Riviera Maya Playa Xcalacoco Frac 7, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Seemingly tailor–made for honeymooners, the private villas of The Tides Riviera Maya, all tucked away in jungle greenery, are secluded, stylish and sexy.
Just half an hour south of Cancún, The Tides Riviera Maya feels like it could be hidden deep in the emptiest quarters of tropical Mexico. The tiny property contains only 29 villas (30 if you count the grand, two–story presidential villa), all tucked artfully among dense fruit trees and other greenery. Wandering along the winding paths––especially at night, when they're lit by the softest golden glow––it's easy to feel you're the only guest in a natural wonderland.
It's also tempting to never leave your villa, a sprawling construction of local hardwoods, topped with a towering palm-thatch roof. There's nothing rustic about the place, though: A king–size canopy bed piled with fine white sheets, which are refreshed throughout the day, is the center of  the colossal bedroom. Slide back the twin wooden doors to look out on your own private plunge pool and a spacious terrace on which pastries and coffee appear every morning just before you awake. Behind the bedroom is a large dressing room (stocked with delicate robes by Paulina Morán, perfect for the climate) and both an indoor glassed–in shower and an outdoor "moon shower" surrounded by palm fronds.
All suites have exactly the same layout and furnishings. The difference between the standard Luxury Villas and the Royal Villas comes in the dedicated butler service, perks like a menu of locally made soaps (a nice rustic complement to the Molton Brown toiletries), and assorted treats throughout the day. But note that none but the presidential villa has a sea view.
If you do venture out, you'll find a meandering pool fronting the beach. Recent weather has exposed a lot of rock at the edge of the water, making for a dramatic view but a somewhat difficult spot to swim. Whether you're relaxing under a lean–to on the sand or sunning by the pool, you'll be offered chilled towels and refreshing iced tea. The Tides Riviera Maya still has small hotels as neighbors to the north, but to the south, a massive condo project is underway––a bit jarring if you venture that direction.
But within its walls, the resort maintains an impeccable atmosphere of castaway quiet, starting at arrival, when guests are presented with chilled coconut water, straight from the green shell. Service is not unnecessarily formal, but is attentive to every detail: should you get disoriented on the way to the beach (easy to do, with few landmarks amid the trees), staff casually escort you there.
 On the second floor of a large thatched palapa next to the pool, La Marea restaurant is the dominion of Chef Cupertino Ortiz, who made a name for himself as one of the finest chefs on Mexico's Pacific coast. With his move to the Yucatán, he has picked up local ingredients, such as earthy achiote, and merged them with his Mediterranean repertoire, best sampled in an epic tasting menu. Unique to this resort, he also leads an excellent hands-on cooking class, using the traditional Yucatecan pib, or pit, to roast meats and fish.
At the back of the property near a small waterfall, the Maya Spa is a candlelit labyrinth of saunas and private rooms––you're escorted here shortly after your arrival to receive a blessing of fragrant copal, and many of the treatments have a similar indigenous inspiration, even using traditional Maya massage techniques and local clays for body wraps.
No other spot in the Riviera Maya emphasizes the forest over the sea in quite the same way (the Rosewood Mayakoba and the Mandarin Oriental, with their mangroves and canals, have only a touch of this wild feeling), and the result is distinctly magical, creating a great decadent, romantic hideaway. But its ultra–private layout means there's not always a lot of socializing among guests, so if you are hoping for a more convivial vacation––or a view of the Caribbean as soon as you wake––you should look elsewhere.
Web Address: www.tidesrivieramaya.com
Total Number of Rooms: 30
Published rates: $900 to $2,600
Review and photos by Zora O'Neill.
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