T+L’s Assessment of The Riviera Maya Version at Kanai

I waved cheerfully to my son, Bobby, his physique a mere speck on the opposite facet of the lagoon pool. And he promptly ignored me.

“Marco!” Bobby referred to as out to his two buddies, each energetic, elementary college boys shut in age. The pool, set among the many lush mangroves on the new Riviera Maya Version at Kanai, was clearly the good place ever.

“Polo!” they responded, delicately weaving in between a handful of submerged lounge chairs. This was not a spot for waterslides and toys, nevertheless it was a spot to really feel like a cool child — or grownup, for that matter.

The 192-room Version, a design collaboration between Ian Schrager Firm, Rockwell Group, and structure agency Edmonds Worldwide, is paying homage to one thing from a James Bond movie. Loosely formed like a “T,” the property wows with exterior partitions slanting delicately to the sky, and the spacious, balconied visitor rooms stacked a bit like a honeycomb. The tender Caribbean mild performs methods so as to add angles and shapes at completely different hours of the day; at evening, the property takes on an otherworldly vibe by candlelight within the 45-foot, triple-height foyer, with its clean travertine flooring and welcoming pool desk.

Additionally it is just a little intimidating — at first. I packed a few of my nicest seashore gear and was grateful I did, given the well-heeled crowd and look-at-me vibe. There’s many an Instagrammable second available, whether or not it’s by one of many reflecting swimming pools close to the hovering foyer; on the woven bamboo yoga pavilion, an undulating construction that invitations dramatic poses; or on the extra intimate, adults-only infinity pool a stone’s throw from the seashore.

However don’t let the resort’s glossy floor idiot you: the property is right for multigenerational journey. The central oasis gave the youngsters ample room to unfold out and use their creativeness with an old-school recreation. The adults might head to the adjoining pool bar, or seize a drink within the foyer bar, accented by yellow, pink, and pink velvet seating, and backed by a large wall show of 106 sculptures and vessels nodding to Mayan tradition. Our get together of 10 was celebrating a birthday and bunked up within the Sky Rooftop Villa; at practically 27,000-square-feet, it is the biggest penthouse lodge room in North America. Everybody and every thing can ease into the suite, which crowns the third flooring of the wing closest to the water, with its personal elevator entrance, infinity pool, and a number of alfresco hammocks for lounging.

Certainly, The Version, which is about on a 620-acre nature reserve within the Kanai complicated, one of many newest developments to come back to the Riviera Maya, has carved out loads of nooks for serenity, motion, whimsy, you title it. The primary Version in Mexico and all of Latin America bears most of the model signatures — minimalist-leaning visitor rooms; that customized Le Labo scent, with its hints of black tea and bergamot — nevertheless it additionally feels very a lot of the vacation spot. Ki’is, the restaurant from celeb chef Francisco “Paco” Ruano, the genius behind Guadalajara’s celebrated Alcalde, is a success. So too is the lodge design, which performs up the Mayan emphasis on spirituality and nature, to attain a way of place. Strolling up the orchid-lined, travertine steps to enter the foyer, which has louvered bamboo shutters to let in pure mild, and a seemingly infinite provide of potted vegetation in all styles and sizes, you are feeling as for those who’ve entered one other world completely: the world of trip mode.

Right here’s what it’s like to remain at The Riviera Maya Version at Kanai, which T+L named one of many finest new inns on the earth in 2024.

The Rooms

In case you’ve stayed at one other Version and cherished the clear strains and natural aesthetic, you’ll really feel proper at residence. Rooms have grand teak doorways; cool stone flooring; blonde wooden, four-poster beds; cream-colored rugs; and marble bogs with enormous soaking tubs, the holy grail if you’re touring with youngsters. After I’m on the seashore, I discover {that a} minimalist-leaning visitor room works properly as a result of it takes the temperature down a notch or two, cooling the temper and selling a mandatory siesta. That stated, vacationers on the lookout for extra conventional, colourful parts of Mexico, like talavera tiles or handmade carpets, received’t discover them right here.

What they’ll discover is area — all rooms begin at a beneficiant 570 square-feet — and both a mangrove, partial ocean, or full ocean view, which helps with a way of place. Within the deluxe class, 25 include an expansive terrace; for a personal plunge pool, look into one of many 53 rooms within the premier class. Among the many 30 suites, you’ll discover a wide range of configurations and residential facilities together with beneficiant residing rooms, kitchens, and eating areas.

As an increasing number of of us journey in giant packs, resorts have been upping their suite recreation, constructing out areas that really feel extra like personal houses. The Sky Rooftop Villa takes this idea to the subsequent stage, with 5 beneficiant bedrooms (4 with king-size beds, one with two queen beds) extending off one lengthy hallway. All are identically sized and have sizzling tubs and terraces, so nobody has to fret about getting the “lesser than” room. The lounge, with its tender, white linen couches and large, mounted TV, felt like the last word place to kick up our ft on a Saturday afternoon, youngsters barely sunburned and snuggled on our laps.

Was I always nervous about somebody spilling one thing on the cream rugs? Sure, however that’s what the humungous out of doors terrace was for. With panoramic views of the mangroves and the intense blue sea, this a part of the penthouse was bigger than the yard of a suburban residence, and gave everybody an opportunity to peel off, whether or not to sleep in a hammock on a grassy garden or learn a paperback in a cabana on the raised picket deck.

“What units the Sky Rooftop Villa aside within the Riviera Maya is its sheer measurement and flexibility,” George Fleck, senior vice chairman and international model chief at Version and W Lodges, instructed me. “Whether or not you are planning a vigorous get together with a DJ, a peaceable personal sundown yoga session, or a grand feast ready by a personal chef, we be sure each element is completely tailor-made.”

Meals and Drink

The pumpkin salad arrived, and it was not fairly what I used to be anticipating — a inexperienced gourd formed like a beret with the highest delicately balanced, as if it was the hat’s flourishing pom pom. Inside was a improbable vegetable unfold, which all of us scooped out and unfold over heat pita bread in beneficiant heaps.

The salad, not a salad, was simply one of many nourishing surprises from chef Ruano at Ki’is, the place for a date evening. Set in its personal low-lying constructing among the many mangroves and never removed from the foyer, the vibe skews extra formal. Highlights included a wonderful guacamole (not your common, with pistachio, seaweed powder, and nibs de cacao); tender Mayan octopus; geoduck clams from Ensenada; and grilled lamb, coated in a chili-spiced rub, with salsa verde. For dessert, we received one other suave plate with the “saramuyo” sorbet: native to the Yucatan, the soursop fruit is formed like an apple, with a pinecone-like exterior. A number of slices are organized, pores and skin facet up, inside an iced dish, with the sorbet frozen inside — a hyperlocal and light-weight desert.

Many inns nowadays are choosing overly fussy, branded seashore golf equipment that really feel like an excessive amount of of a scene. So’ol seems like a tasteful response. The menu from chef Tomás Bermúdez delivered on ingenious, protein-forwarded dishes that went approach past your commonplace resort carb fest. We loved grilled oysters with toro, ponzu, watermelon, and bottarga; a easy grilled fish of the day with garlic marinade; and barbecued ribs. With youngsters in tow, we ordered our plates whereas sprawled out on chairs on the large, manicured white-sand seashore — however for those who’re within the temper for a protracted, leisurely, extra grownup lunch, service at one of many colourful, poolside tables will match the invoice.

And final however not least, breakfast: Kitchen, the all-day restaurant adjoining to the foyer, had a ravishing indoor area (clutch on a sizzling, humid day) in addition to benches and banquette tables outside that labored properly for our huge group. The menu of juices was in depth (don’t miss the morning smoothie, a mango, papaya, and coconut cream mix), as was the collection of native treats curated by Ruano. We combined it up every day, selecting from chilaquiles, cochinita (suckling pig) with habanero sauce, and huevos a la cazuela, or eggs with tomato and Chiapas cheese sauce, poached spinach, longaniza de Valladolid (smoked pork sausage), and grilled sourdough bread.

Facilities

What units this resort aside is that there are many locations to hunt out privateness, like in one of many six “fowl’s nest” lounges, that are like little round nooks within the mangrove forest (catering comes with a payment). Or, splurge on one of many 19 personal cabanas: there are 4 at So’ol seashore membership and 5 on the seashore. The selection spot, for my part? One of many 10 cabanas on stilts by the 12,900-square-foot personal pier, which have hammocks that drape out over the water and direct entry to the ocean. There’s additionally, in fact, the principle lagoon pool, an adults-only pool, So’ol seashore membership, a tennis complicated, and a 24-hour health middle.

Accessibility

Service animals are accepted on the lodge, which has seven accessible visitor rooms. There’s additionally an accessible entrance to the principle foyer (an elevator lies proper subsequent to the grand staircase), health middle, spa, assembly areas, and lagoon pool.

The Spa

There could also be bigger spas within the Riviera Maya, however this one feels well-curated and intimate, with merchandise from manufacturers akin to 111 Pores and skin, Kevin Murphy, Ayuna Skincare, and Organethic stocked within the glossy entrance space. Situated on the bottom flooring of the property, just under the foyer, it feels properly faraway from the motion upstairs. Impressed by the native cenotes, the area feels cocooning and guarded, with loads of water parts, together with hydrotherapy swimming pools and a skylight coated by rippling water from a reflecting pool upstairs. Although the menu was in depth, together with sculpting remedies and hydra-facials, I opted for one thing extra soothing: a soothing, agency strain “Version” therapeutic massage in one of many six indoor-outdoor therapy rooms, little standalone homes that reach into the mangroves. (Every is known as for an area flower.) There’s additionally a wonderful Turkish-style hammam, a differentiator for the property.

Location

The Version makes for a simple escape, significantly for East Coasters; it’s only a brief, 30-minute drive to the Cancun Worldwide Airport alongside the Rivera Maya hall. For individuals who wish to resort hop for cocktails or dinner, you’re in luck: each the St. Regis Kanai Resort and Etéreo, Auberge Resorts Assortment, lie throughout the Kanai complicated and are accessible on foot or through a golf cart. All three share the identical seashore, which felt uncrowded and properly maintained. For individuals who need to discover the Mayan ruins at Tulum or Chichén Itzá, the lodge can organize a day tour.

Getting the Most Worth Out of Your Keep

The Rivera Maya Version at Kanai is a part of the Marriott Bonvoy community and participates within the American Categorical Wonderful Lodges and Resorts and Chase Journey packages. American Categorical Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders get a $100 lodge credit score per keep (relevant to spa, room service, minibar, cabana leases, and all eating places and bars), a $40 day by day breakfast credit score per visitor per evening (most two visitors) in Kitchen, a customized welcome amenity, and a complimentary room class improve upon availability.