Banyan Tree Mayakoba

The golf cart ran my husband over It was really bad and she was really upset. It’s not fair. He is ok but may need stiches We have had a good trip but had to go yo hospital Also they charged for broken granite We loved the location but they have not treated us like a resort

⸻ Currently staying at Banyan Tree Mayakoba. The villas are stunning — spacious, private, and beautifully designed. Check-in service was smooth and welcoming. But the service, especially housekeeping and breakfast, has been incredibly disappointing — far below what you’d expect from a 5-star luxury resort. We’ve been requesting water bottles for over 3 hours, called more than 10 times, and still nothing. Now they’ve just stopped answering the phone altogether. It’s honestly shocking. And the breakfast service? Rude and unprofessional. I simply asked for another cup of coffee just before breakfast closing time (while others were still dining), and the waiter told me: “Today it’s fine, but if you ask for another cup tomorrow and you’re late, it will be chargeable.” Mind you — breakfast is included in our stay. Totally unnecessary attitude. We are Marriott Titanium members and usually stay at Marriott resorts because of their consistently great service. Unfortunately, here we felt like we were being treated at a 3-star level, not the world-class luxury Banyan Tree claims to offer. Some restaurants, like Sands Beach, do have wonderful staff and better service — but overall, our experience so far has been a letdown.

We recently stayed at Banyan Tree Mayakoba for our first family trip to Mexico, and it was an experience we’ll never forget. We booked through AAA—while it wasn’t the cheapest option, the peace of mind and reliability they provided made it well worth it. After this trip, we feel much more confident in how we’ll book travel in the future. From the moment we arrived, it was clear that this property excels in personal service and attention to detail. Every touch felt intentional and memorable. The concierge team made it effortless to book unforgettable excursions—snorkeling with sea turtles, exploring Mayan ruins, and swimming in cenotes were all highlights for our family. Yes, dining and spa services are more expensive than in town, but they are absolutely worth every penny. We experienced the Habb Dinner, a one-of-a-kind culinary journey. Pepe and Alexandro were not only knowledgeable but also incredibly engaging, adding a cultural and educational flair to the evening. Special thanks to Jasmin, the restaurant concierge, who went above and beyond to make this experience extra special. At the spa, Olga created a customized treatment that left us feeling completely rejuvenated. The Rainforest Experience is a must-try—unlike anything we’ve seen elsewhere. Each villa has its own private pool, which was a perfect retreat when we wanted some quiet downtime. And the Sands Beach Club offers a beautiful, semi-private stretch of beach—shared only with a few neighboring properties—so it always felt peaceful and exclusive. We can’t wait to return to this paradise. Thank you to the entire Banyan Tree Mayakoba team for making our first trip to Mexico so memorable!

BE AWARE OF INFLEXIBLE CANCELLATION POLICY. I'm trying to resolve a booking with this institution and finding that they have inflexible policies. We booked a room through Expedia and were very excited for our trip. We watched a few youtube videos and got even more excited about the resort, after viewing one video which featured the Ocean Front walk out room, we decided to splurge and upgrade 2 nights of our stay to the higher price room - super luxurious, super expensive - super NON REFUNDABLE. This policy was not apparent on the Expedia site, when we were making the changes to our booking ALL of the room categories advertise fully refundable as is the usual Expedia perk. Fast forward a couple of days and we realized we had booked the dates right when our son is going to graduate, so we cancelled and figured we'd rebook later. We received a refund for the 3 nights Bliss Pool Villa but were charged 4K for the 2 nights that were NON REFUNDABLE. We've tried working through Expedia, no luck They're "truly sorry, and know its disappointing". I partially blame Expedia that wasn't a bigger flag or indication in advance of our booking on their website. We've tried multiple ways to resolve this. We asked via Expedia, if BTM would honor a change (instead of a cancellation) given it was a mistake and we truly did want to stay at the resort. But the Mayakoba wouldn't even agree to that - they want to take our money for NOTHING. We're not rich, this would have been a splurge for our 60th birthday's we are forced to pay over 4K for the cancellation of what would have been our dream upgrade. Happy Birthday from the Banyan Tree Mayakoba. Thanks for nothing but a sadness and a big hole in my bank account.

Decided to return for our Anniversary as they renovated the old serenity villas with living room. Have been here three times already and was at Rosewood last year. Always thought service was pretty good here so decided to return and try the new renovated Deluxe villa with living room . Pre arrival communication was not always good as I emailed a few times to get information on invilla BBQ and arrival amenities for purchase. Finally received but only after sending multiple emails. Booking the car was fast and they reached out to me first but this is done by the Mayakoba transportation division and not the hotel itself. Arrived and met the driver Fidel. He was very friendly and a safe driver. Met at resort and check-in was average. did not really mention my Accor gold status. Then it went down hill from there. We were transported to our room villa 210 which we stayed at 3 years ago and upon entering realized it was an old serenity unit and not a newly renovated Deluxe villa with separate living room. We went back to reception and talked to a supervisor named Gena. She advised it was a mistake and they moved us to an old villa instead of the new Deluxe due to human error. We questioned how and why as they are two different categories with different names. She insisted rather rudely and snarkily that it was human error and seemed annoyed that we were questioning why we were given the wrong room type. She stated it would be an hour before we could get the Deluxe room and advised we could go have lunch while we waited. She finally said we would be comped the lunch. As it was now 4:30 pm we asked instead for dinner in the room and she said yes. Humans do make mistakes but how they handle the issue is the reason why we are dissatisfied with this resort. All she had to do was at the start of the conversation just apologize and provide some form of apology instead all we got was attitude. Was here 3 years ago and had a complaint and Gabriella sent us a cheese plate and wine as an apology and came by one evening when we were at Saffron and comped us our meal. Gena would do well to learn what customer service is from Gabriella. And mind you the issue was small back then. We had filled in the survey during our trip and did not complain to management at all. Then Gabriella did all that from the results of the survey. Sorry, but given the wrong type of room is a big deal. Also, we were celebrating an anniversary and all we received was six white chocolate dipped strawberries. Rosewood gave us a bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne. we also did not get a welcome gift as per Accor gold. We finally entered the deluxe villa by 5:30 and they were still filling in the pool. The room was obviously out of inventory or why would the pool be empty. It seems they rushed the room as it was missing many items. It took the next day until they finally got all the items a normal room should have. Luckily my wife noticed a juicy mango in the first room and took it when they moved us to the new room because the fruit plate in the second room was 3 apples whereas before, it was bananas, plums and mangoes. Overall we noticed these deficiencies in the room after arrival and during our stay with service. 1. no soap dish despite asking for one on three separate days. Finally had one on our third night. Prior to that, we had to use a face cloth to put our soap on. 2. No vanity kit in room. No bottle opener in living room. You need a bottle opener to open their bottles of drinking water. In room dining felt sorry and left us hers on the first night. 3. The safe is actually not connected to anything and can be picked up and removed from the room so it was kind of useless. 4. Housekeeping inconsistent. One day no bath mats, next day no face cloths. Another, no toilet paper. Then they didn’t replace the mouthwash. Had to constantly ask for bottled water. 5. Bath towels not always fully restocked and quality of towels inconsistent and worn out. Also had a hanger with Fairmount on it. The pool towels were also worn. One day they gave us new thick grey towels. Only received them again on the last day. Noticed the residences had the grey ones. 6. Oriente service. Only one good day. Rest of the days, staff would dote on large families and ignore others. Took 15 minutes one morning to get coffee and water service and only after waving down staff. Then we have yo wave them down to sign the bill. 7. In room dining inconsistent. Steak one came without chimichanga sauce, one day there were placemats, next few days none. Condiments one day and none the rest. Cello service was good. We also found out they are building a condo a few steps from the entrance but they will have access to the facilities. So, it will be busier at the pool, beach, gym and restaurants. Be careful when you go as we had the bad luck of being there when the LPGA was at the golf course. On the Sunday we heard loud music all afternoon and from nearby. We would like to thank Sheila from housekeeping and Miguel our host. In summary, the newly renovated rooms are nice and fresh but the service was too lacklustre and with Gena’s attitude we will no longer be coming back. We have been to many Banyan Tree resorts and feel this one does not meet the same level of service and attitudes expected. We will travel elsewhere from now on. Go to Koh Samui, Vabinfaru, Krabi, Phuket double pools or Lang Co instead. Tip avoid the Memorial Day weekend and LPGA weekend as it is very busy with families. Make sure you know which villa you booked and expect to get when you arrive. if you are Accor they do not care. it took over 3 weeks to get my points posted despite multiple emails and Accor customer service bugging them.