Mexico

Belmond's Maroma lies between Cancún and Playa del Carmen. In the summer of 2023, it reopened after a year-plus of renovations. Which were beautifully done. Nothing feels too new, too pristine, too renovated. There are 72 rooms, suites, and villas clustered between lush jungle and the Caribbean. Designer Tara Bernerd worked with a number of Mexican artists on the spaces. Notably, each of the show-stealing 700,000 pieces of tile were created by ceramist José Noé Suro. There are three serene pools, including an adults-only option. The Maroma Spa by Guerlain is indeed a luxurious sanctuary. Before a treatment, do give yourself time to do the hydrotherapy circuit. Casa Mayor by executive chef Daniel Camacho serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner: a mix of traditional and modern Mexican dishes, with most ingredients sourced from Mexico, and more than half from the Yucatán Peninsula. Woodend by Curtis Stone is open only for dinner, and yes, it’s focused on wood-fired dishes. The staff is lovely and every touch here feels thoughtful, from the in-room check-in process to your Whatsapp chain with your host and the daily coffee service dropped at your door.

The all-inclusive Impressions Moxché is part of a larger Secrets complex, and guests benefit from everything the wider property has to offer: several pools, tons of restaurants, and a location on the edge of Playa del Carmen. But Impressions itself is more luxurious and intimate than its parent resort; it’s sequestered away from the rest of the hotel, and its pools and restaurants are exclusive to Impressions guests. Every room is a suite with plenty of room to spread out, with a private pool or hot tub on each terrace.

Hotel Esencia was originally built as the private getaway of an Italian duchess. Now, it buzzes with chic clientele who choose the resort for its privacy and discretion. (The current owner is an art collector, whose connections and influence are apparent in the crowd and art curation on the property.) The beach is swimmable, although seaweed blooms might hinder that effort if you’re here in the spring in the early summer; the pools, in any case, are lovely, and divided between family-friendly and adults-only. And on top of daily breakfast baskets delivered to your room, there’s a café and juice bar, a sushi spot with Mexican inflections, a seafood grill under a grand palapa, an outpost of a Monaco steakhouse, and a beachside spot for margaritas.

Surrounded by white-sand beaches and tropical rainforest, this resort is drop-dead amazing on all counts, but the spa—which uses much-obsessed-over Tata Harper products for all of its facials—is next level. The Remodelage Facial is 90-minutes of remodelage (a sculpting massage technique) and facial cupping that boosts skin detoxification, long-lasting hydration, and some pretty major contoured effects.

Set on a protected cove with gorgeous reefs and warm pristine water, this resort is luxe and deeply restorative—and so is their spa. There is only one facial on the menu, and that’s because the master aestheticians personalize everything to your skin’s needs. After a consultation, there’s cleansing, exfoliating, masks, and serums to get your skin silky-smooth and seriously radiant. The best part is the lymphatic-drainage massage that leaves you firm, sculpted, and walking out in a trance.

You don’t quite expect the quiet chic of the Ignacia Guest House as you’re walking down the gorgeous, tree-lined street it sits on in Roma. Named for a housekeeper who worked at the casona for over seventy years (there are gorgeous block-print portraits of her in numerous alcoves), Ignacia is a stunning combination of historic restoration and modernist architecture. All of it overlooks the leafy central garden overrun with cacti and trees dangling with fruit; a bubbling, rusted square cast-iron tub bubbles meditatively at its center. The rooms are exquisite and earthily cushy. Beautiful expanses of wood and velvet are punctuated with low, sexy lamps, and the marble bathrooms are stocked with fluffy bathrobes and large brown bottles of local organic beauty products. But sitting in the garden is the ultimate hotel experience. After a long day, sip a handmade cocktail stirred with artisanal mezcal as you watch sun-dappled lily pads float lazily across the central tub, and feel more at ease than you’d have thought possible in the middle of a busy city. Wake up to breakfast tacos with handmade tortillas, incredible coffee, and just-plucked fruit—also in the…

SEARED, the One&Only Palmilla steakhouse run by Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, is where you go if your dream dinner phrase is “Wagyu beef.” The place has fifteen different cuts of the finest meat, vegetable sides best described as “crazy” (in a wonderful way), and views of the Sea of Cortez that will take your breath away. The resort is a quick taxi over from town if you’re staying in San José del Cabo. And while you’re there, take advantage: A post-dinner walk on the winding resort grounds makes a great dessert. (But still: Order dessert.)

The drive up the long, winding dirt track to Flora Farms can be discombobulating. You’ll repeatedly look at your GPS, wondering whether this really is the right road. It is. And the bumpy drive is worth it. First, order the bloody Mary—a masterpiece of a drink in which the garnishes could make up a meal. Then indulge in one of their sticky buns, with crunchy caramelized walnuts, and afterward, walk over to El Wine Bar y Café. The small space is impeccably kitted out. Aside from their wide selection of Mexican and Napa Valley wines (there are dozens of options by the glass), their coffee is easily the smoothest cup in Los Cabos. We couldn’t help but purchase a few bags of beans to take home, plus a few of their delicate cups to sip from.

El Merkado was a new (and very welcome) discovery for us on a recent trip to Cabo. The large, warehouse-style building just off the Transpeninsular Highway looked so rustic, so out of place amidst all the resorts, we had to pull in for a closer peek. Inside, we found an assortment of restaurants, including Italian (the pizza and pasta dough is made fresh daily) and Mexican, plus a salad bar, burger joint, and everything in between. Toward the end of the building is a little shop selling beautiful stemware, enamel dinnerware (we couldn't resist a set of red-rimmed ceramic espresso cups), and cocktail-making accoutrements. For a casual meal, El Merkado nails it.

Taller 17 is the last thing you’d expect in an artsy Mexican town but the first thing you’ll want. This delightful spot, which is reminiscent of a West Village cafe, serves strong cold brew and pour-overs. The pastries—buttery scones, flaky fruit pies, chewy-crispy cookies—are as fresh as can be, and the housemade kombucha is the most refreshing (and healthy) way to offset last night’s mezcal.