A few weeks ago my husband and I stayed at The Rosewood Mayakoba in Mexico for our ten year wedding anniversary. The experience was unlike any previous Mexico vacation we’d had before. I shared quite a bit about it on instagram (highlight saved here), but I promised a full blog post recapping every thing for those of you who may want to refer back while planning your own visit.

ROSEWOOD MAYKOBA - THE AREA & RESORT

The Mayakoba area of Mexico is about a 40 minute drive from the Cancun (CUN) airport and is situated on the Yucatan peninsula. It has three different habitats - white sandy beaches, twisty jungle-like mangroves, and clearwater lagoons. There are several resorts along the Mayakoba stretch, but we chose to stay at The Rosewood for its beautiful grounds and top notch service; it was our ten year anniversary after all.

The Rosewood Mayakoba’s property contains all three of those ecosystems. They have a large stretch of beach that is combed each day for seaweed with multiple pools (two beach-front), one further back on the grounds and one in the spa. The grounds intertwine among the corkscrewed trees of the mangroves making it SO fun to bike around the property. It felt like we were in Wizard of Oz, but make it jungle. Most of the villas are lagoon-facing and have views of the clear water with its bobbing turtles and swimming fish. The property set up was so different from other Mexico resorts that tend to be one large high rise building surrounding a pool area on the beach (not that those aren’t WONDERFUL, they are, but this was definitely a unique experience).

The resort offers SO many luxury feeling amenities - personalized butler service (Miguel was our and he was a doll and so helpful!), an app where you can request literally anything at any time, bikes and golf carts for getting around the large property, lots of little treats in our room when we would return each day, an generally tons of friendly staff at every turn making sure you have everything you need. There was not one instance of our stay where the customer service was not above and beyond. And that matters a lot to me - especially when you’re paying higher end prices.

OUR ROOM/VILLA

We stayed in a Deluxe Overwater Lagoon Suite and it couldn’t have been more equsistely decorated. Each area of the space was designed with such intention to natural light and functionality. It was sleek yet warm and truly made me want to scrap my grandmillennial taste for a Jenny Kane vibe (only momentarily, don’t worry). We had a little private plunge pool, a deck with sofa and lounger, a living room, dining table that sat ten, a bar & coffee area, bedroom, vanity/desk area, huge bathroom with an indoor and outdoor shower and giant soaking tub. The cool part - over 60% off our villa was OVER WATER. It was a stand alone “house” with private entrance so we totally could have camped out there the whole time and never saw another guest. It was super cool and I loved having the living/dining space to enjoy in the mornings when we would wake up and do a little work before heading out for the day. You can see a tour of it here on my Instagram Reels.

ACTIVITIES

Let it be known that next to eating, my top vacation activity is to sit by a body of water and read a book. I’m not a big excursion gal. Plus we were only there for two full days (we arrived Thursday afternoon and left Sunday afternoon). We did do some biking (the best way to get around the property IMO), lounged near the adult pool and bar (the resort is family friendly and has some really cute touches for kids and families as well as adult-only areas), walked the beach, and visit the spa and gym. They do offer excursions, paddle boarding, kayaking, and more. The spa was SPECTACULAR and I could have spent an entire day there - lots of little paths and ponds to wander with chairs to lounge in. It was quite the oasis. The gym was a good size, had views of the spa pool and had several Peloton bikes.

FOOD

The resort is not all inclusive, which we preferred for this particular vacation. I find that all inclusive places can be a bit more rowdy with the clientele and we were looking for peace and quiet this time around. The resort had several restaurants and bars to choose from and truly all of the food we had was spectacular. It all had a fine dining feeling to it. We ate at Agave Azul one night and the sushi was phenomenal. Another evening we had drinks and lite bites at Zapote and again the flavors were wonderful. I also had plenty of guac and tacos from the taco truck (Aqui mi Quedo) near the beach each day. My favorite part of our dining experience was that at each restaurant it was a unique menu. I’ve been to some large resorts where each restaurant is basically the same menu just switched up a bit, but at The Rosewood Mayakoba we truly. had a different meal at each restaurant. Many of the restaurants do book up if the resort is at full capacity so we had our butler set up reservations for us as soon as we got there (but you can also arrange prior to arriving).

SPECIAL TOUCHES

Ahead of our stay, I emailed the concierge to arrange a private beach dinner for us they truly blew it out of the water (pun intended). First of all, they emailed me back quickly which I always love. And then what I thought was going to be just a table on the beach with dinner was SO much more. We had beach writing, a private cabana, a beautifully set table, and a fire pit area with two chairs. And the BEST playlist. It was all so lovely and felt so special and was a great setting for us to reflect on ten years of marriage and all that we had done and hoped to do together. If you have a big group or a proposal or something special you need planned, they will one hundred percent take care of you!

COVID & SAFETY

At the time we traveled (August 2021), a negative COVID test was not required before entering Mexico. We did for extra precautions, however, self-test at home before going. Before you can enter back into the US you do need proof of a negative COVID test from 72 hours prior to boarding. Our hotel arranged for our testing on-site and made sure we had the proper QR codes and paperwork completed before we departed at the end of our stay. We flew American and having the VeriFly app downloaded and our profiles created a head of time also helped.

As for The Rosewood Mayakoba, the resort felt very safe. It wasn’t crowded, we had plenty of space around us at the pool, beach, and restaurants. The driver and car that picked us up from the airport (sent by the hotel) had hand sanitizer available for us. The staff wore masks the entire time and we wore them when we were indoors near other people. Our driver (hotel staff) on our way back to the airport ensured we made it through security before leaving us at the airport - a really nice touch because it was little chaotic in the Cancun airport.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I absolutely fully recommend The Rosewood Mayakoba for a vacation (and I’m pretty picking). Whether it’s just you and your partner, a group of friends, or even your family, they really do a wonderful job of providing luxury service in a gorgeous setting. Nothing seems generic at The Rosewood Mayakoba. It is an investment for sure, but you definitely receive the highest level of experience comparable to the price.

BONUS CONTENT: HOW TO PACK FOR A WEEKEND AWAY - ALL FROM AMAZON!

As I was linking outfits I wore on our trip to Mexico, I realized I basically packed everything from Amazon! I decided to create a little capsule wardroom all available from Amazon. That way if you’re headed for a long weekend, a girls trip, a honeymoon, etc. you can snag some of these essentials that are all under $40!

For the sake of not writing it on every single one of these items, note that just about everything listed here comes in a bajillion other colors.

SWIMSUITS:

light blue triangle bikini ($29) - this bikini is a little more risk-ay than my normal mom-suits, but it was fun to put on for our private plunge pool in our room. I sized up. The top is super cute with the ruffle. you could always pair with a more full-coverage bottom. (BUT ALSO, when else are you going to wear the bikini than with your sig other on a special trip - just do it and feel confident and have fun!)

black bandeau bikini ($24) - I LOVE this suit! It is super comfortable and had decent coverage while still feeling sexy. I sized up.

white ruffle one-piece ($34) - If you’re looking for a more full-coverage option, I LOVE this suit. I have it in the light blue and it fits so well and the one shoulder ruffle feels special. I love the idea of the white version of it with a pareo around your waist. So chic.

ACCESSORIES:

wrap visor hat ($23) - adore this hat bc it provides good coverage on both my face and chest. AND it’s flat in the back so you can lean back to read books (cough drink margaritas cough) without smushing it. Comes in a lot of colors if the rainbow seaming isn’t your vibe. OH! and it rolls up so it’s easy to pack.

Panama hat ($23) - another roll up hat! So great for packing. This one has less sun protection but looks super cute. Love it with a low bun and caftan.

retro tan sunglasses ($17) - these are my latest obsession as of late. They look a little retro, but are super flattering on most face shapes. The oversize square size is so fun and the light tan color is great for fall (or vacation!).

white oversized sunglasses ($15) - ok these white sunnies are a definite look, but I think they’re so fun for vacay! And they hide almost your entire face which is great if you’ve had one too many cocktails the night before.

tortoise sunglasses ($15) - If you’re looking for a more classic sunglass look, these are perfection. And at $15 it’s totally fine if you loose them to a wave.

straw clutch ($17) - Ditch the diaper bags and work totes. All you need for vacay is this simple straw clutch, some lipgloss and your hotel key. Big enough to hold your phone and sunglasses, too.

COVER UPS:

blue pattern kaftan ($25) - this looks almost identical to this $125 kaftan and can be worn as a cover up or a dress. It was so breezy and perfect for our trip.

white embroidered kaftan ($25) - I’ve had this kaftan/cover up for years and always get compliments on it. The embroidery on it looks MUCH nicer than $25. It is a little see through, so it’s definitely one fo just wearing over a swim suit.

blue pareo wrap ($16) - I have some expensive pareos and honestly, I’m always too afraid to wear them pool-side or near the ocean. I don’t want them to get yucky! This one is $16 and, honestly, looks pretty similar to my nice ones. Tie it up around your neck like a little dress, wear it long or fold it in half around your waist.

PACKING:

makeup brush case ($10) - I have talked about this little tube of genius before, but I have to shout it out again. My makeup brushes take up so much space in my makeup bag when I travel and then they get all grody on the counter in the hotel. THIS cup holds them all and has a lid. I actually use the base of it every single day. It holds on my bushes on my sink at home. When it’s time to travel I just snap on the lid and toss it in my bag. (It also matches this cheap

packing cubes ($20) - I have multiple sets of packing cubes for our family, but this set is my favorite because it has the most pieces for the price and the most sizes that I use most frequently.

DRESSES:

pink wrap dress ($29) - This is the easiest dress ever! Seriously looks so good on so many people. Tons of colors. Sexy yet sweet. And if you roll it instead of folding it, you won’t even need an iron.

green linen column dress ($26) - This look isn’t for everyone, but I personally love it. Long live the mumu and wet hair in a low bun look for vacation dinners. This also comes in black and is so simple and elegant. Add a statement earring and done.

blue long sleeve short dress ($33) - Including this long sleeve version now that we are in to fall. Obviously this capsule is geared towards warm climates, but how great is this dress for right now - heels for date night, sparkly tennis shoes for girls night.

SHOES:

braided sandal ($40) - Goes with everything, block heel for walking on sand or grass, just high enough heel to make your claves look good, but not too high that you’ll be in pain.

studded bow sandal ($16) - Valentin-almost. The cutest studded jelly sandal for pairing with all those caftans.

Want more travel recaps? Be sure to check out these posts about Galveston, 30a, and The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.