Mayakoba has always been quieter than the rest of the Riviera Maya. The road disappears into mangroves. Water sits still in the lagoon channels. The beach feels buffered, with long stretches of white sand and very little of the outside world making it in.
Now there’s a new resort inside that enclave.
Hyatt Hotels has opened the new Alila Mayakoba, a 182-room luxury resort that marks Alila’s debut in Latin America and the Caribbean. The opening coincides with Mayakoba’s 20th anniversary and adds a new flag to one of the region’s most established luxury resort communities.
If it sounds slightly familiar, this property used to be the Andaz Mayakoba, which closed at the beginning of last year for this rebrand.
Alila Mayakoba is set across 60 acres of beachfront, lagoon and jungle. The positioning is nature-forward and wellbeing-led, with a resort layout designed around open-air architecture, mangrove views, and a series of culturally rooted wellness rituals tied to living Mayan traditions.
What’s New
Alila Mayakoba is now open within Mayakoba, the master-planned resort community on Mexico’s Riviera Maya that is home to some of the region’s best-known luxury properties.
The resort includes 182 guestrooms, suites and villas, with nearly 40 percent of the inventory categorized as suites. The hotel also includes a beachfront Presidential Suite.
The resort’s plan is organized between lagoon and sea. Guestrooms, pools, dining venues and Spa Alila are positioned along the lagoon for a quieter, more sheltered experience. Beachfront guestrooms and outdoor areas are positioned closer to the shore, with a layout the resort describes as more family-friendly.
RLH Properties, the owner group behind Mayakoba, described the opening as a milestone for the destination and for its long-running partnership with Hyatt.
The Mayakoba Location
Mayakoba is one of the Riviera Maya’s rare places where the natural setting still controls the experience.
The enclave is defined by waterways and mangroves, with long, flat trails and narrow bridges connecting hotels, restaurants and common areas. Guests move by foot, bicycle and boat, and much of the resort community feels intentionally separated from the traffic and density outside the gates.
That physical separation is part of Mayakoba’s appeal. It is still in the Riviera Maya, with access to Playa del Carmen and the broader region, but the immediate environment feels self-contained. You hear birds more than you hear cars. You see water in the periphery almost everywhere. You know it the moment you enter the place.
The biggest standout here, though, is the Greg Norman-designed golf course, one of the best in the region.
The Design
The resort’s architecture and interiors were conceived as what Hyatt called a “full expression of the Alila brand in a beachfront setting.”
Guestrooms and suites are designed as indoor-outdoor retreats, with terraces, natural textures and a palette drawn from surrounding mangroves, waterways and Caribbean light. The resort emphasizes an intentionally restrained approach, with materials chosen to feel rooted to the Yucatán Peninsula rather than imported from a generic luxury template.
The result is a resort that’s designed to feel open to nature, with fewer hard separations between interior spaces and the outdoors.
The Rooms and Suites
Alila Mayakoba’s 182 keys include guestrooms, suites and villas, with nearly 40 percent of the inventory made up of suites.
The resort’s approach to accommodations is consistent with the overall design direction: open-air transitions, terrace living, and a sense of privacy shaped by mangroves and water rather than walls.
Within Mayakoba, where many guests return year after year, room design and layout can be as important as beach access. Alila is positioning its accommodations as private sanctuaries, with an emphasis on calm and natural materials.
Spa Alila and the Resort’s Wellness Focus
There is a destination spa: Spa Alila at Mayakoba, which the company has framed as a culturally led wellness program developed in collaboration with local therapists, philosophers and Mayan elders. The resort’s wellness rituals are rooted in living traditions, with a stated emphasis on cultural integrity rather than surface-level Mayan styling.
Guests are welcomed with a beverage made with coconut water, Melipona honey and regional botanicals, followed by a clay-and-honey cleansing ritual.
A series of signature experiences, called Alila Moments, is designed to guide guests through shared rituals and ceremonies tied to Mayan cosmology and the Yucatán Peninsula. The resort’s examples include Earth and Clay, Winds of Renewal and the Ixchel Water Blessing.
The spa program is guided by the Tzolk’in calendar, with treatments described as personalized through daily practices and curated ceremonies. Experiences range from sunrise intention rituals by the sea to temazcal journeys and a minimalist 528Hz sound immersion.
The resort also includes a Technogym-powered fitness space with smart assessment technology, positioned as a personalized training and longevity offering rather than a standard gym.
Dining: Six Restaurants and the Return of Casa Amate
Dining is one of the resort’s defining pillars, with six venues designed to move between beach, garden and lagoon settings.
The most recognizable name is Casa Amate, Mayakoba’s long-running signature fine-dining restaurant, which returns as part of Alila Mayakoba. The restaurant has been one of the destination’s most established dining draws, known for its elevated interpretation of regional flavors and a more intimate, multi-room format.
Other venues include Alisio Beach Club, a beachfront concept designed to run from daytime cabanas to live-fire seafood and coastal Mediterranean cuisine after dark. There is also a 12-seat chef’s atelier called El Huerto, led by Executive Chef Michael Grau and structured around a head-to-tail, zero-waste approach with ingredients grown on-site. It’s something more and more travelers are looking for.
Na Cocina Local serves as the resort’s all-day dining venue, with menus focused on local ingredients and a cocktail program offered in both spirited and zero-proof formats. Ninguno Taqueria is positioned as an open-air beachside venue serving tacos, tostadas, tortas and tamales. Xiim Bar is set beside the resort’s cenote, serving coffee, juices and regional drinks in the morning before transitioning to tequila and mezcal cocktails in the evening.
For Mayakoba, where dining is one of the strongest reasons travelers choose the enclave, the six-venue lineup is a central part of Alila’s positioning.
Who It’s For
Alila Mayakoba is positioned for travelers who want the Riviera Maya’s beach setting, but want it with more quiet and less density.
The lagoon-side layout, spa program and suite-heavy room mix will appeal to couples and solo travelers who prioritize wellness and privacy. The beachfront zones and outdoor areas are positioned for travelers coming with children, with the resort describing that section as more relaxed and family-friendly.
The resort also expands Mayakoba’s appeal for travelers who return frequently and want a new option inside a familiar destination.
Alila Mayakoba is not simply another new luxury resort in Mexico.
It also is a sign of the continued strength of Mayakoba as a luxury destination at a moment when travelers are increasingly looking for resorts that feel calmer, greener and more intentionally designed.
Getting There
Mayakoba is located on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, just north of Playa del Carmen.
Most travelers arrive via Cancún International Airport, which is the region’s primary commercial gateway with nonstop flights from major U.S. and Canadian cities. From the airport, Mayakoba is typically reached by car transfer along the main highway south, with drive times generally around 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on traffic.
Once inside Mayakoba, the experience changes quickly. The roads narrow, the mangroves take over, and the resort community’s waterways begin to define the landscape. Movement within the enclave is typically by foot, bicycle, golf cart or boat.
For travelers looking for a Riviera Maya trip that prioritizes quiet, nature and wellness without leaving the convenience of Cancún airlift, Alila Mayakoba is now one of the destination’s newest luxury options.
Prices at Alila
The prices are a significant jump even from the Andaz; with rooms starting around $1,735 per night in March, according to what I found on Google Flights’ portal. That’s on the hotel’s grand opening offer, and gets you a one-king-bed room in the lagoon area of the property. For a “beach area” room, the price goes up to about $1,833 per night, based on what Hyatt’s booking platform is showing.
Karen Udler
2026-02-18 18:51:00