Riviera Maya, Mexico

Maroma

Price per night from$1,183.44

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (inclusive of taxes and fees) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD1,183.44), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

Master of Mayan crafts

Setting

Yucatan's jungle-shrouded shores

Perfectly plunked between sea and jungle, Maroma, a Belmond Hotel​, in the Riviera Maya is – at first glance – a gleaming whitewashed lesson in the Mexican ideal. But colours saturate the frame as you explore further; this is a joyous celebration of local craftsmanship, with bright and bold beading, weavings, paintings, tiles, and objets, where slick mid-century-style furnishings mingle with wicker and wood statement pieces. And its passion runs deep as a cenote: local creatives have made striking imagery for a Fotografía Maroma series, guests get hands-on with crafting sessions and tortilla-making lessons, and Latin America’s first Guerlain Spa looks to tradition for healing.

Smith Extra

Get this when you book through us:

One US$100 resort credit a stay (one for each room booked), to be used for dining, drinking and spa treatments

Facilities

Photos Maroma facilities

Need to know

Rooms

72, including 51 suites.

Check–Out

Noon. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

More details

Rates include an à la carte breakfast and daily coffee, tea, hot chocolate, a newspaper delivered to your door each morning (from 7am to 9am), 24-hour concierge service, pressing service and a cocktail on arrival.

Also

One of the rooms is adapted for those with reduced mobility; staff are happy to help, if needed.

At the hotel

Private beach, spa with nine treatment rooms (including two for couples), gardens, gym, pressing service, bikes to borrow, 24-hour concierge service, and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: personal host, morning coffee and newspaper service, tea- and coffee-making kit, Bluetooth sound-bar, air-conditioning, Xinú bath products, and beach necessities.

Our favourite rooms

Go for a Master Suite, which can look out at the ocean or gardens, and has a private balcony, a soaking tub and extra space. Families should opt for interconnecting garden-view rooms. If you're seeking a little extra seclusion, spring for four-bedroom Villa Maroma.

Poolside

There are three. The heated main pool is family friendly, and has garden views. The second pool, which is for over-18s only, is set near the ocean, with prime views; there are no lifeguards on duty at either pool. There is a third adults-only pool, by the spa and all three are open daily from 8am to 8pm.

Spa

A mellow mood prevails at the Maroma Spa by Guerlain (the first of its kind in Latin America, no less). Set in the jungle, it uses top-of-the-line products in treatments that are native to the region, drawing on past healing rituals (we suspect Melipona honey and a temazcal may be involved) and the surrounding nature. There'll also be daily meditation workshops, sound and healing sessions, and yoga.

Packing tips

The sun is extremely strong on the beach, so bring armour or stop by the thatch-roofed boutique for anything you might forget, including cover-ups, sunscreen, sunglasses and hats, along with pottery and other souvenirs.

Pet‐friendly

Well-behaved pups under eight kilos are welcome for $200 a pet, they just have to be kept on the lead when walking around the hotel and grounds. See more pet-friendly hotels in Riviera Maya.

Children

All ages are welcome; babysitting services are available to keep little Smiths entertained.

Sustainability efforts

Lots of them: the hotel’s sustainability pledges are guided by a commitment to the UN’s Development Goals. Maroma operates as a smart building to reduce their carbon footprint and light pollution, runs conservation efforts to protect three local endangered species (sea turtles, parrots and melipona bees), has established initiatives to support the local community, sources all ingredients sustainably from farmers and fishermen within the area to reduce food miles, and run upcycling programmes with local female artisans to ensure waste is diminished. You’re in good hands when it comes to sustainability here.

Food and Drink

Photos Maroma food and drink

Top Table

At Casa Mayor restaurant, request a table near the windows to look out at the terrace. Or sit by the bar at Freddy’s, where the crashing waves are your soundtrack.

Dress Code

Beach chic: floaty tops, elegant linens and nice sandals will suit perfectly.

Hotel restaurant

There are two, and both serve some of the region’s best food. Casa Mayor serves with a focus on farm-to-table cuisine and fine cuts of grilled meat or just-caught fish. Chef Daniel Camacho mans the kitchen, dishing up Mexican-inspired Yucatán dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And, exciting rumors abound about a new chef helming the second restaurant – with a new menu to be unveiled come August 2023. And, the hotel has some very exciting culinary experiences in the works, including traditional tortilla-making and cacao workshops.

Hotel bar

We’re still waiting on word of the hotel’s new drinks lists, but mezcal will likely feature prominently alongside impressive mixology. Freddy’s Bar is a waterfront beach hut with live music and a laidback atmosphere, and new lounge-like Bambuco is the special-date-night pick come evening. 

Last orders

Freddy’s serves from 9am until 11pm. Casa Mayor serves breakfast each day from 7am to 10.30am, lunch from 12pm to 5pm and dinner is served at both restaurants from 6pm to 10.30pm.

Room service

In-room dining will go above and beyond sandwiches and salads, with Mexican dishes, available 24 hours a day, that’ll make eating in bed feel even more decadent.

Location

Photos Maroma location
Address
Maroma
Carretera Cancún-Tulum, Km 51
Riviera Maya
CP 77710
Mexico

Maroma, a Belmond Hotel, is set on the Riviera Maya, outside Playa del Carmen on Highway 307.

Planes

Cancun International Airport is a 35-minute drive from the hotel. From here, you'll be able to fly to cities all over the world, including Miami, New York and Paris. It's also served by some charter flights from the UK. Transfers from the airport can be arranged, just speak with the concierge before you arrive and they’ll send a private driver to pick you up.

Automobiles

If you plan to leave the hotel, a car is advisable. Cancun airport has several rental kiosks. From the airport follow the signs to Playa Del Carmen and follow highway 307 until you reach Puerto Morelos. Go past the Vidanta and Iberostar hotels, then make a U-turn at the exit when you see a sign saying 'Secrets Maroma'; then pull all the way to your right, take the safety lane, and slowly continue about 100 metres until you come to a wooden gate and a palapa-roofed white structure. The hotel also has free valet parking available for ease.

Worth getting out of bed for

There's plenty to keep you occupied here. Hike through dense jungle to the remains of a lost civilization, swim alongside gentle whale sharks, or set sail in a private yacht. When you’re ready to unwind, enjoy a rooftop yoga class with panoramic views.The Maroma Spa by Guerlain bears the distinction of being the first of its kind in Latin America. And it might be one of the best tension-busters in Mexico, with a biophilic design, healing rituals inspired by nature and tradition, and a reverence for the sacred-to-Mayans Melipona bee’s honey. After you’ve steamed and soaked your way to relaxation, join the chef for a cookery class, where you'll master traditional recipes punched up with native chillies (habanero, pequin, poblano…) and local herbs. 

Some of the Riviera Maya’s most spectacular reefs are right off Maroma’s shore, so the lifeguard-surveyed beach is ideal for snorkels and dives. Beginners can get their PADI certification at the marina and resort staff can also arrange deep-sea fishing.

Rent a four-wheel drive to check out the local ruins and cenotes near Chichén ItzáCoba and Tulum. Sian Ka'an, a lush biosphere near Tulum, is dense with vegetation, home to beautiful animals and one of the most pristine Unesco World Heritage Sites on the continent. Between May and September, it’s home to giant marine turtles who come onto the beach to lay their eggs. Guests can glimpse the spectacle (no photos allowed) from a safe distance of more than 10 metres.

Local restaurants

Belmond lords it over its immediate surroundings when it comes to dining, so if you want to mix things up, you’ll need to pop over to Playa del Carmen for the best flavour. Nab a spot at locally-loved La Perla Pixan, an unassuming palapa-thatched restaurant with an open kitchen where chef David Fernandez Avelino feeds fan favourites in the form of grilled shrimp starters, traditional tacos and freshly-fried fish, alongside custom Mezcal-based cocktails. Sustainability built Amate 38 serves authentic Yucatán fare around looming tropics and natural cenotes. Sautéed red recado shrimp, charcoaled chicken paired with ancient Mayan chaya, and orange-marinated tuna steaks make up this fresh, homemade menu.

Reviews

Photos Maroma reviews
Erin Hartigan

Anonymous review

By Erin Hartigan, Travelling taster

‘Dude, this is gonna be awesome,’ the fellow next to me in a tequila-branded T-shirt crows (along with some intermittent shouts of ‘woohoo’) as we begin our descent into Cancún International Airport.

Mr Smith and I swap a quick smirk. ‘Bet our awesome beats his,’ Mr Smith whispers. We have a feeling that our definitions might be radically different from our seatmate’s, as we’re set to bypass bustling Cancún in pursuit of the serene Maroma, a Belmond Hotel, on the Riviera Maya.

A mere 30 minutes south of the airport – we zoom up to the collection of whitewashed, thatched-roofed buildings perched on a secluded stretch of shore on one side with dense acres of rainforest on the other. All of it is blissfully removed from the tourist masses.
Ready to enter vacation mode, we find that the friendly staff awaiting our arrival with icy anise-flavored margaritas (made with the Mayan liquor xtabentún) are one step ahead of us. ‘Now this is awesome,’ Mr Smith chides. The sun is setting as we clink glasses, check in and make our way to Pescado, the Ocean View Junior Suite we will call home for the next two nights.

Set on the north edge of the property with pristine ocean views, our second-floor room has a canopy bed with hand-loomed bedding, a soaking tub big enough for two in the tiled ensuite and a private hammock-slung balcony facing the shore. It’s a travel brochure sprung to life. Rose petals are artfully arranged on our downy bed and aromatherapy tinctures are displayed near the pillows.
‘Maroma? More like Maromance,’ I joke to Mr Smith. He shoots me a ‘how corny?’ look. In this setting, I’d probably fall in love with the party-boy seatmate from my flight. Worried the room will lull us into missing round two of pre-dinner margaritas, we swap our travel gear for breezy linen dinner attire and beeline for the oceanfront bar.

Before we’ve even taken our seats, it’s evident that Maroma knows how to ensure a good time: the end barstool is emblazoned with the name of a trusty regular, who returns each year for his share of margaritas from the barkeep, Victor, who, it would appear, is the world’s foremost tequila expert. Victor directs us to seats next to the regular’s chair, asks a few questions about our tastes and shakes us jalapeno-spiced cocktails with expertly salted rims. As with any top bartender, he also shares a few bits of wisdom on what to order (lots of guacamole) and how to spend our days (doing nothing, except maybe a bit of snorkeling). We nod obediently, already planning our next visits. Mr Smith and I make a pact to have our own regular barstools before the decade’s up.

Mexican-inspired Yucatan restaurant, Casa Mayor lures us outside for dinner, where we feast on ceviche and pasta with local lobster, not to mention a few more margaritas. Though we’ve been on the ground less than two hours, we feel an eternity away from real life.
The beach is completely deserted as we make the short stroll back to our room. Feeling a bit naughty and emboldened by Victor’s potions, the Mister and I take full advantage of the seclusion, stripping off and dashing into the warm, placid water. Giggling like kids, we splash and float and try to spot constellations that even the Hubble telescope couldn’t locate over our home in light-polluted New York City. It feels like we’ve been here a week already.

Mornings are bustling at Maroma. After all, only fools – and the very hungover – would skip the excellent breakfast, which includes options like chilaquiles, chilli rellenos, homemade tortillas and papaya juice. It’s also an ‘early bird catches the sunloungers’ race to nab prime spots on the sand.

Enchanted by just how far this breakfast is from our usual grab-and-go oatmeal, we linger and miss reserving the chairs nearest us and end up a bit down the beach, beside the snorkel shack. Clearly it’s a sign. Booking a boat trip out to the reef, we spend the morning spotting tropical fish, holding starfish, scouting baby sharks and working up an appetite for guacamole.

Following our ambitious life-aquatic morning, we commit to an afternoon of quality time sun-lounger time. The gracious staff – or beach butlers as they are called – offer us free refreshments of ice pops and fruit, and are speedy with the guacamole and cervezas we order.

Glorious as this private playa is, there are few reasons to leave the beach at Maroma. And one is Kinan Spa, a tree-surrounded open-air space that has a few open-air pools and several secluded treatment rooms that face east-to-west to channel positive energy.
Having romped in the night sea, snorkelled, hammocked and overdosed on guacamole and margaritas together, Mr Smith and I opt to do this as a duo. We choose the couple’s treatment room for one of the spa’s messy-but-relaxing signature mud massages, using custom-chosen muds from the special bar. Detoxifying, soothing and sun-burn-busting, the treatments feel almost as naughty as our night swim, especially at the end in our 10-minute post-massage Jacuzzi plunge. The hot tub – with rainbow lights that flash red most often – is meant to amplify the Maromance.

But if there’s anything we’ve learned so far, it’s that Maroma doesn’t need any help setting the mood. The mood is set. And it’s awesome.

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Price per night from $1,051.49