Banyan Tree Mayakoba

Our family recently stayed at Banyan Tree Mayakoba for four nights, paying approximately $12,000 because we believed we were booking one of the premier luxury resorts in Mexico. We expected a true five-star experience that justified the premium price. Instead, it became one of the most disappointing hotel stays we’ve ever had. We understand that problems can happen at any hotel. What made this experience so frustrating wasn’t just the number of issues we encountered, but how each attempted solution created another problem. By the end of our stay, we felt as though we never actually received the accommodations or experience we had originally booked. We had reserved a three-bedroom villa specifically because it met our family’s needs and advertised a fully equipped kitchen. Our son has autism and a very limited diet, so we arranged for a private chef to prepare meals for our family during our stay. Before arriving, Banyan Tree initially informed us that outside chefs were not permitted on the property. After explaining our son’s disability and dietary needs, they agreed to make an exception, but only after requiring us to pay a $150 access fee. Since the hotel approved the chef in advance and knew exactly when she would be arriving, we naturally expected the kitchen to be fully equipped and ready for use. Unfortunately, from the moment we walked into our villa, things began going wrong. The villa had a strong musty, mildew-like smell that immediately triggered our allergies. It felt damp, dark, and almost basement-like. The floors were so dirty that simply walking barefoot inside the villa turned the bottoms of our feet black. Several doors were broken or would not lock properly, the bathroom flooded after using the bathtub, and overall the villa felt neglected rather than luxurious. Even the basic amenities reflected poor maintenance. The ironing board was broken and collapsed while I was using it, falling onto me. Thankfully I wasn’t seriously injured, but it easily could have been worse. The iron itself was also damaged, with a broken steam button that no longer worked. The biggest disappointment, however, came that evening when our private chef arrived. Although Banyan Tree had approved her arrival beforehand, she still waited approximately 40 minutes just to gain access to the property. Once inside, we quickly discovered that the “fully equipped kitchen” advertised with our villa was anything but. There were virtually no pots, pans, cooking utensils, serving dishes, or other basic items needed to prepare a meal. Our chef then spent several additional hours trying to obtain the most basic cooking equipment from the hotel. Dinner wasn’t served until nearly 8:00 p.m. By then, our three children were exhausted from traveling, and frankly, so were we. What was supposed to be one of the highlights of our vacation became one of its biggest disappointments. We barely ate because everyone was simply too tired. Much of the food our chef had carefully prepared went untouched. To Banyan Tree’s credit, they acknowledged that the experience had been ruined by removing the cost of the private chef’s dinner from our bill. They also later provided one complimentary dinner at one of the resort’s restaurants. We genuinely appreciated both gestures. Unfortunately, they couldn’t replace the experience we had lost. The following day, after documenting the many issues with our villa, Banyan Tree agreed to move us. We appreciated that decision, but we weren’t relocated until nearly 1:00 p.m., meaning we lost a significant portion of our second day waiting for the transfer. The replacement villa was unquestionably nicer than the first, and we appreciate the hotel’s effort to improve our accommodations. However, it still wasn’t equivalent to what we had reserved. We had booked and paid for a three-bedroom villa, yet we were moved into a two-bedroom villa. We also lost the fully equipped kitchen that had been one of the primary reasons we selected our original villa. After explaining that we still needed somewhere to store the food our chef had prepared, the hotel brought in a mini refrigerator. While we appreciated the attempt to help, it was nowhere near large enough to hold the meals that had been prepared, and much of the remaining food ultimately had to be thrown away. Throughout the remainder of our stay, the problems continued. The private pool at the new villa was repeatedly filled with leaves, bugs, and debris and was not cleaned daily. Housekeeping was equally frustrating. On several days we intentionally left the villa from approximately 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. specifically so housekeeping would have plenty of time to clean, only to return and find that nothing had been done. We frequently had to call multiple times just to have the room serviced or to receive basic items. Even after scheduling pickup times for room service dishes, they often remained outside our villa long after the agreed-upon time. The most concerning issue during our stay involved our children’s safety. The resort provides glass bottles of water around the private pool. During our stay, one of our children accidentally dropped one of the bottles, and the broken glass immediately injured them. We understood that accidents happen. We immediately contacted the hotel and specifically requested that the entire area be thoroughly cleaned because we were concerned about remaining glass around the pool. Staff came and cleaned the area, and we trusted that it had been made safe. Later, however, another one of our children stepped on glass that had been left behind after the cleanup. While the original accident was unavoidable, the second injury should never have happened after the hotel had been specifically notified of the hazard. There were several other disappointments throughout our stay. We were surprised by additional charges, including the $150 fee for our approved private chef, a charge simply to have a small grocery delivery brought from the resort entrance to our villa, and more than 4,000 pesos in charges for our children during one dinner that had never been clearly disclosed in advance. One evening, after having what turned out to be the best meal of our trip at Fairmont Mayakoba, we asked Banyan Tree for transportation back to our villa. Instead of sending a boat or golf cart, we were told to ask Fairmont to transport us. That response was surprising for a resort positioning itself as one of the premier luxury properties within Mayakoba. Throughout our stay we met with both our concierge and the hotel manager regarding these issues. During our final conversation, the manager assured us he would review everything and get back to us. That follow-up never happened. After returning home, we sent a detailed email documenting our experience along with photographs. We never received a direct response addressing the concerns we raised. Ultimately, Banyan Tree offered us two complimentary nights on a future stay. While we appreciate that the hotel attempted to make things right, we explained that future nights did not fairly compensate us for losing so much of the vacation we had already paid for. After our experience, we simply have no desire to return. Ironically, we’ve stayed at Fairmont Mayakoba before and also experienced a plumbing issue there. The difference wasn’t that something went wrong—it was how it was handled. Fairmont acknowledged the issue immediately, compensated us for the affected night, and made us feel like valued guests. That level of accountability was noticeably absent during our stay at Banyan Tree. Looking back, no single issue ruined our vacation. It was the accumulation of everything: arriving to a villa that was not properly maintained, a kitchen that was not as advertised despite the hotel knowing our chef was coming, a special family dinner that was ruined by preventable delays, being moved into a villa with fewer bedrooms than we booked, food going to waste because there was no full-size refrigerator, repeated housekeeping failures, safety concerns involving our children, unexpected charges, and a lack of meaningful follow-through from management. For a resort charging approximately $12,000 for four nights, we expected far more. We are sharing our experience not out of spite, but in the hope that Banyan Tree addresses these issues and that other families—particularly those traveling with young children or children with special needs—have the information they need to make an informed decision.

Was great! Amazing service by Gamliel at the Bea CB who helped a lot! brought us personalized drinks to our request, was a very enjoyable experience

The beach service was unbelievable Gamaliel was a great wait server. One of the best i have ever experienced.

An incredible experience. The rooms, staff (Jesus and Juan were particularly helpful), facilities, dining, beach and property in general are top. We booked this same trip two years in a row and plan to do so again!

Went to the beach. Met Gamaliel. He was a great server. First time visiting was amazing experience.