Rosewood Mayakoba

What a memorable stay! A review long overdue but my husband and I truly enjoyed the lagoon suite, the food whether at the restaurants or on the beach. It was fresh, delicious and original! The staff is super friendly and accomodating. 100% recommend.

This marks our third visit to Rosewood Mayakoba in the last four years, and it remains the luxury resort we measure all others against. Even after the departure of GM Daniel, the property continues to operate at the highest levels of excellence. # What Makes This Resort Truly Special # The people at Rosewood Mayakoba are what elevate this resort from great to extraordinary. They genuinely embrace the concept of hosting guests as “la familia,” and it shows in every interaction. Every single staff member goes out of their way to ensure you’re having an incredible stay. Our butlers Francisco and Susie absolutely spoiled us with thoughtful surprises around every corner - from pool floats for our daughter to organizing a surprise family game night. They find time to check in every day and help making any plans from dinning to activities easy. These personal touches make all the difference. # Exceptional Dining # While food can be subjective, we find the culinary offerings here are excellent. Anyone visiting should absolutely seek out the tostadas at La Fondita - they’re some of the best things I’ve ever eaten, anywhere. La Ceiba dinner continues to be a highlight of our stays. The food is amazing and we love the opportunity to interact with the staff hosts at a more personal level. More resorts should look to this unique dining experience for inspiration. This visit, we were seated next to Neshma, the community manager, who was an outstanding host. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her. # Special Recognition # Silvia, Cynthia, and Rachel deserve special mention - they treated us like family and made our trip feel extra special with their incredible gestures. We genuinely can’t wait to see them again. # One Thing to Note # The family pool is currently under renovation through the end of the year. There were days when the construction noise was an annoyance, but the resort has done everything possible to mitigate the inconvenience. Plus, there are plenty of other pools on the property where you can find quiet. Still, guests who might find construction noise particularly bothersome should consider waiting until the project is completed. # Final Thoughts # Rosewood Mayakoba continues to set the standard for luxury hospitality, and it’s the warmth and dedication of the staff that makes it truly unforgettable. This is what luxury hospitality should be - personal, thoughtful, and genuinely caring.

We stayed at this resort for what was supposed to be a relaxing getaway, but unfortunately, our experience fell far short of expectations for a property of this caliber. The Beach/Seaweed Issue: Before booking, I specifically asked about the seaweed situation since we had stayed at Banyan Tree about five years prior and remembered it being an issue. I was assured that it was no longer a problem and that the water was crystal clear because they clear it out regularly. However, when we arrived, the seaweed was terrible and significantly impacted our beach experience. The seaweed made the whole beach and beach pool smell. When we brought this up to staff, we were told that the water was clear on the day I had originally called - which is completely irrelevant since we booked for two weeks later. This felt deceptive and like we were purposefully misled. Service and Food Quality: The overall service and food quality were disappointing compared to most Rosewood properties and almost all 5-star hotels we've stayed at. The standards simply didn't match what you'd expect from a luxury resort. The food itself was subpar at best - the breakfast wasn't great at all, and we tried to get a simple latte almost every time it was done wrong. The Italian restaurant was some of the worst Italian we've ever had anywhere. We were paying Michelin star prices for food thrown on a plate by someone who seemed to be learning a recipe for the first time. During our over week-long stay, we found ourselves consistently trying to hunt for staff when we wanted to get anything done or get any food or beverage, both at the pool and the beach. It became a running joke among our group because we knew we wouldn't be able to get any service. Lack of Service Recovery: What was most frustrating was the complete lack of effort to address our concerns during our stay. When we brought up these issues, we were essentially dismissed without any attempt to make things right. Not even a small gesture like complimentary breakfast was offered to acknowledge our disappointment - not even a sincere apology. We felt like our concerns weren't cared about whatsoever. The Few Positives: I should mention that Gerry, our butler, was great and attentive - he's the only reason this isn't a 1-star review. The housekeeping was also immaculate throughout our stay. Bottom Line: We won't be returning. For the price point and reputation, this resort should deliver a much better experience. There are many other luxury properties that actually care about their guests and deliver on their promises.

We went to Rosewood Mayakoba as a couple in 2018 and then had two kids over the next several years and tried every other Mayakoba resort along with other luxury resorts in Mexico and Latin America that are good for families but I just couldn’t get Rosewood out of my mind so we just returned in 2025 with the kids and it was as exceptional as I remember! They have done a good job keeping the rooms in shape and despite them doing some renovations while we were there at one pool, we absolutely loved our experience. Our butler Samantha was top notch- getting us many surprises that the kids loved! Balloons for my husband’s birthday and a special bubble bath and tent with unicorns for the kids. She anticipated our needs like keeping our ice bucket full all the time. We love that this hotel has both romance and peace and luxury yet a good family atmosphere- it is very hard to find both and it manages it effortlessly. I wish there were more hotels like it! Thanks Rosewood!

We’ve stayed at other resorts in the area before, most recently at the St Regis Kanai last year, so my comments / comparison will primarily be with that property. Our stay was for 4 nights from Jun 27-July 1. The Rosewood Mayakoba, being a Rosewood branded property, comes with the service you would expect. The service is much more personal, attentive, and genuine compared to St Regis. Every staff member were super friendly. Those whom we met addressed us by family name. The property, completed in 2007, is definitely showing its signs of aging. It is in desperate need for a refresh. Sure they are renovating the Punta Bonita pool, but everywhere else needs a refresh also imho. Our family of four stayed in a Deluxe Lagoon Suite, with a king bed and sofa bed. We checked in early but had originally booked a Lagoon Studio suite with 2 queens, but it wasn’t ready yet. The room does seem to have gotten a minor refresh though. Was well appointed. Bathroom was nice and the tub was big. Kids had a great time especially when they set up a surprise bubble bath. However, we did use the tub the first night and my son found a small shard of glass. I had thought it was just bath salt that wasn’t fully dissolved but it was glass. Good thing no one got cut. We also found the tiles peeling and found pieces of tile in the tub. We tried the kids club, but the kids had no interest. The hours seem limited (closing at 5pm) and the activities were not interesting. My kids liked other kids club we’ve been to (including the St Regis) alot more. Service is sometimes slow, but perhaps due to the size of property (everything is super far apart). Service was also lacking at Casa Del Lago pool. On our first day, it was not busy at all and we had to set up our own chair and had to walk to the bar to ask for a menu. Second day they had no chairs but we were lucky to have found 2 to share. We also overheard a lady get up to walk to the bar asking about status of her order as she said “it’s been more than half an hour”. However, we are glad they allowed families here (vs. Originally stated) because otherwise we would only have access to the Aqui mi Quedo pools which were no fun especially for the kids. Aqui mi Quedo pool needs an overhaul - super small pool(s), and the material is so rough that my daughter scratched /scrapped her toe badly. Not sure why it has to be that material… Beach is almost non-existent - not the resort’s fault but it’s quite sad. Everyday it’s completely overrun by sargassum seaweed. It also smells bad by the beach and beach pools because of it. They really try to clean it up but hauling away truckloads upon truckloads of seaweed everyday, but doesn’t help much tbh… We booked a Rosewood Elite rate which included breakfast. Was ok… nothing to write home about. Frankly the breakfast at St Regis was better. Much larger spread, and much better quality. I do recognize this is subjective. Nothing on the menus for the onsite restaurants really interested us so we went to eat at Fairmont and Banyan Tree for dinner. We only order lunch poolside and again nothing to write home about. Overall, there are more variety, and especially at Bassano at Fairmont, much better value with their ongoing 30% off promo. Food overall was much better at Kanai (across Etereo, Edition and St Regis restaurants). Both were expensive but food was much tastier at Kanai for a similar price point. Food in general is just outrageously expensive for the quality. We travel a decent amount and don’t mind spending alot on food (my kids are well eaten and have had many meals at Michelin starred restaurants of all price range) and they didn’t eat much on this trip at all. I do admit they are picky eaters, though. Just expensive for what it is and frankly, felt like they gauged knowing your options are limited. Lili - one of our butlers - was the lone standout. Super attentive, super friendly, and surprised the kids. Out of 5 stars: Overall: 4 Room: 4.5 Food: 3 Service: 4.5 Ambience and decor: 3.5