Review: Andaz Mayakoba Riviera Maya

The tipping on globalist breakfast thing is always odd to me. I’ve had hotels take it off but does that mean the server doesn’t get any gratuity? Because if so, then I’d want it on my hotel bill to make sure the server gets it.

We loved the Andaz Mayakoba because of the peaceful setting and the gorgeous Ocean Front Plunge Pool Suite. With cross-charging to our room, we tried different restaurants of the other properties every day, incl. seamless transfers by boat or cart. I agree with the views on seRvice, but together with the option to visit other properties‘ outlets, still one of our most memorable vacations ever.

I loved the Andaz Mayakoba. Went when they first opened and had the resort almost entirely to ourselves.

The Banyan Tree is my favorite of the Mayakoba properties and has a fantastic Italian restaurant.

I may have missed this but one nice thing is that every restaurant can bill to your room at the Andaz -- so if you eat at the Fairmont, Banyan Tree, etc. they can still bill to your room at the Andaz.

Isn’t totoaba a critical endangered species of fish? I’m surprised fishing was even allowed. Shouldn’t be eating it at the restaurant. Unless it wasn’t actually totoaba I’m the menu.

What are the customs when it comes to tipping on (complementary) hotel breakfasts?

I’m never sure, but for breakfasts in the US:
-I don’t tip if it’s pure buffet
-I tip $2-3 if there is table service (above just bringing a juice)

Any chance you might have a picture of the weekly activity calendar?

Jason: Yes, totoaba is an endangered species (including on the US Endangered Species list) that only occurs in the Gulf of California. Fishing for it is prohibited, and rampant poaching is about to lead to the extinction of the world's smallest porpoise, the vaquita, which also is found only in the GoC and is frequent bycatch in the totoaba poachers nets.

There is some totoaba aquaculture both in Ensenada and La Paz. Even so, I did not think that it was legal to sell or serve it.

More problematic is that the entire resort area is built 'into a mangrove forest', which is very environmentally unfriendly. Actually, the whole 'Riviera Maya' is an enviro-disaster.

Even so, this is a great hotel review, as expected from Lucky.

I would be curious to know how much Ford gets kick-backed when you book Prive through him.

$299 plus ~30% in taxes and fees for 3 nights is about $1200, or $1100 once you factor in the property credit. Vs 75,000 points gives value of about 1.5 cents per point had you redeemed. Not the best, so perhaps that's why you used cash, but I would still be curious to know if Ford ever impacts your decision to book points vs Prive.

Andaz Mayakoba is a place that confirms why you want to be a Globalist. Just a great place as Lucky described... but Globalist package is great. Great value on points, beautiful suite that is an easy upgrade, amazing free breakfast, complimentary boat tour for Globalists. This is a favorite of mine.

@ Vinny -- Good question. No, to be honest Ford's situation doesn't really impact whether or not I use points. I paid ~$1,170, but then you have to factor in the $100 credit I received, plus the roughly 15,000 World of Hyatt points I earned (including 4x points on the World of Hyatt Card for all $1,170, and 11.5x points on the $900 base spending). So I paid $1,170, but I got $325 in value, so really it only "cost" me $845 compared to redeeming points. I would have gotten just ~1.12 cents per point, which isn't very good.

Lol @the chocolate spinning top toy. I just got back from rosewood Mayakoba and we were the only non Jewish or non Russian guests

This place is a run of the mill hotel. Nothing particularly unique about it, could be most beach resorts in most places. Service was meh, food was meh but expensive (just look at Lucky's prices). And 25k points is ridiculous

Head to the (now Marriott) Luxury Collection Hacienda's inland instead. Each one is unique, you're away from the tourist crowds, they have significantly above average rooms (outdoor hot tubs/pools, four poster beds etc) and you can head to Aztec ruins few tourists venture to, but which are spectacular e.g., Uxmal. You'll see the Yucatan peninsula in a whole different way.

We did most of the Hacienda's, then went to the Andaz. And wished we had skipped the Andaz.

Great review, property seems nothing extraordinary and yes environmentally controversial. Totoaba is sold in many upscale restaurants in CDMX and they claim it is sustenaible.
Don’t forget Mexico (and the rest of the world) is not US and does not have the stingy wages act for servers in the US, so 18% is actually quite steep when 10% in Mexico is already good. Locals claim that gringos ruin the local culture and this is part of it. Do what you want with your money but don’t forget outside of US there are different traditions and customs.

I stayed at the Rosewood next door. It is more expensive, as you say, but seems significantly more upscale. Most of all I found it to be quiet---the pools (lots of them), breakfast room always felt empty in a good way. No waiting for coffee, as in your case. The Spa/Gym, at the Rosewood is the best part.

Those grey dinner plates are horrible. Makes the food look less than appetizing.

Giant rip off . Cancún is filled with nice hotels with amazing food nearby for 1/5 the price. Property looks nice though.

Thanks to Ford/Travel Society, I just booked a Prive rate there for memorial day weekend (at $219 a night!!) and I can't wait to stay there. Great review!

Loved Grand Hyatt Playa Del Carmen, now I'm excited to try this next.

Holy cow those are expensive prices for food (in Mexico). I'd expect those kinds of prices here in Seattle, but definitely not in Mexico. Yikes.

Those food prices are highway robbery for Mexico. I would never stay at such an overpriced place.

Much better deal than the Florida hotel you just reviewed

The service at the Andaz Mayakoba was one of the worst my family has ever experienced at any high end Hyatt. And it appears it hasn’t gotten any better. Hopefully Hyatt steps in with management changes if things don’t improve.

The food prices are much more reasonable when they’re a tax write off. Also don’t forget the $100 credit. $20 cocktails and $500 dinners don’t phase Lucky.

That being said the best food down there is $1 al pastor tacos. Don Sirloin should have a Michelin Star.

My family was there back in November. I found the service to be on point for the price. The staff was friendly without being overbearing. They engaged with my 3 year old teaching her Spanish. Beach service seemed attentive. Perhaps since November is still probably considered off season or shoulder season, capacity was down which gave more of a personal feel to the service? I actually recall a couple occasions where I felt they really went overboard to accommodate us. Perhaps worth noting that I also feel uncomfortable where I am waited on hand and foot so I tend to feel awkward at 'ultraluxe' properties. Agree that the amount of points to stay here just doesn't line up with the rates. We paid less then 1K for 5 nights. Being based in the Chicago suburbs, I probably would have a tough time staying in a courtyard Marriott for that price.

That's an absurd high level of tipping for Mexico. But I guess it is influenced by the high number of US visitors that are anyway used to those ranges of tipping.
I doubt you would find a single Mexican visitor tipping that.much.

That dinner at Casa Amote looks incredibly overpriced for the small quantity of food. Understand it's fine dining, but seriously. I would've need a burger and chips to fill me up after that.

I was skeptical about Cancun, since I grew up going there before it was created (alright, Boomer 🙂 ), but it has evolved into literally our favorite escape for a long weekend.
Do not know how you feel about all inclusives, but we had a grand time at the Cancun Zilara.
USA Transfers is excellent.
Next time, if you have an early arrival, add a visit to Chichen Itza, drive through Valladolid. It will burn up the first half of your day while you are waiting for your room to be ready. It also exceeded our expectations.
BTW, who watches Winston when Ford and you travel together?

@RayG we go to PDC every Nov or Dec and it's never crowded. Best time to go especially a few weeks away from actual holidays. Service is always good at almost every property we've stayed. Tip: skip the Thompson...loud and feels like a spring break property.

@NB, as an accountant with many restaurant clients in U.S. it is surprising just how much waiters can make even at $2.13/hr One restaurant has two top waiters who bring in $85k/yr. And menu prices are middle of road. Most waiters don't do it fulltime, though. Even so, many make $40k + at 25 to 30/hrs weekly.

I agree the tipping suggestions are high, but aren’t these US chains targeting tourists from the USA? Home away from home on all aspects!

I noticed on the picture of the buffet breakfast bill, the amount of $1400 seems to be in pesos even if the currency sign is USD. Then there is US $75 listed. That does not seem outrageous.

Lucky, can you clarify weather the price list for spa services is in US $ or pesos?

All prices are in Mexican pesos as noted on each menu. They don’t seem outrageous in US $s.

$13 for guacamole in Mexico. Holy s**t gringo.

Totoaba is endangered because some lunatics in China ( a small number, not ALL Chinese) believe the bladder to be therapeutic in fertility/virility. Naturally not a scintilla of evidence to support the claim, just as there isn’t with Rhino horn or Tiger penises or civet cats. But the poaching continues unabated as Beijing does absolutely nothing to control it ( or the cesspit wet markets in which these things are sold), SARS and COVID-19 cases in point.

@ Norita -- The spa menu is in USD.

Ben, I'm always curious about this when you go to areas with tap water that Westerners generally can't drink: I see there are two bottles of water in the minibar. But what do you do for the rest of your liquids, and for brushing your teeth and so forth? Is there a dispenser in the room with bottled water? Do you request more bottles?

I'm surprised you didn't post any pictures of the restaurant menus, as you usually do. I always find them very interesting/helpful.

im glad i read this review since I had no idea Mayakoba area existed/was a thing, since Cancun is now filled with crime, seaweed and packed with people, and Tulum is too far to enjoy.

that being said, this particular hotel has zero "wow" factor. Seems meh, just whatever. will do more research to see if the other 3 hotels are any better. the rosewood is very famous and pricy but thats all i know about it.

oh and the tipping? lol. theyre smart on charging the gringos, but those of us who arent from the US know better to skip that part. 😉

The Mayakoba location is fabulous, with almost the best stretch of beach south of Cancun (tops is Maroma in my book). I stayed at Rosewood in 2008, a few months after the property opened (in 2007). At that time what is Andaz today was Mandarin Oriental, and it was more expensive than Rosewood. I did site inspections of all four hotels (including Banyan Tree, which was a few months from opening). The Andaz property looks fairly similar to what I saw then, though I don't recall the big pool by the beach (perhaps an Andaz addition?).

What I do recall is that the Mandarin Oriental (which closed around 2012 and then languished as a Blue Diamond resort), had the best beach access of the four properties -- no small consideration for those paying top dollar to stay at a beach resort. And although the Mayakoba developers did their best to position this whole property as eco-friendly, they did have their way with a lot of dynamite to create the canals, which had a disturbingly ravaged appearance in 2008.

My wife and I have stayed at Rosewood Mayakoba several times, most recently last Feb and it is one of our favorite places. Love staying in the overwater suite on the lagoon and enjoying the wildlife. Would highly recommend if you have the opportunity to go.

Side note, Rosewood frequently has a fourth night free offer in place which we could combine with the Citi Prestige Card fifth night rebate offer which considerably lessened the hit at checkout.

I thought about booking until I read about how it was carved into mangroves, that was enough to put me off completely.

A couple of quick comments on yet another fine review by Lucky. 🙂

The hotel and grounds appear to be really nice, and I'd definitely consider staying there is traveling to the Riviera Maya were on a proposed itinerary (it's way down the list at the moment though). With respect to tipping, it is interesting that Hyatt normally handles it as being included with the 'free' breakfast because Marriott does not. You get a check for $0 but with a line for tipping - lacking that presumptuous suggestion that you tip 18, 20 or 22 percent.

Lastly, as a side note, naming that one restaurant "Tinta del Pulpo" strikes me as being incredibly unappetizing as this means "octopus ink"! To me, that's gross as hell. Then again, I refuse to ever eat octopus. For one thing they are very intelligent animals that we should probably leave alone. Secondly, the thought of eating that is gross and the smell (to me) is bleech. Just my opinion, of course. My wife, OTOH, is a big fan of the pulpo.

Such a thorough review, as always! I'm a huge fan of the Banyan Tree Mayakoba, and have been there several times, and stayed once at the Rosewood. The villas at the Banyan Tree are spectacular, customized with beautiful local art, each with private swimming pools (as opposed to plunge pools), and the beach club has a much more upmarket feel than the Andaz and feels like less of a generic hotel. Service and dining are excellent, with the Thai restaurant Saffron our single best meal on the last trip. Highly recommended for your next trip. The Rosewood was very good, but we found it more sterile than the Banyan Tree, and for the price would stick with that. The Fairmont has great dining options - especially the beachfront restaurant/bar - but the resort overall is very family-oriented.

USA Transfers is the best, they are always right outside the door of the airport always on-time and ready for you. You have to ignore all the people inside the terminal that will try to book you on their service just keep your head down till you are at the door and USA transfers will be there with a smile.

Interesting, I was just there last week also. Wonder if we overlapped but I didn't see you by the beach at all. I actually wasn't too impressed with the hotel. I guess I was expecting something like the Maui Andaz but the service at this property didn't even come close. My shower flooded one night and they didn't even seem to really care. Would probably not go back to this property and would try the Grand Hyatt or Thompson in PDC instead.

Lucky, excellent review. I have visited twice with my family. Just a few points I would add:

1) We have always received warm friendly service whenever we have visited. The staff is wonderful with kids. Excellent kids club. My 4 year old daughter remembers her favorite staff by name, and they remembered her by name when we visited the second time. We observed the staff genuinely trying hard, and empowered to express their personality. Hence, the service comes across as genuine, in our opinion. For that reason, if there were a few honest mistakes, we didn't mind.

2) Lucky, I am surprised you didn't discuss the All Inclusive options this property offers. When I went in December, you could add on the Open Kitchen package for $115 USD per adult person, per night. You could also add this package to a points reservation, as we did. Children 5 and under are free, and there is a reduced price for older children. This included all house drinks, cocktails, and menu items at Cocina Milagro & Tinto del Pulpo, and many items at Casa Amate and Sotavento (some items had a supplemental charge if you were on this plan). Service charge was included in this rate, so you did not feel compelled to add a tip at every meal, unless you felt like it. There was also a Premium package that included premium drinks/liquors and had no exclusions at the fancier restaurants.

This was a great value for Non-Globalists (Breakfast alone was $35 USD per person), especially if you planned to send your time at the Andaz resort, and were not planning to eat at other Mayakoba resorts. With a child, that was easy and convenient for us. After the new WOH points redemption change for Dining, I also confirmed that one could settle the all-inclusive dining charges at checkout using points. That would be very valuable to me for future visits.

3) As a Discoverist, I don't have any suite upgrades. But I never had difficulty booking suites using standard suite awards for 40,000 points per night. I would like to point out the Beach Area Suites are also considered a Standard Suite, so I believe Globalist Suite Upgrades could be confirmed into Beach Area Suites, if they are available. Furthermore, even as a Discoverist, the property upgraded me into Ocean View Suite the first time, and a Beach/Ocean Front Suite the second time (from the Beach Area Suite) just by asking nicely.

In summary, my family and I love this property. It is great with kids, and now that WOH ponts can be redeemed for the Open Kitchen Package at a reasonable rate, it is even better.

Hey Ben - was your suite’s plunge pool heated or unheated? Always hard to find that distinction listed online.

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Great review.
Spent a birthday 15 months ago at Banyan Tree and toured a bit through Andaz which we found to be a much younger crowd. Amazingly good memories.
The compound resort is filled with activities. The beach was very well tended.
We had a villa with a nice large private pool and almost never saw other guests. Two days is enough, though.
Down the road is Playa del Carmen and beyond that the stretch leading to Tulum with alot of interesting spots to explore (Esencia, Nomade, et al.)

@DiegoDave The Mandarin Oriental/Blue Diamond resort is not part of Mayakoba and was never "originally" the Andaz Mayakoba. The Blue Diamond resort still exists and is adjacent to the Mayakoba development. The Andaz was new construction within Mayakoba.