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For the traveler seeking out boutique experiences, this intimate, upscale resort outside Playa del Carmen is the perfect antidote to the mega-resorts lining the Riviera Maya. With just 30 villas, each hidden in lush jungle, The Tides Riviera Maya (formerly Ikal del Mar) is all about privacy and luxurious touches, like boutique tequila waiting in the suite on arrival and coffee and croissants delivered to your terrace each morning.
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The Grounds at The Tides Riviera Maya:
Cunning landscaping is the hallmark of The Tides Riviera Maya. Paths wind through dense tropical foliage and villas are hidden in the jungle, their terraces screened off with woven palms to ensure total privacy. Whimsical touches are dotted through the jungle, like three artistic corners – for writers, readers and painters, respectively – set up with the requisite materials for inspiration or daydreaming.
The Rooms at Tides Riviera Maya:
Natural materials and earthy colors combine to further the sense of being a particularly spoiled castaway in the thatched roof villas. A heavy rope can be hooked across the entrance to each villa for privacy (nothing as gauche as a Do Not Disturb sign), while a short paved path leads to a shaded terrace with a dining table, two cushioned lounges and a plunge pool. A hand crocheted hammock swings poolside. A romantically draped canopied bed with hand-stitched Egyptian linens ensures sweet dreams, as does the blissful air conditioning that keep the humid jungle weather outside where it belongs.
The Restaurant at Tides Riviera Maya
La Marea is a two-story palapa-style restaurant set poolside with views of the ocean. Guests can choose from an a la carte menu featuring tastes from around the globe, with none of the lack of focus that normally implies – don’t be afraid to try the sashimi or Mediterranean staples like paella and carpaccio. On my visit I tried the chef’s tasting menu, a wonderfully comprehensive array of small plates – from seared scallops on tomato “carpaccio” to a mango gazpacho drizzled with Mayan honey – matched with wines from Mexico’s Baja region. The resort also offers an “Anytime Anywhere” dining option, which as the names implies, allows guests to eat beachside, have cocktails in their villa or set up a romantic table for two by the pool. On Fridays, the kitchen decamps for a BBQ fire pit on the terrace next to the beach, where chefs grill seafood and meat under the stars.
The Pools/Beaches at Tides Riviera Maya
Guests prepared to be lured out of their villa can take a dip in the palm-fringed main pool, dotted around with white curtained day beds. The beach is rockier and more prone to seaweed than others along this coast, but the bath-warm water is the usual startling azure blue and you’ll tend to have the place to yourself.
The Spa at Tides Riviera Maya
The spa is contained within a huge round palapa set in the jungle at the center of the resort. Drawing on ancient Maya healing rituals and inspired by the ocean, the spa has six treatment rooms, along with a lovely relaxation area complete with a soaring roof and a sunken pool surrounded by huge pillar candles. The treatment rooms are screened off from the jungle by transparent white netting: candles flicker just outside, casting the room in a suffused, peaceful glow. Along with the standard array of massages both relaxing and therapeutic, the spa offers unusual treatments like the temazcal, the ancient Maya sweat lodge ceremony, and a lunar massage performed at the edge of the sea.
Don’t Miss
One of the most unusual and charming touches is the hand-made soaps, delivered to your room on arrival. After showing us around, our butler took two huge bars out of a bag and carefully cut off two pieces – one was mint, the other cocoa (they smelled so good we used the body wash instead and took them home).
The Bottom Line
A luxurious experience full of considered details, ideal for honeymooners and other couples wanting a tranquil escape that combines jungle and beach.
Address: Riviera Maya Playa Xcalacoco Frac 7
Reservations: 800 578 0281
Room Rates: $$$$
Website:Tides Riviera Maya
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The Tides Riviera Maya is one of my picks for Mexico's Top Ten Adult-Only Resorts.
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