Mexico: Living Luxe
For our minimoon in Mexico, Mike and I used Chase rewards points to enjoy a luxury stay at the Fairmont Mayakoba. It’s literally the nicest place we’ve ever vacationed. Between the personal concierge service, the amazing on-site restaurants, the luxe residences, the infinity pools and the beach, it was truly a vacation to remember.
The trip started where our relationship started — a JetBlue flight out of JFK! Shout out to JetBlue for the upgrade! :)
Our 20-minute drive from the airport with MeetPlaya Transfers was flawless. Once we arrived, we were hand cold aromatherapy towels for our faces and checked in. Our personal concierge escorted us to our residence in the jungle. From first sight, we knew we were in for a treat here.
THE HOTEL PROPERTY
The residences are built around a lagoon and beach and situated inside the Mayan jungle. It was complete with nature trailers, foot bridges, a big gold course, multiple pools, and of course, a beach.
THE ROOM
The actual room itself was spacious, filled with drinks and snacks, and it had a glass shower/bath so you could see the outdoors. The deck overlooked the jungle and we got to see amazing birds each morning at dawn.
THE BEACH
Our first stop was (obviously) the beach. It was about a half mile walk from our room through a mangrove forest. We opted to walk the first day but take the free on-premises bikes the rest of our time there. We were nervous there would be a seaweed problem that had plagued the area for most of the year, but it was totally fine! Once you walked onto the beach, you were immediately assisted by the wait staff with towels, menus, and drinks. It was heavenly. We tried to start every morning there and end every evening there.
THE POOLS
There were three main pools (though each pool had like three more pools in its area) in the resort. We most frequented the pool with the swim-up bar (because duh), but we also enjoyed the infinity pool overlooking the beach. Each pool came with a personal wait staff who also refreshed your towels along with your drinks.
THE LAGOON
One of the best ways to get around the property (besides a bicycle) was to take the boat through the lagoon. It made several stops among the residences, spa, and pools. We took it on a nature ride outside of the main area and got to see some baby crocs.
THE FOOD
I didn’t take as many photos of food as I would have liked, but that’s because I was busy consuming it all. We ate mostly at the on-site restaurants — Las Brisas, El Puerta, La Laguna and Hix Bar — though most of the restaurants also served the pools and beach. All of the menus changed daily based on the fish that came in for the day. Desserts featured Mexican chocolate, and of course, drinks were delicious tequila/mezcal concoctions. Breakfasts were filled with freshly made green juices, fresh fruit, and local produce.
We also enjoyed the Willow Stream Spa, but since everyone was basically nude, no photos were allowed. The steam rooms filled with eucalyptus were so soothing and going from the hot tubs into a cold pool was the perfect thing after our hour-long massage.
I am so happy that we were able to relax and enjoy this magical place post wedding. It was truly a delight.
-Jen
