Hotel Esencia

On our previous trip to Cancun, we lunched with friends staying at Hotel Esencia. We were so impressed with the food, the property and the hospitality, we vowed to come back and stay. SO glad we did! It is a rare hotel that can successfully provide you with the luxuries and amenities of modern life yet capture the essence of the local culture. Hotel Esencia is a 5 star beach side oasis in the midst of the Yucatan jungle. My last similar experience was at the Hotel Monasterio, a 5 star hotel in Cuzco Peru. Our secluded villa was nestled deep in the Mayan jungle and it wasn't hard imagining what it must have felt like centuries before. Our first morning there, I opened the villa doors, marveling at the sights and sounds of an awakening jungle, and a cheery attendant dressed in all white hailed me and delivered a steaming pot of coffee and basket of warm, fresh pastries. I felt like Mayan royalty! And for more royal treatment I had a massage in the afternoon. Pure heaven! The spa is housed in a circular thatched hut with a Mayan alter as a center piece. Surrounding the exterior are the treatment rooms where my wife and I got some needed deep tissue relaxation with hand made oils infused with locally grown herbs. A steam room and ice plunge are also available however I was content to bask in my tranquility. They even have chocolate massages for the kids! Post massage we headed to the pristine white sand beach to read a book under a private palapa. Our attendant brought us some healthy smoothies from the adjacent smoothie bar. When they told me they could make it with almond milk, I knew I was home! Later we dined at the garden restaurant. My citrus beet salad was exquisite. The entrees and desserts were equally delicious with incredible presentations. If I didn't know better, I'd swear I was dining in Manhattan. Breakfast at the pool side restaurant the next day was equally impressive. The poached eggs with avocado toast was scrumptious and my wife had a fresh fruit bowl with Greek yogurt and homemade granola. This is not your typical resort food and is just one of the many refined touches that define this hotel. That evening the hotel hosted a margarita happy hour with a Mexican trio playing music in the courtyard. The owner, Kevin Wendle, introduced himself and it is obvious he is passionate about this hotel and his guests. I can't say enough about this hotel. Our week long stay felt far too short and the kids begged us to add a few days to our trip. We will be back again soon! Thanks again to all the staff for making us feel more like family than guests!

Service flawless, great comfy beds, resort embraces its surroundings, with sereque, iguanas, and turtles nesting on the beach each night! Great centre to explore local sights, or just to retreat from the world

This is where the white sand meets the spa, along with the friendliest and most attentive staff that I've had the opportunity to meet on my travels. Hands down, one of the top 3 places that I've experienced in my life and worth it for anyone interested in a little R&R on the beach. A group of us stayed on the property managed by the Hotel Esencia and had the most incredible time. We will be returning again next year and I could go on and on about how amazing this place is, but simplicity and luxury is what this place is all about. Go explore and find out for yourself -- you will fall in love.

Our second time back at Hotel Esencia and what a complete paradise it’s become. So happy we made the choice to come back again. My husband and I first visited a couple of years ago and loved it enough to come back, but now it’s gone to a whole new level as we noticed many new beautiful details in our suite and throughout the hotel. We had booked a Garden suite with plunge pool which was really quite lovely with a large private terrace and spacious bathroom with shower and tub. Walls, ceilings and floors are white-washed giving it a crisp clean look with beautiful Mexican and contemporary design elements intermixed with all the basics anyone might want, like an in-room coffee machine, stocked mini-bar with lots of healthy treats, incredibly comfy bed and pillows, super fast wi-fi (better than anywhere else we’ve been in Mexico), and excellent AC. In my business I have the chance to visit many luxury properties of all kinds and I have to say that this is my favorite boutique hotel in the world. It seems like you’re visiting someone’s incredible personal beach villa, with his personal domestic staff on stand-by to help you at any moment, but the property is so huge that there are plenty of places to go wander, far from other guests and immersed in nature. Beautiful wild peacocks roam the property freely along with lots of other interesting wildlife. If you’re looking for complete relaxation and non-stop pampering on maybe the most beautiful private beach not far from the US, this is the place. The kindest staff always smiling and helpful, lots of delicious dining options, and an amazing juice and smoothie bar where we spent hours reading while overlooking the bright blue sea. Thanks so much to the entire Esencia crew. I wish I could give it 6 stars. It was that hard to leave!

This boutique hotel is not to be missed. It’s on a wide stretch of quiet pure white beach that seems like it’s all for you. The hotel is beautiful in every way, the architecture, the furnishings, authentic artworks everywhere. Never did we expect this attention to detail and refinement at a beach hotel. The photos simply don’t capture the “essence� of Esencia. It’s a bit expensive but I guess you get what you pay for. This place over delivers in every way: delicious food with lots of Mexican and international specialties, outstanding service, their Mayan spa (their Lime Ritual massage was incredible) and even their sophisticated boutique where we found some Mexican ceramics. The staff could not have been sweeter or more helpful. There are beautiful birds everywhere including colorful peacocks and lots of other interesting exotic animals roaming around wild. butterflies everywhere! This place is a slice of heaven. I only wish we knew about it sooner. We are definitely coming back this winter. Thanks to the entire Esencia team for spoiling us.