What it’s like staying on the Riviera Maya Version at Kanai

Marriott’s buzzworthy Version model has lastly arrived in Mexico.

The Riviera Maya Version at Kanai, Version’s first location in Latin America, packs loads of the glitterati must-haves the model is thought for: picture-perfect visitor rooms and suites; a employees that goes above and past for friends; and loads of vibey bars, eating places and inexperienced areas that make for a great selfie backdrop to flaunt your extravagant getaway. Briefly, you in all probability need to overthink each outfit you put on to the pool or seaside right here.

However it’s additionally a superbly deliberate property that blends with its pure environment whereas nonetheless offering the minimalist method Version co-founder Ian Schrager weaves into every property.

It is perhaps solely a fast half-hour drive from Cancun Worldwide Airport (CUN), however the Riviera Maya Version could as nicely be a world away from the spring break all-inclusive vibes that make different elements of the Yucatan Peninsula so well-liked.

What’s the Riviera Maya Version at Kanai?

The Riviera Maya Version at Kanai is considered one of three resorts inside a 620-acre nature reserve (a St. Regis is subsequent door, whereas an Auberge Resort is on the opposite facet of the St. Regis). The combination of mangroves and Caribbean shoreline give this slice of paradise extra of a pure vibe — albeit a wonderfully manicured one. No palm tree is misplaced amid this luxurious resort trinity.

Version is Marriott’s luxurious life-style model, so anticipate attentive service with a enjoyable edge. Events on the seaside membership can go till the wee hours, and the venue provides off the attribute Version vibe of being the place to see and be seen. (Schrager did co-found Studio 54, so this should not come as a shock.)

The best way to e book a keep on the Riviera Maya Version at Kanai

My three-night keep was complimentary, however you’ll be able to e book rooms beginning at $799 per night time on choose dates within the spring. I seen charges dip to as little as $599 per night time in the summertime. Award redemptions begin at 84,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors per night time.

When reserving this Version property, you may need to use one of many bank cards that earn essentially the most factors for Marriott stays, and probably one that provides automated Marriott Bonvoy elite standing for value-added advantages. These embrace:

• Marriott Bonvoy Sensible® American Specific® Card: Earn 6 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at accommodations taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, automated Platinum Elite standing and 25 elite night time credit per 12 months towards the next tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Specific® Card: Earn 6 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at accommodations taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, automated Gold Elite standing and 15 elite night time credit per 12 months towards the next tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Card: Earn 6 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at accommodations taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, automated Gold Elite standing and 15 elite night time credit per 12 months towards the next tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Enterprise® American Specific® Card: Earn 6 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at accommodations taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, automated Gold Elite standing and 15 elite night time credit per 12 months towards the next tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit score Card: Earn 6 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at accommodations taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, automated Silver Elite standing and 15 elite night time credit per 12 months towards the next tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Daring Credit score Card: Earn 3 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at accommodations taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, automated Silver Elite standing and 15 elite night time credit per 12 months towards the next tier.

The data for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.

The placement

The Riviera Maya Version is a few 40-minute drive south of Cancun Worldwide Airport (CUN) and sits inside the gated Kanai growth. You will additionally discover The St. Regis Kanai Resort and Etereo, a part of the Auberge Resorts Assortment, within the Kanai growth. A fourth resort is anticipated to go on the opposite facet of the Version.

Non-public transport on Version-provided automobiles prices $418 round-trip from the airport in a four-person Suburban, or there’s a six-person van choice for $290 round-trip.

The resort is pretty remoted past the 2 neighboring resorts, and it is extra handy to take a look at eating places and bars at these properties relatively than drive into city. However Playa del Carmen to the south is the closest metropolis, just below a 30-minute drive from the Version.

In-crowd vibes

Smooth, trendy structure abounds right here, with the Version model’s signature colour palette of assorted hues of white accented by wooden, stone and inexperienced. All in all, this offers the Riviera Maya Version a distinctly completely different architectural vibe than the towers of Cancun’s Lodge Zone.

The three wings of the resort are constructed above the mangrove forest, so you may traverse through elevated boardwalks that crisscross man-made and pure water options between buildings. A sandy path lined with palm bushes guides friends from a pool and bar space close to the primary resort complicated out to the seaside.

The seaside is very manicured: You will see Version employees members incessantly raking, so these sugary white shores stay picture-perfect around the clock. Maybe that is why I noticed supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio pose right here for just a few stylized snapshots whereas I — the non-supermodel — wolfed down a scrumptious tuna crudo on the close by beachfront infinity pool. To every their very own!

My keep was through the grand opening weekend, so the Version visitor roster was closely skewed towards celebrities and influencers. However, whenever you see celebrities like Beyoncé, Leonardo DiCaprio and any variety of Jenners and Kardashians popping up at different model areas, it is onerous to examine the Riviera Maya Version dropping its scene-y vibe anytime quickly.

Verify-in

Since I used to be attending the opening weekend, my check-in expertise was devoid of strolling into the foyer for the standard arrival strategy of wanting up a reservation. After a entrance portico greeting, an Version group member walked me up a stone, orchid-flanked staircase into the lofty foyer space that is filled with hanging greenery and white couches begging to host an excellent gossip session with a glass of one thing scrumptious from the close by Foyer Bar.

The bar space broke from the standard mixture of Version greens, whites and wooden. As a substitute, you may discover velvet seating areas in shades of pink, lime inexperienced and pink below the watchful gaze of Mayan artwork peering out from behind numerous bottles of mezcal and reposado.

Open home windows with picket shutters in the primary foyer space overlook a lagoon pool and mangroves, and, relying in your room placement, you may both loop to the best on the high of the entry staircase to a wing of rooms or head left and go outdoors to a boardwalk to the property’s different two resort wings.

The slender boardwalk is considered one of many locations on the Riviera Maya Version the place you may need to pause for a photograph break, because it’s lined with lush greenery and reflecting swimming pools. The sunsets right here supplied some unimaginable lighting for glamor photographs, impromptu LinkedIn headshots and all the pieces in between.

Minimalism meets Riviera Maya within the visitor rooms

My welcome information walked me down the boardwalk path and as much as my third-floor room within the Riviera Maya Version’s easternmost wing that sits perpendicular to the seaside. Whereas the Foyer Bar supplied a pop of colour, the visitor room wings strictly adhered to the Version’s traditional design code — albeit with some Yucatan Peninsula and Mayan cultural aptitude right here and there.

Stone corridors abide by Schrager’s glossy minimalist aesthetic, which means they’re solely damaged up by the occasional wood-paneled elevator financial institution, an accent boulder or a reflecting pool encasing bamboo shoots. Whereas these are protected inside corridors, the resort is basically indoor-outdoor when it comes to design, so you’ll be able to nonetheless get pleasure from contemporary air due to outdoor-exposed ends at every finish of the resort room wings.

My deluxe king room was a pure extension of the resort’s aesthetic. A blond wooden four-poster mattress and nightstands paired nicely with limestone flooring, cream rugs and white linens. A soft white chair with a stone facet desk fashioned a small studying space, whereas walnut hues on one other chair, bench and accent wall offered the room with a few of its restricted pops of colour. It have to be a problem to maintain all that white wanting so pristine, however fortunately, there’s twice-daily housekeeping to remain on high of that.

A non-public out of doors terrace included a white couch with a espresso desk, terra cotta-potted vegetation and sweeping views of the encircling atmosphere. It was an idyllic spot to retreat to with a beer from the minibar and revel in just a little sundown solitude earlier than night occasions started through the opening weekend festivities.

The flat-screen tv featured streaming capabilities through a QR code you may scan with a smartphone to log in to Netflix and different streaming providers — nifty for some late-night rewatching of “Fits.”

Again inside, there was ample storage cut up between two closets that had loads of shelf and hanger house, plus the in-room secure, complimentary Nespresso espresso pods and tea and a minibar.

The marble toilet simply off the entry hallway featured a big single-sink vainness with Version’s signature black-tea-and-bergamot-scented Le Labo merchandise. Whereas it is definitely good for the atmosphere, I have been unhappy because the model has moved away from mini Le Labo bottles to bigger, refillable ones, which are not for taking residence. A rainfall bathe and soaking tub meant I had quite a lot of methods to clean up, and I used to be comfortable to see the Version included bathtub salts on a stone facet desk close to the bathtub.

Should you overlook any toiletries at residence, odds are it they’re going to be in a small white field beneath the sink: Combs, toothbrushes and shaving kits have been all tucked away inside. There was additionally mosquito repellant subsequent to the sink, and the resort offered sunscreen and after-sun skincare in a welcome bag. (Nonetheless, it is unclear if that extends past the opening weekend occasion. Sunscreen and after-sun lotion have been offered at stations by every pool, although).

Whereas I wasn’t the fortunate visitor staying within the Sky Rooftop Villa, the 27,000-square-foot penthouse on the fourth ground of my room’s part of the resort is the biggest resort penthouse in North America. The villa incorporates a personal infinity pool working the size of the out of doors deck with panoramic views of the Caribbean Sea — it is merely begging to host the perfect social gathering ever.

The Sky Rooftop Villa options 5 en suite bedrooms (every with its personal personal terrace and plunge pool) and a visitor kitchen in addition to one for catering. There’s additionally a grassy finish to the leisure deck the place you’ll be able to relax on a hammock and bask within the glory of no matter luck it took so that you can afford the beginning charge of $40,000 per night time.

Lightning-fast in-room eating

Given the assorted opening weekend festivities, my most “regular” and non-party eating experiences entailed in-room eating, a poolside ceviche at So’ol Seashore Membership and breakfast one morning at Kitchen. Nonetheless, all meals have been offered through the hosted occasion.

After I received to my room on the primary afternoon, I felt famished and ordered an Italian chopped kale salad with grilled shrimp (740 Mexican pesos, or about $44) from room service, plus a facet of guacamole (350 Mexican pesos, or $21) — when in Mexico, proper? The shrimp have been plump, the salad crisp, and the guacamole hit all the best notes of lime and cilantro for this hungry reporter. However what additionally stood out was the way it arrived in a few half-hour — definitely faster than any room service I’ve had not too long ago again within the U.S.

One morning, I ordered an egg white omelet (470 pesos, or $28) with a facet of bacon (100 pesos, or $6), and it arrived at an analogous pace.

All the menus for the Version’s eating places — Ki’is, a luxe Mexican restaurant; Kitchen, a extra informal all-day restaurant; and the pool and seaside venues — have been in preview throughout my keep or specialised for the opening weekend crowd.

My tuna crudo at So’ol (520 Mexican pesos, or $31) had an Asian-fusion aptitude due to being soaked in ponzu and Japanese scorching sauce. A New York wagyu steak with chimichurri sauce and celeriac puree clocked in at 1,450 pesos ($87).

Breakfast at Kitchen included an “encamisado” egg folded inside a tortilla with a smoky sikil paak sauce for 390 pesos ($23) whereas a brilliant inexperienced juice of celery, orange, pineapple, parsley and cactus was 180 pesos ($11). It isn’t low-cost to dine out on the Version, and this definitely is not the place you may discover an all-inclusive discount. However it’s additionally not essentially the most astronomical pricing, both — particularly in comparison with Version properties in metropolis facilities.

As for what’s finally going to be on the finalized menu on the Riviera Maya Version? Do not anticipate a taco and tamale extravaganza right here. Throughout a press convention, Schrager informed reporters that he would intention to keep away from “the cliches” of eating.

(However do not panic: You possibly can nonetheless discover tacos on the menu at Pool Bar.)

Splash in model

You will have quite a lot of locations to chill off within the water whenever you keep on the Riviera Maya Version. For starters, ground-floor visitor rooms characteristic plunge swimming pools (although a few of my fellow friends in these rooms complained of an disagreeable odor as a result of proximity to the mangroves — an issue I did not have three flooring up).

The lagoon-style pool closest to the resort options partially submerged loungers in a small part, together with loads of loungers and cabana choices across the pool. Pool Bar is the place you’ll be able to order all the pieces from a Corona beer to small bites. This pool is the extra laid-back, quieter spot to submerge or chill poolside with a e book — or take a stylized picture in a type of pool loungers when the sundown mild is hitting at simply the best angle.

The pool at So’ol Seashore Membership is the trendier hangout. Not that it wasn’t modern on the central pool nearer to the resort, however So’ol is unquestionably the watering gap the place you debut the newest Vilebrequin swimsuit that value a small fortune. That dear pair of swim trunks will certainly slot in with the group that ventures backwards and forwards from the pool to the seaside to a non-public floating deck with cabanas immediately on the ocean — all to the backdrop of pulsating pop music blaring from the sound system.

Towel service is offered at each swimming pools and the seaside.

Well being and wellness

The spa and health amenities on the Version have been each exemplary by resort requirements. The health room featured a spin studio for biking fanatics wanting to remain on high of their class schedule even whereas on trip. A large mixture of Technogym cardio and power coaching tools plus free weights rounded out the gymnasium.

The Spa consists of indoor-outdoor remedy rooms, hydrotherapy swimming pools, a rest room and steam and sauna amenities. There’s additionally a salon for manicures, pedicures and hair styling. Whereas the ability was busy throughout my go to and never very best for taking photographs throughout therapies, my 60-minute Restfulness Therapeutic massage (5,300 pesos, or $317) was simply the correct amount of firmness to get among the knots out of my muscle groups … however soothing sufficient to not agitate the sunburn I accrued from having fun with the So’ol Seashore Membership just a little an excessive amount of the prior afternoon.

Dawn yoga and different actions happen in an outside pavilion with a hovering picket exoskeleton construction that is simply as a lot of an architectural showstopper as it’s a den of Zen for the members inside.

Why the Riviera Maya Version at Kanai will probably be best for you

• For these on the lookout for a seaside getaway with a glamorous backdrop and fashion-forward fellow friends, that is the place to unwind and get some marquee photographs to put up on Intstagram.
• There are ample methods to have a tendency to at least one’s well being and wellness right here, from yoga to eating to spa therapies — select your personal path for inside peace throughout your keep.
• Should you’re extra of a reposado on ice and mezcal-rita form of individual relatively than tequila photographs and swim-up bars, that is the luxe Mexican resort for you.

Why the Riviera Maya Version at Kanai may not be for you

• Meals costs and spa providers are removed from low-cost on the Riviera Maya Version, so anticipate finding some hefty fees on high of the nightly room charges.
• You may need to pause on walks across the property so the individual in entrance of you’ll be able to end filming their second try at a TikTok or Reels shot. Do not decide — you is perhaps that individual as soon as the seaside vista clears up to your flip.
• If you wish to be related to native eating and varied off-resort choices, the Riviera Maya Version’s comparatively secluded location is not an excellent match.

Accessibility

Elevators and ramps are prevalent all through the property for accessibility, although the sandy pathway to the seaside is just not very best for wheelchairs. There’s a agency walkway beneath that’s utilized largely by Version employees members shifting backwards and forwards from the resort to the seaside and pool, and it’s the most accessible approach to get to the seaside.

The resort additionally has an accessible ocean-view king visitor room and an accessible ocean-view suite, each of which include varied accessibility options.

There are not any chair lifts at both pool.

Options

• The St. Regis Kanai Resort: The Version’s ultraluxury sibling within the Marriott model household can be its next-door neighbor inside Kanai. Count on a extra mature luxurious resort crowd right here.
• Etereo, Auberge Resorts Assortment: On the opposite facet of the St. Regis is Etereo, a luxe resort with a barely homier — albeit nonetheless trendy — vibe than the Version.
• Rosewood Mayakoba: Roughly quarter-hour south is the luxe Rosewood Mayakoba, a jaw-dropping resort that makes the Version appear like a discount. Pristine environment come at a value!
• Andaz Mayakoba Resort: Life-style resort followers can even discover solace within the Mayakoba complicated on the Andaz, a part of Hyatt’s loyalty community and usually extra inexpensive than the Version.

Trying out

The Riviera Maya Version at Kanai left a powerful first impression: Workers members have been enjoyable, attentive and on the high of their recreation — a mirrored image of the model’s well-known recruiting efforts that start months forward of a gap and entail aggressive poaching from different bars, eating places and resorts in no matter market Version is opening on the time.

There are sturdy rivals each within the Kanai growth and close by Mayakoba, however the Version exhibits Marriott has main pores and skin within the life-style resort recreation on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Even if you happen to aren’t feeling fabulous at check-in, you definitely will at checkout after just a few days right here … nicely, perhaps till you see how a lot you spent on massages and meals.