LONDON UK - JULY 08

We arrived late at the Rosewood so missed the boat ride to our room. We stayed in deluxe lagoon suite no. 424 which was lovely, very spacious with all mod cons except a DVD player.

We had been told a good time to visit would be May/June. not so, the weather was awful - it was windy and rained every day except two! But, it was still hot so we could sit aside on the shaded patio area and read and watch the birds.

The beach area is approx a 15 min walk from the room but there are buggies/carts whizzing around all the time and it seems most people use them all the time whereas we walked everywhere. In the end we got a little fed up with the buggies stopping every few minutes to ask if we wanted a ride, we felt as if we should be carrying around a sign that said 'no ride thank you we haven't lost the use of our legs'!!

The beach area is not that big, and it seems that all the families congregate there with noisy kids - the pool area outside the main restaurant is much nicer although we were more than happy to sunbathe on the deck where we had loungers, umbrella etc + roof deck.

The hotel is fabulous,very stylish, the rooms are located on a wandering lagoon, no wonder it attracts lots of honeymooners.

The room service is good, the ladies that clean are speedy and efficient, food good although vegetarians be warned not a whole lot of veggy options but the chef/s are more than happy to cook anything you want. Service in the main restaurant was a bit hit and miss in the evenings it was either great or very very slow, one evening we waited 20 mins before we managed to get menus and 45 minutes for a gin/tonic to arrive by which time my husband was about to keel over.!

The Mexican restaurant we didn't rate that much but I think that is because we are used to Tex/Mex food and were not familiar with a lot of the food - the portions are tiny more a Mexican tapas.

The last night we were there we dined in the main restaurant and were given free champagne and tequilla which was a nice touch. There is a free bottle of tequilla in the rooms.

My husband is a spa-aholic and said it was gorgeous and had only opened a few weeks before we arrived.

The gym is a little crampled but has all the latest equipment, so no complaints there.

I think there were all sorts of water sports available, but as we are not interested in that area, I can't elaborate.

There is also yoga but I didn't get up earlier enought to partake.

There is horse riding available but we saw the ponies on our way home and they looked unhealthy, unhappy, thin and unloved.

We didn't do any site seeing many because of the weather, Tullum is the nearest ruin which I googled but didn't seem that interesting. Chitzen Itza is about a 3 or 4 hour car drive away depending on who you talk to.

We didn't bother going to Playa del Carmen either, there are a couple of so so restaurants there but otherwise it is a tourist hell.

We had a lovely relaxing time but would we go back probably not but that is down to the local area which is a grotty. Cancun is vile!!!!!!

Mayakoba is like a 5 star luxury compound, there are other hotels in the area, Mandarin Oriental and Fairmount - there is a tendancy to feel a little isolated but very secure - there is nowhere to walk out to visit, only other hotels.

Next time I think we will try Las Ventanas on the West Coast which is also owned by Rosewood.

I too am a very picky traveler. I select the best of the best and am rarely 100% satisfied. I do extensive research before I travel and due to my high expectations I am usually disappointed. This was my first time at a Rosewood hotel and I have to say, I cannot find fault with this hotel.

The resort is breathtaking. Spotlessly clean and very romantic.

The suites are wonderful. Huge, spotless, intimate, relaxing and beautifully furnished. The espresso maker and tea sets is a nice plus.
The service is impeccable.. from the personal butler service (that will draw you a bath if you ask) to the poolside servers that alternate between spraying you with cooled Evian spray and cooling your eyes with cucumber slices. Most times they preempted anything I needed including constant refreshments (some complimentary) to cleaning my sun glasses.

The spa is fantastic. Not only is it huge but it is also state of the art and breathtakingly beautiful.

The restaurants are very nice, the menu gets a little old after 4 days but nothing to complain about.

The people are the nicest, friendliest I have ever come across in a hotel, no one is snooty (as often occurs in hotels of this caliber). They met our every need, before we could express it most times.

We expected a bug problem after reading reviews but they sprayed daily and I never saw a bug or mosquito.
The car service is pricey but worth the money.
The breakfast buffet is great. Not only is it healthy but also varied.

The beach is small but fabulous and groomed to perfection. I never saw any seaweed, Im sure they removed it asap.

Coming from a severely picky traveler I sincerely recommend this resort. If you are looking for a quiet, romantic, seriously relaxing vacation spot the Rosewood Mayakoba is an excellent choice.

Recently enjoyed a very nice 4-day stay at the Property. I booked the Summer Escape package that included a breakfast for 2 in a deluxe overwater suite for $500/night which was well below the website rate of $675. The $500 rate popped up when I selected the dates and the package but I know it is on-going. The great thing is you can take the breakfast as room service or the restaurant, so we chose a very nice breakfast on our deck every morning over looking the water. Property is beautiful and staff bends over backward for you. The hotel was running at 40% occupancy according to the staff, but it felt like less than that. The pool by the beach maybe had 20-30 people around it and the main pool (the largest pool), located near the lobby often had no one or 2-3 couples around. On a Friday, my wife and I were the only ones at the main pool from noon to 3PM. Food is very good, but not spectacular. However, it was better than the restaurant we ate at in Playa del Carmen. As with all these resorts, expect sticker shock at the $12+service+tax daquiri but grin and bear it. Overall, very much would recommend it and would go back. It was a very relaxing hotel and you can do as little or as much as you would like, although I think a 7 day trip may find one a little bored toward the end as you have to leave the property to do any extracurricular stuff such as snorkerling, etc....

First a little background - My wife and I travel the world seeking out the best hotels. To us the hotel is the destintation. We are extremely jaded and highly critical. Personally, I have vistied over 70 countries and have stayed at some of the finest resorts in the world.

The Rosewood Mayakoba ranks right up there with some of the best resorts I have stayed at. Rooms were outstanding. We stayed in a Deluxe Lagoon Suite. 1200 sqft., plunge pool, roof deck; killer bathrooms and great furnishings and amendities. Beach suites are not really necessary, you can stay in a beach front room anywhere. The lagoon suites over the unique oppurtunity to stay along a cenote. The setting is very tropical. At night we would sit outside in our palatial patio area and watch hundreds of birds nest in the Mangroves across the cenote. It was truly spectacular. For due diligence purposes we explored the rooms at the mandarin down the road. No comparison. Rosewood has them beat...hands down. The Property at the Rosewood is fantastic. Very nice beach, beatifully landscaped grounds, and two unbelievable swimming pools (There is also a "quite pool" at the Spa which is also nice). The hotels web site needs to be revamped. It does not do justice to the property or the rooms). The main pool was just ranked in the top 15 hotel pools for design and the infinity pool at the beach is perfect. Both pools had cabana's for guests at no additional charge (nice touch). With only 128 rooms you never felt croweded at the pools or the beach. The Restaurants at the hotel were also quite good. In fact, during our stay we not only ate at the Main and beach side restuarant at the Rosewood Mayakoba, we also ate at the Mandarin, Maraoma and what we were told was the best restaurant in Playa del Carmen (Yaxche). While we had very good meals at the off property restaurants (except Yaxche, just average, Frommers 3 stars is not deserved for this one) The meals we had at the Rosewood were far superior. The Rosewoood also had a tequila/ ceviche bar that was great for pre/post dinner drinks and a cigar. Moreover, the breakfast buffet was excellent. Vast selection with many hot items from the menu included. Service - impeccable. Everyone was attentive, responsive and eager to please....from the bell boys, to the butlers, to the beach attendants..they could not do enough for us. I really can't say enough about this property. Even at almost 700 per night (including service and tax) it still is a bargain. I have stayed at places twice as much that do not even compare. Congratulations Rosewood on a fine addition to the Maya Riveria!!!!