These 10 hotels know how to roll out the red carpet for clients who expect nothing but VIP treatment.
1. Hotel Xcaret Mexico
Jet Off To… Riviera Maya, where this unique property welcomes your clients with 10 restaurants and eight bars, infinity pools, jungle trails, and an outdoor workout circuit, plus a river, coves and beaches.
Get Comfy: We’ve fallen in love with the Swim Up Garden accommodations, which grant pool access and offer a cozy setting, but for clients who want to go over the top, recommend the adults-only Presidential suite, which comes with 50-minute massages for two and a 90-minute body wrap treatment for two adults (subject to availability and a minimum 3-night stay), exclusive access to the rooftop with a private pool, and butler service.
Spa Bliss: Muluk Spa & Wellness is one of the most unique spas we’ve ever set our eyes on, as its 15 cabins are nestled into a natural rock. It offers an array of “journeys,” including the Mayan Journey, inspired by ancient traditions and using regional products such as honey, cocoa, cinnamon and clay.
We Love: The All Fun Inclusive concept, with full access to Xcaret park, Xel-Ha, Xplor, Xplor Fuego, Xavage, Xoximilco, Xenses, and the Xenotes and Xichen tours. hotelxcaret.com
2. El Dorado Maroma, A Spa Resort by Karisma
Jet Off To… Riviera Maya, where the adults-only El Dorado Maroma, a Spa Resort by Karisma is home to six restaurants, several pools, an array of bars, beach and pool butler service, a wine cellar, and the option for clients to have a romantic dinner on the beach.
Get Comfy: The Palafitos-Overwater Bungalows are the way to go for clients who want spectacular ocean views and the famed Maroma Beach at their “toe-tips.” These bungalow suites come outfitted with glass bottom floors, direct ladder access to the ocean, a private infinity pool, a spacious terrace with wooden lounge chairs, outdoor showers, and a private jacuzzi.
Spa Bliss: The overwater, 4-suite Naay Spa offers spectacular views out to sea while providing treatments utilizing traditional Mayan herbal practices and the antioxidant-rich Maroma Beach sea moss.
We Love: Palafitos guests get served-in-bungalow full breakfast daily and can request customized beach picnics. karismahotels.com
3. Hacienda Encantada Resort & Residences
Jet Off To… Los Cabos, where your guests will feel right at home in this hacienda-style Mexican property, perched above Playa Medano. Here, there are eight restaurants, two pools, limo and town car service, over-the-top butler service…and unbeatable views.
Get Comfy: Perched high on the cliffs overlooking the Sea of Cortez, the property’s villa accommodations—2- and 3-bedroom options—feature hand-carved furnishings, Mexican decorative accents, a full kitchen, a terrace with some of the best views in the area, and a whole array of top-of-the-line amenities. Villa guests have access to a pool bar and BBQ grill, and guests can even request a private in-villa chef demo.
Spa Bliss: The spa’s 80-minute Hacienda Encantada Experience is the perfect start to a vacation as it includes an anti-jet lag body massage, with a fusion of hot stone, hot towels, lomi lomi and shiatsu techniques, among others, as well as an eye rescue treatment.
We Love: Relaxing on a hammock under a shady palm with drink in hand and looking out over the rugged coastline and the area’s famed Land’s End. haciendaencantada.com
4. Blue Diamond Luxury Boutique
Jet Off To… Playa del Carmen, where this beachfront, 128-room, adults-only resort, part of the SLH collection, offers three golf courses, three pools, three restaurants, a cigar lounge, and onsite activities such as cooking classes and wine tastings.
Get Comfy: Guests won’t be able to say no to the Beach Front Casitas, which feature a terrace that offers private beach access, an oceanfront rooftop terrace with an infinity pool, a king-sized bed with 500 thread count linen sheets, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Spa Bliss: Whether it’s Champagne, chocolate, or coffee your clients prefer, they can opt for one of these elixirs in their treatments as the Spa at Blue Diamond offers a 170-minute Champagne Passion ritual, a 50-minute Exquisite Chocolate body wrap and an 80-minute Coffee Wrap.
We Love: Dining at Ambar, which has nouvelle fusion cuisine on the menu and overlooks the resort’s central lagoon.slh.com/bluediamond
5. Hard Rock HOTEL Los Cabos
Jet Off To… Los Cabos, where this 639-room, framed by a jaw-dropping desert-meets-beach landscape and part of the AIC Hotel Group, is now accepting reservations for travel starting May 2019. Here, clients will find six pools, eight restaurants, a bowling alley, access to three golf courses located within the Diamante Cabo San Lucas Complex, water slides, and designated family and adults-only areas.
Get Comfy: The top of the line when it comes to the resort’s array of accommodations is the Rock Star Suite, with a slew of amenities, but for clients not traveling with a whole entourage, recommend the 1-bedroom Rock Suite Platinum Swim-up Ocean Front, with a king-sized bed featuring 300 thread count Egyptian linen, and dining and living areas, as well as Rock Royal Level amenities such as a complimentary 25-minute couples massage at the Rock Spa, nightly petit fours, aromatherapry and pillow menus, plus VIP check-in.
Spa Bliss: The 22,000-sq.-ft., 27-treatment room Rock Spa is made for VIPs with Hard Rock’s exclusive Rhythm and Motion immersive music-centric spa menu utilizing amplified vibrations, pressures and patterns as the foundation for its treatments.
We Love: Taking a tour of the resort’s music memorabilia; no two Hard Rock properties offer the same menu of dazzling and iconic stage costumes, instruments and the like. hardrockhotelloscabos.com
6. Live Aqua Urban Resort San Miguel de Allende
Jet Off To… San Miguel de Allende, where visitors to this colonial city will find the 153-room Live Aqua Urban Resort San Miguel de Allende—set for a Nov. 1 opening. Once it debuts, visitors will find hip, upscale restaurants, a resort bakery, a mezcal
bar, a pool and jacuzzi, and a souvenir boutique with authentic Mexican handicrafts.
Get Comfy: The minimalist-style suites are paradise, with names such as Eve, Adam and Fuego, but we are loving the Aqua Suite,
with a king feather bed and 400 thread count sheets, an aromatherapy kit, and a private patio complete with a jacuzzi tub, bar, and
outdoor lounge.
Spa Bliss: With its 10 massage rooms, the intimate Feel Urban Spa by Live Aqua San Miguel de Allende will offers guests a Zen space where the body can find Nirvana while getting a massage, or taking in the hydrotherapy circuit.
We Love: Its location in the heart of the historic center of this picturesque UNESCO World Heritage city, with its hipster vibe and artsy groove. liveaqua.com
7. Solaz, a Luxury Collection Resort
Jet Off To… Los Cabos, where this resort, located on 34 acres overlooking the Sea of Cortez, opened last month. Its delights include four trendy restaurants
and lounges, butlers, a wine cellar, a modern chocolate shop and ice cream boutique, a sustainable lush “dry jungle,” and an indigenous gallery showcasing regional artifacts.
Get Comfy: The hip, rustic-style guestrooms and suites feature clean lines and invite the outdoors in, with private terraces with unobstructed views of the sea, and original art. There’s an array of accommodation options to choose from, including a spectacular Presidential suite.
Spa Bliss: The minimalist-style Ojo de Liebre Los Cabos Spa is the only Thalasso therapy wellness spa in Baja and it’s a haven of pure relaxation.
We Love: The tailor-made experiences such as private helicopter trips to
explore the rare cave paintings of Baja. marriott.com
8. Barcelo Maya Grand Resort
Jet Off To… Riviera Maya, where your clients will find the Barcelo Maya Grand Resort, a 5-resort complex (Barcelo Maya Caribe, Barcelo Maya Tropical, Barcelo Maya Beach, Barcelo Maya Colonial and Barcelo Maya Palace) home to 22 restaurants, 19 bars, 10 pools, three theaters, three water parks, and the U-Spa.
Get Comfy: Recommend one of Barcelo Maya Caribe’s Premium Level Swim-up Suites with direct access to the main pool. They feature a private lounging deck, and Premium Level guests have unlimited complimentary access to the U-Spa’s hydrotherapy circuit, specialty restaurants, and concierge service.
Spa Bliss: For the Flotation Experience (check out page 8 for a visual), guests are led into a dark dome-shaped room with a ceiling splashed with twinkling lights designed to mirror the Milky Way. They dip into two tubs filled with water infused with Epsom salt, allowing them to float, and are then treated to a body moisturizing treatment.
We Love: Guests have access to VIP amenities throughout the complex. barcelo.com
9. Casa Velas
Jet Off To… Puerto Vallarta, home to the adults-only, 82-suite Casa Velas. At this estate-like, SLH resort, clients will find sweeping grounds brimming with lush palms and flowers, attentive personal service, golf courses, and a gourmet culinary experience.
Get Comfy: The 1,350-sq.-ft., 2-story Wellness Suites feature a living room and dining room, a private terrace, a bedroom with king-sized bed, and a spacious bathroom with jacuzzi.
Spa Bliss: Tell your clients to opt for the Healthy Package at the intimate, 6,500-sq.-ft. SPA Casa Velas, which includes a 100-minute massage and facial; they can then indulge in the hydrotherapy facilities, with a sauna, pressure shower, steam room with eucalyptus inhalation, and jacuzzi overlooking the gardens.
We Love: The musical recitals that take place in the gardens. slh.com/casavelas
10. Turquoize Experience at Hyatt Ziva Cancun
Jet Off To… Cancun, home to the Turquoize at the family-friendly Hyatt Ziva Cancun, a Playa Hotels & Resorts property. This adults-only enclave offers dedicated butler service, private airport transfers, dedicated check-in, direct access to Zen Spa, and the Punta Vista rooftop pool and bar, as well as priority seating at Tradewinds Steakhouse.
Get Comfy: The 700-sq.-ft. suites overlook the resort’s best seascapes, and feature balconies with private hot tubs; the Turquoize Sky Swim-Up Oceanfront Master Suites, in particular, include balcony access to a semi-private infinity pool overlooking the sea.
Spa Bliss: Zen Spa is an eco-holistic, Mayan-inspired sanctuary with 13 treatment rooms and six beachfront palapas, where guests can opt for the Zen Spa Mexican Journey, incorporating ancient traditional Mexican techniques coupled with indigenous plants.
We Love: Turquioze guests also have access to the adults-only Hyatt Zilara Cancun down the road. playaresorts.com/turquoize-ziva-cancun
