Cast your mind back a decade or so and you’ll remember a time when Tulum was being hailed as the next Goa or Bali, an off-the-beaten-track boho paradise that promised crystal clear turquoise waters, blissfully crowd-free beaches and authentic Mexican experiences. Fast-forward to today and Tulum is officially over, ruined by its own rabid popularity. Those azure waters and baby powder-soft sand beaches still remain, but now they’re overrun with influencers trying to get shots of their $15 acai bowls and Burning Man-style revellers looking for the hottest party to go to that night.
Those who knew it when it was still a sleepy coastal town lament its demise and the fact that it’s now filled with overpriced hipster hangouts, bougie hotels and jet-set millennials looking to find themselves – derisively referred to as the ‘Tuluminati’. Yet the fact remains that this stretch of Mexico’s east coast is still jaw-droppingly beautiful, home to pristine beaches, lush tropical jungles, world-class coral reefs and a whole host of natural wonders, from breath-taking cenotes to tranquil lagoons. But how to experience it away from the crowds of infuriating tech bros and faux hippies?
By steering clear of Tulum altogether and heading to nearby Riviera Maya instead. Located just a 30-minute drive from Cancun airport, this coastal stretch of the Yucatan Peninsula is nothing new, and winter sun worshippers have been flocking here for decades. But now the area is having something of a revival, thanks to a clutch of buzzy new hotel openings and glamorous revamps that have firmly put it back on the map. That coupled with Tulum’s spectacular fall from grace means Riviera Maya is now one of the hottest spots to visit in 2024.
Top of the list of places to stay is Maroma, A Belmond Hotel’, the newly revamped property from the Belmond hotel group (rooms from $725, belmond.com), who count Venice’s Hotel Cipriani and the luxurious Venice Simplon Orient-Express trains among their stable. Set amongst 200 acres of lush tropical jungle, the hotel recently underwent an extensive renovation to reopen in August last year and is now one of Riviera Maya’s most sought-after spots. With balmy temperatures year-round, it’s also the perfect place to escape the harsh British winter, which I was all too happy to do for a week in January along with my husband and our three-year-old daughter.
Having been to Tulum in 2013, just before the area was ruined by rampant overdevelopment, I was wary about what we might find just a few miles up the road. Would the hordes of influencers already have migrated here? But I couldn’t have been more wrong – Maroma feels a world away from Tulum’s heaving throngs, blissfully peaceful and sensitively designed in keeping with its surroundings. Originally built in the 1970s by a Mexican architect, the property started out as a beachside restaurant with a few palapas added over time for friends to stay in. The eventual transition to hotel was a natural one, and the traditional white-washed buildings with their thatched roofs still remain, albeit spruced up by the recent refurb by interior architecture studio Tara Bernerd & Partners.
The whole place feels like a joyful celebration of Mexican culture and craftmanship. In our room we found custom-made mirrors and wall-lamps from Guadalajara and hand-carved wooden furniture by Alberto Alfaro Joffroy, the architect behind Antigua de Mexico in Tlaquepaque. The floors, meanwhile, are covered with beautiful hand-painted terracotta tiles and even the cute turtle toy my daughter is presented with was hand-knitted by a local maker, in a nod to the sea turtles who come to lay their eggs on the hotel’s beach.
All the experiences at the hotel showcase the best that Mexico has to offer, from a session learning all about the agave plant through sampling different tequilas and mezcals to the ‘Nixtamal Journey’, where we discovered the artisanal process of cooking corn and made our own tortillas by hand. As for the spa, despite being helmed by Guerlain (it’s the French beauty brand’s first spa in Latin America), all of the treatments focus on Mayan healing rituals, while an on-site apothecary showcases natural Mayan-inspired remedies. Alongside this we spent many happy hours making sandcastles on the beach (the hotel backs out onto the most dazzling stretch of sand and sea) and lounging by the cenote-inspired pool – where I was pleased to note not a single person was taking a selfie.
If Maroma is Riviera Maya’s recently revamped beauty, then the Rosewood Mayakoba (rooms from $690, rosewoodhotels.com) is the area’s grande dame. First opened in 2008, each of the 129 suites backs onto the property’s emerald green lagoon, and when you arrive, you’re whisked from the lobby by speedboat to reach your room. Despite feeling a tad flashier than Maroma – the suites are decidedly modern, made from smooth white stone and glass, while the vast pools are more resort-style – the hotel is still firmly rooted in Mexican culture, from the colourful alebrijes (ceramic animals) dotted around the grounds to its annual Yo México festival, which runs from January to March. We’re lucky enough to arrive right in the middle of the festival, which means we get the chance to sample a special Baja-inspired dinner on the beach and take part in a cookery class where we make fiery salsas and fresh ceviche using herbs taken from the hotel’s own kitchen garden.
If you’re travelling with kids, this is the place to come – my daughter couldn’t have been made to feel more special during our stay, from the surprise tepee they set up in our room one night to the excellent kids’ club, Rosewood Explorers, where she was more than happy to spend the afternoon while I tried out the new Hydrafacial treatment at the excellent spa. Days were spent cycling to and from the beach on hotel bikes, spotting local wildlife on boat tours around the lagoon (keep an eye out for the resident crocodiles) and visiting the hotel’s on-site cenote.
If you are looking for a ‘scene’ in Riviera Maya, head to the newly-opened The Riviera Maya EDITON at Kanai (rooms from $729 per night, editionhotels.com), which launched at the end of November. The EDITION group – which was created as a collaboration between Marriott International and Ian Schrager, the renowned hotelier who co-founded Studio 54 – is known for throwing legendary opening parties, and their Riviera Maya outpost is no exception. At the end of February, the likes of Alessandra Ambrosio, Nick Grimshaw and Ella Balinska descended on the hotel for a weekend-long fiesta, which saw them welcomed with a blessing from a local Mayan shaman and ended with them partying on the beach until the sun came up.
The hotel itself has an undeniably cool, clubby vibe and feels decidedly different from the other two properties I visit. Chic purple orchids line the candlelit staircase that leads you up into the vast, triple-height lobby, which is scented by Edition’s signature Le Labo fragrance. Every space here is a thing of beauty, from the sultry bar, where the walls are lined with hundreds of artefacts gathered from around Mexico, to the circular spa, designed to look like a cenote.
So too the outdoor spaces, where the lagoon-sized pool and bougainvillea-strewn café are too pretty not to put up on Instagram immediately. The pristine beach wouldn’t look out of place in the Maldives and comes with a stylish Mediterranean-inspired beach club, headed up by top Mexican chef Tomas Bermudez. Meanwhile, the hotel’s signature restaurant, Ki’is, is helmed by internationally acclaimed chef Francisco (Paco) Ruano, whose Guadalajara-based restaurant Alcalde came in at no.54 on the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2023. The night we dine there everyone is dressed for dinner, feasting on tasting menus and knocking back cocktails. Now that those epic opening party snaps are all over social media, it’s only a matter of time before the influencers find out about it – so get in there while you still can.
5 places to avoid influencers in Riviera Maya
Visit Aktun Chen
This part of Mexico is famous for its cenotes, natural underground sinkholes or caves filled with water. They played an important role in Mayan culture, when they were used as a water source and represented the gateway to the world of the dead. There are hundreds dotted around the Yucatan Peninsula, but the best one we visited was Aktun Chen. There you can explore awe-inspiring rock formations, stalactites, stalagmites and fossils, as well as spot fruit bats. While you’re there, don’t miss the chance to swim and snorkel in the crystal-clear waters.
Try out an authentic temazcal
Part sweat lodge, part ancient ritual, temazcal ceremonies have been a key part of Mexican spiritual culture for centuries. Now many top hotels across the country are incorporating them as part of their wellness offerings. At Maroma, the temazcal takes the form of a small stucco pyramid set right on the beach. There, you can sign up for a shaman-led healing ritual, where local herbs and sizzling volcanic rocks create a detoxifying steam. Settle in and listen to the shaman’s chants as you sweat it out, before finishing off with a refreshing dip in the sea.
Explore village life
In Riviera Maya, it can be all too easy to stay cloistered in your hotel and completely miss the chance to explore the local offerings right on your doorstep. Get out of your resort and pay a visit to Puerto Morelos, a charming little fishing village just north of Riviera Maya. Don’t miss the chance to check out the village’s National Park, which is home to the world’s second largest barrier reef. It’s a haven for snorkellers, where you can spot sea turtles, eagle rays and giant groupers as you explore the turquoise waters.
Go on a spiritual retreat
While Tulum may be heaving with spiritual retreats, there are remarkably few around Riviera Maya. One of the best, Palmaïa: The House of AïA, can be found a short drive away in Playa del Carmen. This progressive, all-inclusive wellbeing retreat has the feel of a far-flung island getaway, set among the lush Mexican jungle. The vegan-friendly resort offers plenty of yoga, energy healing and meditation sessions, as well as lesser-known practices such as soul readings, cacao ceremonies and biomagnetism therapy.
Get a taste of island life
If you’re looking to experience a laidback slice of island life during your Riviera Maya stay, it’s more than worth booking a day trip to Cozumel. Easily accessed via a quick ferry ride across the channel from Playa del Carmen, the island boasts a more traditional, slower-paced lifestyle. Located on the Mesoamerican Reef – the largest barrier reef system in the Atlantic Ocean – this is another snorkelling and diving hot spot, where you can see everything from brightly coloured parrotfish to crabs and eels. It’s also a great place to pick up authentic Mexican ceramics, most of which are crafted by Alba Ceramica in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato.
