Ultra Luxury in Riviera Maya at The St. Regis Kanai: a Hotel Review
After a more than incredible start to our honeymoon at the St. Regis Abu Dhabi, Jason and I pretty much fell head over heels for the St. Regis brand. It became a goal for us to try out another St. Regis property and see if the level of hospitality and experience could be considered consistent, or if the Abu Dhabi property simply ruined us for all future St. Regis stays.
With the St. Regis Kanai Riviera Maya just opening up last year in March 2023, and our friends trip to Quintana Roo coming up, we knew we had to make plans to stay here and see if it might live up to our newfound standards for the brand. Also after a quick scroll through the property’s gallery and some curated reels that came up on our feeds, we were sold on seeing its avant-garde architectural design for ourselves.
Set on the exclusive 620-acre Kanai community and bordering the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, the St. Regis Kanai offered us more than just a vacation. It was a retreat into a world of architectural beauty, ecological harmony, and great hospitality.
From its design inspired by celestial patterns with significant ties to Mayan culture and protected mangrove ecosystems, to its gated privacy that ensures guests exclusive access to pristine beaches and lush natural landscapes, every detail has been carefully curated to elevate one’s stay here.
What truly sets the St. Regis Kanai apart is its ability to combine grandeur with intimacy. Here, personal butler service caters to your every need, the interiors reflect bespoke artistry, and the amenities are nothing short of extraordinary.
In this review, I’ll take you through every aspect of our unforgettable three-night stay, from our stunning ocean-view room to dining at celebrity chef Richard Sandoval’s Toro, and lounging in a private air-conditioned cabana. If you’ve ever wondered what a step into ultra-luxury feels like, this is the place to find out.
Our Resort Transfer & Arrival
We were coming from another resort in the area, the Viceroy Riviera Maya, and the hotel transfer that the St. Regis arranged for us was undoubtedly the most upscale ride we’ve had.
In a large luxury black SUV, our driver came right on time and greeted us with a warm welcome as the doormen at Viceroy started packing the back with our luggage. The second we opened the doors to hop in, we realized that the St. Regis was not messing around. It was more like an Air France La Première pickup instead of a resort transfer!
The interiors were spotless and immaculate, spacious and sleek. Along with chilled water bottles were nicely rolled cool towelettes and an unused hand sanitizer for us to freshen up with. At the back of the front seats were two TV screens that were playing a stunning non-publicized promotional piece detailing the inspiration behind Michael Edmonds’ design for the resort.
It definitely was a smart way to get us incoming guests excited to witness the architectural masterpiece with our own eyes! The video allowed us to see into Edmonds’ mind and the cultural and ecological meaning behind the resort’s concept. I definitely geeked out watching it, not only from an architectural standpoint but a videography one too!
We arrived at the entrance gate to the Kanai estate and thought there wasn’t much longer until we reached the St. Regis, but we were wrong. There was still a 7-minute drive on private road before we would reach it! The entrance gate was quite the invitation though, as it was one of the most modern and exclusive-looking entrance I’ve seen.
We rolled up to the porte cochère of the St. Regis, were helped out of our car by a number of bellmen and valet, and floated through the entrance of the resort. Our eyes were drawn up to the high ceilings, the tall white columns that were complemented by lush trees that lined the lobby. It was like stepping into a futuristic city-sized space station where they’ve started growing every species of plant.
Once we reached the front desk to check-in, the hostess greeted us and welcome drinks arrived. A freshly pressed juice blend with citrus, mint, and some greens. Refreshing.
Check-in was fairly smooth and not too time consuming. We met our butler Xochitl who would be taking care of us during our stay, and were soon enough on a resort tour. One thing we would’ve appreciated though at a resort of this caliber would’ve been if the check-in process were done at one of the many couches and seating areas they have set up in the lobby. It’s nice and accommodating for guests if they can have a seat upon arriving after travelling and be brought the paperwork to them while checking in.
Our Deluxe King Room with Ocean View
The St. Regis rooms, suites and residence buildings are made up of perfectly circular overlapping rings that face out to the ocean. The first open ring is directly connected to the open-air lobby, and our room was situated on the top floor of the north wing of the first ring building.
There are only three floors as the architects kept a low profile for the resort, and favoured vastness across the acres and acres of mangroves over height. The bottom floor is dedicated to rooms and villas with their own plunge pool, whereas the two higher floors have unobstructed views of the Caribbean Sea.
The Bedroom
Our Deluxe King Room had just that, with our balcony facing out to the mangroves and ocean view. We had a relatively large balcony with our own outdoor dining table and chairs, and a daybed to lounge on. The glass railing was also immaculately clean, you couldn’t even see it, making no obstruction at all to our ocean view!
At 55 sqm (600 sqft), we had a decent amount of space, but it did feel tighter than most luxury resort rooms. The entryway followed a hallway leading into the guest room, but also connected to two sliding doors: one directly to the bathroom, and another into the walk-in closet.
Apart from these easy-access connection points, the layout was quite standard, having the main area and king bed front and centre, and facing out to the windows.
Certain design features of the room were really stunning and caught my eye. There were a few subtle tributes to the destination, such as the Mayan calendar inspired detailed carving on the back of the sofa chair. As well as other more midcentury designs and tributes to the very first St. Regis in New York, such as the geometrical patterns made of teak wood and mirrors that make up the wall separator for the bedroom, or the low hanging bedside lamps and round night tables.
There were some simplistic yet timeless design, colour and pattern choices that blended well with the space, but I can see why some people might not appreciate it as honouring the style of St. Regis. We came to this property knowing it wasn’t going to be the same old world elegant and opulent style that we know the St. Regis brand to have, and that was okay with us.
In the bedroom, you can find luxury-level comfort on the cozy king bed, which we honestly didn’t want to leave most mornings. During the evenings, we gladly threw on our bathrobes and tucked ourselves in for the night and swivel the TV out of the wall and plug in our Firestick for a movie in.
At the foot of the cloud 9 bed, there’s a comfortable chaise longue and granite coffee table, both facing out to the unobstructed ocean view through our glass sliding doors.
It’s a great spot to enjoy your daily morning coffee and tea service, complimentary with the St. Regis butler service. It was nice to find a box of fancy welcome chocolates, as well as a handwritten card, upon checking in!
On each side of the bed, you’ll also find a contemporary standalone minibar and a wine cart. The wine cart was more style over function, as it was a bit flimsy, but cool to look at.
The minibar was cool though, displaying all our Nespresso coffee necessities at the forefront. You can easily close the cabinet as well to make it look more seamless in the room.
The Bathroom
Coming around behind the bed is a hall that leads to the bathroom. The smooth sliding doors open up to it, revealing a double sink vanity island with oval hanging mirrors.
It’s a unique layout as the two sinks face in opposite directs, and don’t take up too much space apart from the centre of the bathroom. On the island shelf, you can find a hair dryer, hair straightener and a digital bathroom scale underneath. They also provided extra amenities on the countertop, including makeup wipes, mouthwash and a facial cleansing gel that we’ve started to see at other St. Regis hotels.
On the left side of the bathroom, is the door to the water closet. It’s nice to see the toilet fully enclosed behind a thick wooden door for privacy. Not everyone is up for sharing the ins and outs of their bathroom happenings with the people they’re sharing a room with!
Next to that room is a vanity table enclave, complete with a seat, mirror, lighting and plug-ins, which makes it easy to do one’s hair and makeup.
In the corner is the spacious open glass shower, which gave more space than anyone would need. The design of the shower caddy was a nice touch, with the brass rods and quartz slab with rounded corners.
The metal towel rack was a nice modern touch as well, placed conveniently between the shower and the tub.
The round standalone bathtub was more aesthetically pleasing than comfortable, as it was hard to stay propped up while leaning my head comfortably. But it was a pleasant place to get a quick warm soak with the provided bath salts.
Heading to the right side of the bathroom is the walk-in closet that you can enter both from the entryway and the bathroom. The sliding door to the entryway has a full-length mirror when closed, which makes it easy to check out your outfits without stepping out of the closet.
You can spread out your suitcases on the granite luggage racks on each side of the closet, there are ample hangers on both sides as well, though the hangers were not branded here.
Make sure to check the drawers for the laundry kits, but also for the complimentary clothing press service kit! You should get two pieces per person per day for free press, but if you wanted to quickly steam your clothes yourself, they provided a large handheld steamer in the drawer as well. Got a dinner reservation coming up the next day? Make sure to give your butler your clothes for pressing the night prior!
Dining Experiences
There are a number of dining outlets on the St. Regis Kanai Riviera Maya property, and with our busy itinerary (and full tummies) we didn’t get to try out every single one of them during our three nights here. But we did get to visit the main restaurants onsite!
As St. Regis guests, you also have access to the restaurants and amenities of the next door EDITION resort. As a Marriott elite status member, your dining discounts should also apply if you decide to dine at the EDITION. Alas, there was not enough time and meals for us to head over next door, but if we chose to, our butler could easily make reservations and call a buggy to take us there and back.
Chaya Breakfast
The main restaurant, situated adjacent to the lobby and what I like to call the “infinity” garden and pond, is called Chaya. It’s got a spacious indoor area and an outdoor terrace where you can dine with the views of the serene blend of nature and architecture, and the calming sounds of the nearby water features.
The breakfast spread is of high quality but I wouldn’t qualify it as extensive. With Platinum Marriott status and above, you do get a complimentary continental breakfast buffet, but the full buffet with the spread of hot dishes and Mexican stations are an additional cost of $25 per guest.
I’ll admit, this was a point of disappointment, but we did get our fill with the continental breakfast. There was a selection of quality cold cuts and smoked salmon that we dressed our toast with, varieties of cheeses, different sides like olives, sundried tomatoes, different sorts of grains, nuts and yogurts to make a hefty yogurt parfait, salad toppings, fruit and a table dedicated to baked goods.
All the hot items, except for some quiche, were dedicated to the full buffet. There were typical Western items on the inside of the restaurant, and for all the Mexican favourites you could head outside to take your pick. There was a chilaquiles station as well as a fresh tortilla station, where you could top it with whatever meats you wanted.
We opted to try the full breakfast one morning, and for an extra $25 it’s not a bad deal if you’re looking to skip lunch. But we didn’t love that it wasn’t already covered for status members, as it is for other St. Regis resorts, that have even bigger and better spreads than the full breakfast at Chaya.
We did still get to order our coffees—something you can do right to your room every morning with the iconic butler service—and got fresh pressed juices to order as well. On the plus side, at least we could keep our morning meal light and try out the other outlets, and go about the rest of our day without feeling full and sluggish for the first three hours after breakfast!
If you opt not to have the buffet—continental or full spread—, you can also order off their à la carte menu instead. They have a good selection, and it gives non Platinum (or higher) members a chance to eat what they want instead of being forced to take the buffet.
Chaya Dinner
We came to Chaya for dinner to try out some of their Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. They started us off with some hard shell brown tortillas with the most delectable dip! It was a pumpkin purée garnished with pumpkin seeds, feta cheese and olives. If we ended our meal there, I would’ve been happy.
But we ended up ordering some dishes that maybe didn’t suit our palettes super well. The first was the lobster pizza. I think I realized that I just don’t like seafood pizza. Unless it’s tuna and sweet corn—just trust me, it’s a great comfort food combination—shellfish and pizza just don’t mesh well together. Maybe the dough needed a stronger buttery taste to complement the lobster. But regardless, it wasn’t to my taste.
For our mains, we went with a beef cheek dish and a duck confit, which were well cooked and dressed, but weren’t super memorable. I would say it was a little harder to select dishes that we craved and hit our tastebuds in all the right spots when we dined at Chaya.
Riviera Lunch
Riviera is the poolside al fresco restaurant that sits facing out to the large main pool of the resort. It’s a more casual dining spot, yet still feels upscale in the setting and ambiance.
We dined here for a late lunch/early dinner on our first afternoon, and it was most definitely the tastiest sandwich and burger we’ve ever had. I had a juicy chicken wrapped in buttery focaccia bread, and Jason’s sweet and savoury pulled pork was in between a perfectly baked baguette. The cheese, the sauce and the topping combinations went so well with the sandwiches and we just couldn’t get enough.
My fries were perfectly thin, crispy and seasoned as well, but the best part was the variety of tortilla chips and the tastiest dips. Much like at Chaya, I left Riviera with my mind still on the free tortilla chips and dip. Whatever they put into those varieties of Yucatan salsas must be laced with something really good.
Riviera Poolside Eats
On our last day before our late checkout, we returned for a final swim and relax at the pools and ordered some light bites and drinks while chilling at one of the daybeds. With the late summer heat of Riviera Maya, we only wanted cold drinks and cold foods, and we couldn’t pass up on trying some new ceviche dishes. They were so fresh, so citrusy, got a good level of spice, and I couldn’t stop eating them!
Our drinks were great too and cooled down us down from the heat of the August sun and shrimp ceviche chilis. As far as poolside food and drinks go, this was definitely high ranking.
Duryea’s Beach Club
The Beach Club, now named Duryea’s Beach Club Take Over, is the adults only of the resort. It features a stunning bar right on the sand with poolside dining tables facing out to the adults-only infinity pool, and is steps away from the long stretch of white sand beach of the Kanai estate.
We didn’t dine at the Beach Club, apart from enjoying a delicious cocktail on the house as we toured the property upon check-in. If you’re looking for amazing poolside drinks, Duryea’s is the place to have them! However, we did enjoy a lunch from their menu while we basked in our time in our private air-conditioned cabana at the main pool.
We’ve had our fair share of great ceviche, but man was this an absolute treat! It was well presented, topped with radish slices and avocado, but it didn’t look like much substance until we dug in and were pleased to see the abundance of different ceviches in there! With prawns, octopus, different kinds of fish… It was such a delight.
On top of that we also ordered the crispy fish lettuce wraps, and oh my, another mouthwatering dish. The sauce they used was amazingly hearty with different flavour profiles, and I couldn’t decide which one I liked better! We ordered a Tulum lager and a delicious mocktail to go with our meal, and honestly wish we had gotten more food, but we had to save our appetite for a special dinner that night.
The St. Regis Bar
If you know a little about the St. Regis brand, you’ll know that they have a signature evening ritual for their guests: a champagne sabrage. The tradition of effortlessly opening a bottle of champagne with a saber originated in France during Napoleon’s reign, and was something that the founder of St. Regis, John Jacob Astor IV, continued. He would slice open a bottle of champagne each night in one fell swoop, and the tradition became a nightly ritual at every St. Regis hotel thereafter.
If you’re staying at any St. Regis property, you’ll want to catch at least one sabering ritual during your stay! We experienced it on our first evening, and as much as it wasn’t intimate and interactive as it was at the St. Regis Abu Dhabi, it made up for in atmosphere and showmanship.
The champagne sabrage ceremony is held in the St. Regis Bar every evening, and you’ll want to get a seat a little early on as it can get busy. We managed to get a quiet window table right across from the bar with a great view of the sabering.
During the ritual, guests are offered some light snacks that change depending on the property. At St. Regis Kanai, we were offered some curried cauliflower, dried fruits and corn to munch on, as well as a couple of canapés of the day.
These light bites paired well with our complimentary glass of sparkling wine that is poured for all guests after the sabering is performed!
After our wine, we decided to order a couple more unique signature handcrafted cocktails on their menu that we would have never conceived. Combinations that made us super curious. But perhaps we were a little too ambitious for our taste buds and the flavours were a bit too out there for us. But that could just be us, as we very much enjoy the simpler and sweeter cocktails!
You can stay at the St. Regis Bar to enjoy dinner, and move into the indoor section where they have a quieter lounge area. Their menu may not be as all-encompassing as the other dinner outlets, but it looked well rounded with fresh ingredients and perfect if you wanted something a little lighter than what the other restaurants would offer.
Toro Riviera Maya by Chef Richard Sandoval
The culinary highlight of our three days at the St. Regis Kanai came down to our dinner at Toro. Toro is one of 11 different restaurant locations owned by celebrity chef Richard Sandoval across the globe. Sandoval is a pioneer in contemporary latin cuisine and we didn’t have to look that up to know it. We figured it out based on our firsthand experience of dining at Toro Riviera Maya.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is stunning. We walked through the cold, stone entryway to come out on the other side to the bright terrace. Tables were set out al fresco and steps floating on water, led us into a quieter section of the outdoor part of the restaurant. Vines dressed the wooden gazebo and we sat in a more private corner facing out to the shallow pool and mangroves.
We started off with a bang with the tastiest caipirinha and margarita ever. They were flavour bombs of fruits, citrus, and smooth liquors. My caipirinha tropical was filled with a variety of crushed fresh fruits while Jason’s mercado margarita was topped with the most fragrant hibiscus-rosemary foam that paired incredibly well with the passion fruit juice and tequila.
Being that Chef Sandoval is from Mexico, we knew we’d be having authentic Mexican tastes throughout our dining experience. What didn’t occur to us was that we were about to have some of the best Mexican/Latin dishes of our lives. Yes, I said it! And mind you, this was after our 4-month South America trip!
We started off with some cold dishes. The kampachi tiradito and the ceviche amarillo were divine. I could’ve gone home happy with just those too. Add on the beet root salad served with a goat cheese crème and candied pecans, literally one of my favourite flavour combinations, and I was living my best life.
We thought the appies were done, but then they came out with hot starters. We both tried one of each of their most loved appetizers: the humita empanada, as well as their soft shell crab taco and short rib taco. I think the latter two ruined all future tacos for me! They must be lacing these tacos with some magic msg because they tasted beyond good. Jason says that the soft shell crab was the best taco he’s ever had. And I never thought I would love short rib until I tried a bite out of this.
At this point, we didn’t know how much more we could eat, but the dishes to follow were still mouthwatering despite how full we were getting. The mains included their signature dishes: the lomo saltado and the zarandeado catch of the day. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this was the best lomo saltado I’ve ever had. And we’ve had our fair share of them in Peru and Colombia!
The second dish just melted in our mouths! A true testament to Toro’s ability to refine yet bring out the authentic flavours and centuries-old cooking method of Nayarit, Mexico. This fish was cooked to perfection and dressed with an exquisite and rich sauce. Despite already feeling stuffed, the flavours and textures of the beef and the fish kept us on a gastronomic journey. Chef Richard Sandoval sure knows what he’s doing!
And finally, the pièce de résistance, dessert. The freshest churros, soft on the island, crispy on the outside, with dulce de leche dipping sauce, and a delectable chocolate cake served with house-made chocolate ice cream. It’s as if they read my mind, because these are my favourite flavours for a rich end to an incredible Latin dinner!
The Resort Spaces
One thing we can attest to is that when it comes to the architectural design of the St. Regis Kanai, it is really out of this world and upholds the standard of ultra-luxury. The circular design was very much inspired by the Pleiades constellation, which is known as the celestial birthplace of the Mayans.
The entire resort’s round structures appear as if they’re floating above the mangrove forest, which they really are. In an effort to minimize its construction footprint on the ecosystem, they built the structures and boardwalks above it to protect the natural reserve as much as possible.
All the walkways that connect different elements of the resort are elevated as to not disturb the mangroves but to serve as a way for guests to feel connected to the natural surroundings.
That’s what we loved about the lobby space. You have the comforts of a luxurious and grand space, minimalist in interior design yet intricate in architectural. And it is completely open on all levels, facing out to the mangroves and vast ocean view.
The main floor of the lobby has cozy and spacious seating areas that feel separated on sub-levels thanks to the few steps that break up the main floor. It feels quiet thanks to the luscious plants they’ve placed around the living spaces.
At night it gives off such an idyllic vibe too!
The Pools
The St Regis Kanai pools are phenomenal and we never could get enough of them. They are a bit of a walk to get to from most rooms and some of the suites, although from our room it wasn’t long at all.
It definitely gives you a chance to walk along the floating boardwalks, or if you feel your room is a bit of a distance from the pools, feel free to contact your butler team on WhatsApp to call a buggy for you!
The Main Pool
The first is the main pool which is split into an upper and lower section. The top pool features three stunning private open-air cabanas – and one much more secluded and larger cabana with its own pool section – that are available for reservation. Along with their own living space in the cabana, they come with two sun loungers submerged in the water, at the top of the pool steps.
The two sections of the pool are separated by a walkway lined with free sun loungers and umbrellas that face out to the lower pool. This one is larger than the top one and is right on the beachfront, but doesn’t have the swim-up cabanas. It does, however, house the whirlpool that is central to the main and family pools.
The Family Pool
The family pool is adjacent to the main pool and lays at the foot of the Riviera restaurant. It’s incredibly large and has an arching infinity’s edge. It’s definitely one of the more popular options, especially among families.
On one side of the pool, you have large daybeds with umbrellas that hover above a shallow bit of the pool, and are first come first serve. We spent our final afternoon before check-out over here, as the hot August afternoon sun was raging, and it was nice to enjoy our lunch while keeping half our bodies in the water and the top half still shaded.
On the other side of the pool are the offset private air-conditioned cabanas. Though much more spacious and more private than the other cabanas, they do walkout to the busier of the resort pools.
Private Air-Conditioned Cabana
We got the furthest AC cabana for the better part of our second day, and it was amazing. Outstandingly spacious, a comfortable living area with coffee table, sofa, facing a large flatscreen TV, complete with stereo, fridge stocked with soft drinks, games and a credenza with plenty of storage.
We had our own terrace with submerged sun loungers and a section of pool that felt like our own, as we gazed out to the palm tree lined beach. The vine walls on both sides gave us the extra privacy we sought.
Right beside the enclosed cabanas is Jack’s Club, which is a bit of a den or relaxed sports lounge. Jason and I honestly really enjoyed spending time in here, out of the sun, while watching the F1 race on the massive TV and getting a few foosball matches in! There’s a pool table as well, and kids and adults alike can come in here. Just outside is a quiet plunge pool as well. I could see us having such a great time in this small corner of the resort with our group of friends.
Serenity Adults-Only Pool
Over at the Beach Club is the final pool, the adults-only pool. It’s the most beachfront pool onsite and, although it can get busier, it feels much quieter than the family pools. It has its own jacuzzi pool as well, if you wanted to just chill and sit in the water, rather than bake in the sun or do laps, which you could do too.
Ahead of the serenity pool are beach chairs that are placed on their own sun decks, which is great for couples or duos to indulge in having their own space and separation from other groups while they lounge.
And of course, you can enjoy some great eats and handcrafted cocktails poolside or directly from your beach chair. The pool servers are really great at keeping your plates full and your drinks topped up!
The Beach
The beach on the coast of the Kanai estate is the most pristine white sand beach we’ve experienced along Riviera Maya and it appears to go on forever.
The resorts do a fantastic job of having cleaners there every morning to siphon through the sand and clear off any debris while making clean cut lines along the beach. Additionally, there’s a man-made floating barrier further out at sea to prevent seaweed or trash at the surface of the water to reach the shores.
The beach is both long and wide, giving us plenty of room for beach walks with distance from other guests. Two rows of cushioned sun loungers line the beach and attendants are present to prepare towels on your sun bed upon your arrival if you’d like to have it dressed.
Relaxing on the Kanai beach was as picture perfect as it looks in these photos.
If you wanted to get active on the water, there are also water sports you could reserve or select to do on the spot, whether motorized or non-motorized. I opted to take a chill day on the water and do some light standup paddle boarding which was fun on the calm waters!
Even though the beach is pristine, the shores have a ton of sea grass so it wasn’t as inviting to swim in them. That also means that no one else was in the water and it was just me and the Caribbean Sea!
The Spa and Fitness Centre
If you’re looking to stay fit on your Riviera Maya vacation aside from being engaged outdoors like on the SUP or kayaks, you should definitely hit the resort’s fitness centre, a spacious indoor gym with state-of-the-art equipment. It was a 9/10 hotel gym according to Jason, who is always on the lookout for getting a full workout no matter where we are in the world.
We frequented the fitness centre every morning before having our breakfast, and I was able to do more than my routine workout what with the options of machinery, weights and cables they had.
We even got carried away with being motivated to work harder, and left with some sore muscles in need of recovery. Nothing a day at the spa couldn’t fix!
The Spa’s Hydrotherapy Circuit
We visited the spa on our final full day at the resort for a relaxing session going through the hydrotherapy circuit. Upon checking in, we were offered some chilled rosé while we had a seat at the island counter and were presented the options for body scrub combinations. Four scrubs, four essential oil bases and four herb mixes to choose from, and we could combine them however we pleased.
After giving each crystal and bowl a sniff, Jason and I selected our customized scrubs, which the spa hostesses then mixed together while we got ourselves changed.
Heading over to the each of our respective changing rooms, it already felt so luxurious. There was every amenity you could think of for a pre-and post-spa day. The locker area was so uniquely designed and each had stocked a thick spa bathrobe, a towel, water and a hanger for your clothes. They were also programmed to open and close with your room key, which the hostesses would set up for you.
Once we got changed, Jason and I came around to meet each other in the spa’s lounge and waiting area. This was the nicest spa lounge we’d ever experienced, even better than Four Seasons Oahu, in my opinion. Here, we could enjoy a seat, indoors or outdoors, and grab a variety of drinks, including cold brewed rooibos teas, hot premium teas, green juices, and healthy snacks including fibre cookies and energy balls. I loved how they were all individually prepared in these small bite size glass bell jars!
Once the hydrotherapy circuit was ready for us, we parted and went to our respective men’s and women’s sections. We had two spa attendants helping and guiding us through the loop, offering assistance whenever we needed.
First, was the steam room, where we lathered up the personalized scrub all over our bodies. The steam room gradually got hotter and hotter so I didn’t stay in very long. After the scrub sat on my skin for some time, the ladies helped run the cool water on my body to rinse it off.
Then, was the cold plunge. I didn’t think they could have such a polar pool in 30+ degree Mexico heat, but it was real cold. The ladies instructed me to dunk my head in too if I could.
After that, it was time for the sauna. They placed a towel on the bench for me to lie down on and I laid there comfortably for a good 10 minutes. The smell of oak was so pleasant and I just wanted to sooth myself after the invigorating cold plunge.
But it was time for another cold plunge, this time slightly longer! But I quickly got to step out and head into the hot pool, which soothingly tingled my cold skin.
I could do the circuit as many times as I wanted, if time allowed. After a couple more hot and cold steps, though, it was time to find my better half in the communal pool area of the spa.
The large spa pool is certainly a great place to relax in in between spa treatments, especially for couples to join each other outdoors if they’ve been split off for their hydrotherapy session. It’s a spacious area, with a sun deck dressed with a hanging nest swing as well as comfortable day beds.
We could’ve spent our entire afternoon here, and especially since no other guests were at the spa, it felt like we had our own private pool and terrace the entire time.
