Banyan Tree Mayakoba

Stayed for 4 nights in April 2026 with my cousin, and my tween and teen daughters. Our experience was mixed, and in summary did not live up to my expectations or the hype. It was not a 5 star resort based on the frequency of issues and lack of attentional to detail. It seemed more like a resort in its infancy, rather than one that's celebrating its 16th year in operation. Starting off with the good: Facilities and staff were great. Beautiful design and friendly people. Every staff member would greet us which was nice. Very nice nature trail that was fun to bike on. Snorkeling to the Reef adventure was very convenient from the Dive Center at the resort, and the guide, Octavio, was great! Saw a moray eel, sea turtles, sting ray and tons of fish. Went early in the morning and had the boat to ourselves. Best meal was at the Pueblito eating tacos and queso fundido at Cocina Corazon(?), the restaurant next to La Fondita. All of our servers were great. Maintenance crews working hard. I was on the bike trails at 630am and there were people blowing leaves off the trails at 7am. The bad to worse: Our front door to our villa was broken and didn't notice it until after we came back from dinner the first night. Called and it was fixed, but we didn't receive extra pillows and blankets for kids when asked. Waited for over an hour and just called it a night. I had to make request for (2) additional bicycles that arrived on Day 3 even though our concierge had noticed it on Day 1 and said he would have bicycles sent over to us. We also had a different concierge each day, so there was no continuity of service in that respect. Miscommunication was the theme of this trip at Banyan Tree Mayakoba. The reservation system was awful and really caused a lot of frustration. Many times restaurants did not have our reservation or had the wrong number of people listed. WhatsApp concierge on multiple occasions wrote to me as Mr. when I'm a Mrs. There was no way to make a reservation online. The hotel was not at capacity so it was a little strange that we needed a reservation at all. We didn't try going without a reservation because it would have been a hassle if they didn't accept us and we'd have to go through the exercise of trying to get a reservation. We came in April two weeks after Easter, and we saw very few people during the day. More families that I expected, but really just a handful. Sometimes I would call for a golf cart, was given a time estimate, and they wouldn't come. After waiting for the period they said it would take to arrive and then some, I needed to call again. It's only when some drivers would stop when they saw me waiting that they would call for a golf cart to come and get us. Other times, the golf cart went to the villa next door and we (me the guest, and the staff member driving the cart) were both waiting outside. This happened two or three times, and I legitimately do not know why they would go to the villa next door when I would always write down the villa number in the WhatsApp request. Breakfasts were included with our reservation and we went to Oriente. They didn't seem to know when to use a spoon vs tongs. One day the rice had tongs and I requested a spoon, and most days the stews had tongs instead of a spoon or ladle. They had rotating juices, enjoyed the green juice. Noticed that some of the juices were warm or just above room temperature. I'm not sure if the juice was made each morning, but I decided not to drink the juices that weren't cold. They tried to personalize our stay by leaving treats for us as we were celebrating some birthdays. It was a very kind gesture but the execution was not well thought out. On Day 3, they left more treats for us at some point during the day which I didn't see until late afternoon because we were out all day. I have no idea how long the food was there but I would typically want fruit to be in the fridge and not left out the whole day. In both instances, the food was covered in ants. A simple cover would have been a good solution. I had already told them the first time it happened that we had ants and kindly asked them to take it away. We often did not know if special events were happening unless we happened to be at the right place at the right time. In summary: 5 star prices for a 2 star experience. Disappointed with our stay based on quality and value. Some of the above issues wouldn't be so bad if they were isolated events, but we had issue after issue. I gave this feedback to the concierge when I checked out, and followed up with a manager. 2 managers have gotten back to me and have said that they are reviewing this information so it doesn't happen again.

Amazing experience. Top service 👌 At the beach we were served with the nicest guy Gamleil he is the best tgere.. gave us drinks, prepared every day our beach chair in the morning, was there for us all the time with a smile and patience... highly recommend.

Gamaliel took care of us in the best way possible. He set us up nice private chairs at the beach every day and made sure we are taken care of the entire time. He brought us complementary drinks and answered all our questions with the upmost patience.

We had the most beautiful and relaxing stay at Banyan Tree Mayakoba. Nothing was ever too much to ask—the service was impeccable and truly made our stay a delight, especially while navigating our holiday with our 3-year-old. A special shoutout to Jasmine and Fernanda! The resort offers a variety of cuisines, all of which were absolutely delicious. We found ourselves spending most days at the beach/pool bar, where Jesus made us feel incredibly welcome. His attention to detail allowed us to completely unwind and relax. We also managed to squeeze in a massage at their gorgeous spa, where Lorena gave us the most exquisite Thai massages—an unforgettable experience. A 5-star experience with 5-star people!

What really stands out is the rooms - every one beautiful, huge separate house and with a large private pool. Amazing staff (thank you Angel!). True serenity. Only negatives are the frequent seaweed in the beach and the insane food prices ($60+ pastas, Bruce for $300!