All photos courtesy Alila Mayakoba

 

The year’s young, but 2026 is already shaping up to be a big year for new hotel openings in the beautiful Riviera Maya.

Leading the pack is Hyatt Hotels Corporation, which in February opened its newest luxury property, Alila Mayakoba, a 182-room resort spread across 60 acres of protected mangroves and freshwater canals. The product of a complete overhaul of the former Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya, it marks the first time the Alila name has appeared anywhere in Latin America or the Caribbean.

Alila Mayakoba: What’s in a Name?

One of Hyatt’s wellness-focused luxury labels, in terms of luxury accommodations, Alila is on par with Park Hyattbrand… so you know a stay here is going to be a high-end experience. And the name? well, that comes from the ancient Sanskrit word meaning “surprise,” an apt name for sure.

The brand currently operates properties in Bali, India, and across three locations in California: Alila Ventana Big Sur, Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas, and Alila Napa Valley. Mayakoba will be the fourth Alila in the Americas and the first outside the United States.

What to Expect at Alila Mayakoba

 Rest assured Hyatt hasn’t just slapped up new signage. The entire property has undergone what Hyatt describes as a complete architectural and interior transformation, shifting away from the Andaz aesthetic toward Alila’s design philosophy of craft-driven, place-based luxury.

And it shows. The resort’s 182 accommodations include 72 suites, which account for roughly 40 percent of the total inventory, a significant increase over the previous Andaz configuration. Suites range from 538 square feet up to more than 4,500 square feet for the Alila Beachfront Presidential Suite.

Interior finishes lean heavily on locally sourced materials, including Mérida limestone and regional hardwoods throughout, with interiors curated by local artisans. Many suites include interior gardens, soaking tubs, and spa-style bathrooms with rainfall showers and floor-to-ceiling windows. Ground-floor rooms in select categories offer private plunge pools that open onto the surrounding landscape of lagoon, mangrove, and beach.

Expect a Warm Wellness Welcome

The arrival experience has been completely reimagined as well. Expect to see a cenote-inspired lobby space, designed with natural stone textures, layered greenery, and artisanal details intended to set the tone for the rest of the property.

Wellness programming is a core pillar of the Alila brand, and Mayakoba is no exception. The Alila Spa features both indoor and outdoor treatment spaces, communal hydrotherapy areas, meditation gardens, and a traditional temazcal, the pre-Hispanic steam bath ceremony still practiced by Indigenous communities across Mexico.

You’ll also have access to sunrise cacao rituals on the beach, led by local practitioners, along with cultural experiences such as tortilla-making workshops, chef-led market tours in nearby towns, and beekeeping visits to local villages.

Classy Culinary Experiences

On the dining side, the resort will operate six food and beverage venues. Casa Amate, a farm-to-table restaurant, is the signature dining experience, with a menu rooted in Yucatán Peninsula ingredients and regional cooking traditions.

The Beach Club will offer fire-roasted fish feasts by the shore and live music, while a Chef’s Atelier will pair dishes with local wines and spirits. An on-site organic garden supplies ingredients directly to the kitchens, and a dedicated coffee bar rounds out the offerings.

The culinary approach reflects a broader industry trend along the Riviera Maya, where high-end resorts are moving away from generic international menus and leaning into hyper-local sourcing. Alila’s emphasis on garden-to-table dining and Yucatán-specific ingredients puts it in direct conversation with neighbors like Rosewood Mayakoba and the recently opened Riviera Maya EDITION at Kanai, which debuted in early 2024.

Inside the Mayakoba Complex

The new Alila sits within Mayakoba, a 148-acre gated resort community located about 15 minutes by car from Playa del Carmen’s Quinta Avenida shopping and restaurant district. The complex is also home to Rosewood Mayakoba, Banyan Tree Mayakoba, and Fairmont Mayakoba, which recently completed its own renovation of 401 rooms and added a new beach club. Between the four properties, guests have access to more than 30 restaurants without leaving the Mayakoba grounds.

Getting around the complex is part of the experience. Lagoon paths connect the resorts by foot or bicycle, and boats thread the freshwater canals that wind through the mangroves. El Camaleón Golf Course, a par-72 Greg Norman-designed layout that has hosted multiple PGA Tour events, is available to guests of all four hotels. And El Pueblito, Mayakoba’s small village square, offers sidewalk restaurants, boutiques, an art gallery, and a Catholic chapel called La Santa Cruz that holds Sunday mass at noon.

For those looking to explore beyond the gates, the region delivers. Cenotes are within easy driving distance, snorkeling reefs off Puerto Morelos are less than 30 minutes north, and the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site encompassing more than 1.3 million acres (528,000 hectares) of tropical forest, wetlands, and coastal habitat, makes for a solid half-day or full-day trip.

Find out more about this exquisite new offering in the Riviera Maya here.

 

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Bryan Dearsley is a luxury lifestyles writer, a prolific traveler, and a Co-Founder of the Riley network of luxury lifestyle websites.