtime reading The Ruins by Scott Smith; Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya by Jeanine Kitchel.

Stepping out The world-renowned Mayan ruins of Tulum and UNESCO World Heritage-listed Chichen Itza are from one to three hours away by road; costs vary wildly for tours but a private vehicle with driver and guide is recommended.

Brickbats There’s no public transport to Playa del Carmen or Cancun; taxis and tours are available.

Bouquets Three hours a day of complimentary supervision for four to
12-year-olds in the kids’ club; for such
a big resort, service is personalised
and it feels uncrowded, unless you choose peak breakfast time at La Laguna.

Also try Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Resort; Angsana Laguna, Phuket.