Chablé Maroma
Cosseting casitas
Tropical gold
The Chablé siblings have a thirst for discovery and decadence, each with their own distinct style: as luxury spa resort Chablé Yucatán chants with a shaman in a pre-Hispanic temazcal (sauna), beachside boutique retreat Chablé Maroma basks on Punta Maroma’s much-praised playa, gets anointed with floral oils in the spa and acquires a taste for fine Mexican dining. And, after a day of cenote diving and Mayan-ruin admiring, free spirits can cosy up in their jungle-swathed private pool (swimwear optional…)
Facilities
Rooms
70 casitas, including two Presidential Villas.
Checkout
Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
More Details
Rates usually include à la carte breakfast, with an omelette station, in-room coffee or tea with bread each morning, daily activities, soft drinks from the minibar and entry to the spa and gym. Guests must pay an environmental fee of 20 pesos too.
Also
The ground floor of the hotel and casitas are roomy enough for wheelchair users; staff are happy to help, if needed.
Fitness Center
Free Internet Access
Laundry
Pet Friendly
Pool
On-Site Restaurant
Room Service
Spa
At the Hotel
Private beach, spa with a hammam, gym, laundry, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: private pool and terrace, TV, coffee-making kit, a minibar and air-conditioning.
Our Favourite Rooms
Built of stone from Xucun Village and marble quarried in La Galarza town – with hand-carved sinks and palm weavings from local artisans – each of these jungly nests is pervaded by a true sense of locality. Each one is a winner, with oodles of space in which to play, peekaboo indoor-outdoor showers and a greenery-shielded private pool that almost begs you to skinny dip. If you’re travelling with friends or la familia in tow, you'll be comfortably housed in the three-bedroom Presidential Villas.
Poolside
Chablé has two placid pools. One is a heated infinity pool overlooking Playa Maroma with a bar and servers ferrying light bites – shrimp and lobster tacos, suckling pig – where you won’t have trouble bagging a sunlounger. The second is an adults-only heated Jacuzzi, part of the vast hotel spa.
Spa
Spa spoiling comes naturally to Chablé Maroma: in its adults-only, 17,000sq ft palace of pampering, treatments take a cue from the leafy and sand-dusted surroundings. Journeys inspired by ancient Mayan rituals involve floral balms, citrus and frankincense oils, coffee and tobacco scrubs and locally quarried quartz crystals – plus hip herbal Naturopathica potions. It’s a bit of a romantic, too, accommodating couples in five of its eight deliciously scented cabins. There’s also the Jacuzzi, a plunge pool and a sauna, and the fitness centre has serious Technogym equipment, and healthful snacks and juices are served post workout.
Packing Tips
Bring your look-at-me water-baby wear for the pool, and a sturdier swimsuit (and waterproof shoes) for splashing about in a cenote.
Also
You needn’t leave your bed to be massaged with herbal compresses or be wrapped in seaweed – a spa therapist will come to you, as requested.
Children
Over-fours are welcome, but the hotel's best suited to tweens and teens. Up to two kids (US$75 a night) can sleep in the villas. Babysitting is US$20 an hour (plus the cost of a taxi: US$20 before 10pm, US$30 after) and must be booked a day in advance.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
Bag a seat on Bu’ul’s terrace and be soothed by the susurrus of the waves.
Dress Code
Shed your beachy trappings for dress-up, date-night spot Bu’ul.
Hotel Restaurant
The hotel has three places to eat. Bu’ul – helmed by chef Jorge Vallejo – is the innovative fine-dining joint, housed under a shaggily thatched roof and boasting a sea-view terrace. Vallejo was lured to the coast from much lauded Mexico City restaurant Quintonil, and brings his unique brand of mod-Mex fare with him. Using locally harvested ingredients, he’s refined regional favourites: chilli-inflamed relleno negro stew, lobster with habañero, coal-baked Oaxacan chocolate fondant… And, his menu’s accentuated by an extensive wine cellar. Your second option is Kaban, which is more laid back and where the chef’s happy to tailor dishes to little ones, too (as well as to whip up vegan or gluten-free dishes). Fish is freshly caught, flatbreads have homegrown toppings and clams are cooked up in front of you. And in the Raw Bar, you’ll pile up small plates of oysters, octopus tacos, fish and mango ceviche, stone crab and other deep-sea delicacies.
Hotel Bar
The Raw Bar isn’t just a spot for under-the-sea-style snacking – here high-quality mezcal and tequila are shaken up with fresh herbs and fruits, for an apéritif – or anytime-itif – for those who’ve outgrown shooters.
Last Orders
In Kaban, breakfast is served from 7am to 11am, then lunch and dinner run till 11pm. Dinner in Bu’ul is from 6pm to 11pm. Poolside snacking is available from 9am to 5pm, and you can sip cocktails at the Raw Bar from 12 noon to 11pm.
Room Service
A range of local and global dishes are served in room around the clock.
Planes
Cancun International Airport is a 30-minute drive from the retreat. You can fly direct from the UK and major cities in the US; most flights from Asia and Australasia stopover in the US. The hotel can arrange transfers, on request (US$140 for a one-way trip, US$280 return).
Automobiles
There’s free parking and a valet onsite. With Playa del Carmen’s vibrant nightlife a 15-minute drive away, and Tulum’s Mayan monuments an hour’s drive away, it’s well worth acquiring some wheels during your stay.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
The hotel’s private stretch of Playa Maroma’s soft sands and calm waters – safe for paddling and swimming – are just steps away. The beach is deserving of its reputation as one of the world’s most beautiful and it’s privy to views of the world’s second largest reef (just pipped at the post by the Great Barrier Reef), which you can sigh over from a palapa-shaded sunlounger. The spa is the hotel’s headline act, with must-try traditional Mayan rituals, all-natural unguents and a soothing sauna and Jacuzzi. You can join yoga classes here or hit the gym, too.
Beyond the hotel, you can go fishing with the chef for a very fresh dinner or trek into the jungle. Further south, explore the ruins of the Mayan Empire: Tulum’s majestic mediaeval cliff-top fortifications, the mystical Chichén Itzá complex and Coba’s climbable ziggurat. Beguiling blue cenote pools await, too – try Chaak Tun, where stalactites dangle dramatically overhead. Other pulse-quickening water-based pursuits include kayaking, catamaran sailing, kitesurfing and parasailing. For scuba-diving and snorkelling take a day trip to Cozumel island, or head to low-key paradise Isla de Holbox, to spy flamingoes and sea turtles. Between Tulum and Playa del Carmen, Akumal village hosts a turtle hatchery, too. Visit in October for the best chance of egg-cracking action.
Stop to snap a selfie by the arched, attention-grabbing Portal Maya Statue in Playa del Carmen’s Parque Fundadores. There’s also a bandstand for live music and a pirate-ship-shaped playground here. Try to catch the daredevil Papantla performers, who spin upside down on ropes suspended from a pole.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
