andaz
I have just returned from experiencing four nights at the brand new Andaz in Mayakoba with my husband and 9 year old son. The hotel is brand spankin’ new having opened just before Christmas 2016. As a result everything is shiny and new and they seemed to have ironed out any startup bugs. Similar to the other Mayakoba properties (Banyan Tree, Rosewood, etc), the property is very spread out as the main area of the resort (including most of the rooms) are separated from the beach area by about a ½ mile of mangrove and lagoon areas. So beware a golf cart shuttle is needed to get between the beach and the main area of the hotel.
There are two large pools. One located at the beach (Beach Pool) and the other located at the main area of the hotel which has very comfortable day beds and lounge chairs with the gym, spa, kids club, gift shop and main restaurant immediately beside you. The Beach pool area at the Andaz is the largest among all of the hotels within the Mayakoba and offers two restaurants with the beach literally steps away. The beach at the Andaz is very nice. White sand and clear blue waters.
The rooms are spacious and minimalistic and decorated in a tasteful industrial feel. The bathroom area is large with great showers and double sinks and stocked with high quality robes, towels and toiletries. I believe all rooms have an outdoor balcony or seating area with a table and a couple chairs. Rooms that are called Lagoon rooms are located in the main area of the resort and the rooms that are called Beachside or Beachfront are located very near the Beach area of the resort. The hotel has rooms and suites in various sizes located Beachfront which is very hard to find these days. I also thought these rooms offered good value. I did tour all of the rooms so if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me.
The property had 4 restaurants. Breakfasts at the main restaurant was superb, and the ceviche and more formal Latin American restaurant (Amate) were definitely worth a visit. In addition to the on property restaurants within the Mayakoba complex you have some great dinning options at the Rosewood and Banyan Tree Hotels which you can walk to via the beach or the property will provide you with complimentary shuttle services that are very prompt and take roughly 10 minutes. The town of Playa del Carmen is also nearby (15 minutes) which offers tons of dinning options. Food is tasty and the service at all of the restaurants is first rate.
The spa facility is very nice and certainly can compete with all five star hotels. Given its proximity to the pool and gym it is a great way to finish a day in the sun or to relax after a workout. The Spa was simple but very nice and provided all the bells and whistles you need to unwind from your unwinding. Similarly the gym was small but new and well provisioned with cardio equipment and exercise machines.
The resort put out a weekly bulletin highlighting the on property activities. We did not take full advantage of the offerings but fitness classes, yoga, nature tours, cooking classes and a number of kids activities offered opportunity to get off your beach chair and engaged in an activity should you choose. I chose the beach chair.
My 9-year-old son spent a lot of time at the KIMBO kids club. Given it’s proximity to the large pool he would come and go from the kids club as he chose. If your child is too young to allow come and go privileges the kids club is a mere 30-second walk from the main pool, however if you were wanting to be at the beach, the KIMBO Kids Club location it is not as convenient. KIMBO kept my son busy with nature tours, eco boat tours, visits to the beach to build sand castles, crafts, some sports and had at least one kids movie night while we were there….giving us a chance for an adult only dinner.
On the logistical front, the resort is roughly a 40-minute drive from the Cancun airport and roughly 15 minute to Playa del Carmen. The area has a ton of activities for kids and adults so a quick Google search should show you the plethora of things to do in the area.
Great resort with a very reasonable price point that I would recommend to families, couples and groups.