Andaz Mayakoba Review: Family-friendly luxury on Mexican Riviera Maya

We enjoyed a fantastic stay at Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya during our spring break in Mexico with our kids. The Andaz Mayakoba masters laid-back luxury in a lush jungle setting on the Carribean. The chic resort sits in the ultra-luxe gated Mayakoba complex, surrounded by peaceful lagoons and boasting one of the best beaches in Riviera Maya. Our comprehensive Andaz Mayakoba review shares why we think it’s one of the best family resorts in Riviera Maya, seamlessly catering to both families and couples. Andaz is a tranquil refuge from the party atmosphere of nearby Cancun and Playa del Carmen, yet is close enough to allow the best of both worlds. It is conveniently located to many of the best things to do in the Riviera Maya. Read our Andaz Mayakoba review for all the details on one of the best hotels in Riviera Maya Mexico.

Andaz Mayakoba Review: WTA Score

**Our WTA score represents our own views based on our personal experience with the entity being reviewed.

Booking our stay for free on points

Since Andaz is one of Hyatt’s luxury brands, we booked our stay with our World of Hyatt points. The resort was a Category 5 hotel when we made the booking, requiring 20,000 points per night for a standard room. It changed to a Category 6 hotel after our booking and now requires 25,000 points per night. Hyatt waives resort fees on award stays, saving us considerably more money.

Since we didn’t have enough Hyatt points for 4 nights, we instantly transferred 12,000 points from Chase Ultimate Rewards (earned through spending on our Chase Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Plus credit cards) at a 1:1 ratio to secure the booking. As Hyatt Globalists, we received a complimentary suite upgrade which gave us even more value out of our points.

We stayed in an ocean view suite the first two nights and then moved to a beach front suite our last two nights. The price of an ocean view suite during the dates of our stay, which happened to be over the Easter holiday so prices were higher than usual, would have been $1,120 per night plus taxes and resort fees, which are really high. We saved over $5,600 on 4 nights at one of the best hotels on Riviera Maya Mexico. Using 80,0000 Hyatt points for a $5,600 stay ended up being a really valuable points redemption, getting an impressive 14 cents per point.

Location

The Andaz Mayakoba is located on the Carribean Sea on a pristine stretch of coastline called the Riviera Maya, which starts south of Cancun and ends at the Sian Ka’an Biosphere. The Andaz is the newest addition to the exclusive 600-acre Mayakoba Resort complex. It includes several other top luxury resorts, including Banyan Tree, Rosewood, and Fairmont.

The resort is about 30 miles south of Cancun International Airport and just about 5 miles north of Playa del Carmen, making it a convenient location to explore both destinations while enjoying a more serene atmosphere. Mayakoba’s relaxed atmosphere caters both to families and couples wanting to unwind and enjoy the stunning Mexican Riviera.

We rented a car from the airport and the drive from Cancun to Riviera Maya was very easy, taking about 40 minutes. We prefer to have our own car when traveling so we have the flexibility to go where we want when we want. It’s much cheaper to rent a car than to rely on taxis and hotel transports, which can cost upwards of $80.

You may be wondering, is the Riviera Maya safe to rent a car? Although there are some areas of Mexico that have become dangerous due to drug cartels and are not recommended for tourists, we felt completely safe in this area.

If you’re looking for ideas of what to do in Riviera Maya outside the resort, we recommend visiting Xcaret Park, cenotes, and either Tulum or Chichen Itza to see the ancient Mayan archeological sites.

A warm welcome to Andaz Mayakoba Resort

Once making our way through the gated security checkpoint, we drove down a road surrounded by lush flora and fauna to the Andaz reception area. The circular open-air lobby, called the Sanctuary, is designed to look like a cenote, one of the best attractions in the Riviera Maya. A decorative pool with a flame in the center illuminates the lobby in the evenings, making for an enchanting first impression. There are several comfortable chairs to relax in during the check-in process, where the host comes to you instead of you having to wait in a line at a desk.

Post from RICOH THETA. – Spherical Image – Andaz Mayakoba Beautiful Lobby

Upon arrival, a host greeted us with welcome drinks of a local tequila cocktail while the kids enjoyed a virgin version of the drink. Check-in was complete in a few minutes while we sipped our cocktails.

A welcome tradition at the hotel that we especially liked was choosing a stone, making a wish, and tossing it into the cenote. The kids thought this was so much fun and made a few extra wishes throughout our stay when we passed through the lobby.

Getting around the property

After checking in and making our wishes, we hopped into the golf cart and got a tour of the property on the way to our suite. The resort is really spread out with a lagoon side and an ocean side, with about a mile along a paved pathway between them. We always called for a golf cart to pick us up if we needed to go to the other side of the resort since the kids would have been whining walking that much. Plus the kids enjoyed riding on the golf cart, and staff arrived to pick us up within a few minutes. The staff were extremely friendly and great with the kids. They pointed out animals on our rides, like iguanas and coaties.

While exploring the resort, we had fun checking out all the vivid murals by local artist Senkoe. The one by the beach pool is our favorite and makes a great backdrop for a family photo. It is definitely Instagram-worthy!

 

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The resort provides bikes that you can ride around the property for no charge. Unfortunately they don’t have bikes for children or two-seater bikes, so it wasn’t something we could do as a family. We hope that they add bikes for families to ride together in the future.

We did, however, enjoy a bike ride one afternoon on the nature trail through the Mayakoba complex while the kids played at Kimbo, the complimentary kid’s club. We stopped to check out the old cenote that had hundreds of bats hiding inside. We also biked past El Cameleon Golf Club, a championship golf course designed by Greg Norman and a PGA tour site. We don’t golf but anyone who does would enjoy the beautiful layout winding through the mangrove along the Carribean.

Lagoon Side Vs. Beach Side

When you book your room, you need to decide whether you want to stay on the lagoon side or beach side, or do a combination of both if you don’t mind switching rooms. The lagoon side of the resort is extremely peaceful with sounds of nature and views of the lush mangrove jungle. The lobby, children’s pool, kids club, fitness center, spa, main breakfast restaurant Cocina Milagro, and fine dining restaurant Casa Amate are located on the lagoon side.

Some families with small kids prefer to stay there for convenience since the distance from the beach to the lagoon side is quite far. We didn’t spend any time at this pool but noticed that families with young children tended to hang out there more than the beach pool. There were several plush gazebos to provide shade and rest, and giant inflatables floated in the pool during the day for kids to enjoy.

We opted for the beach side because we came to Mexico to see the ocean and spend time on the beach. We also preferred the beach pool, which has an afternoon DJ spinning tunes. We were 100% happy with our decision to stay on the beach side of the resort, especially when we looked out our windows each morning at the brilliant turquoise Carribean Sea.

Down by the beach there were several places to relax, including more than enough lounge chairs and umbrellas for everyone and cozy bean bag chairs in shaded lounge areas. We all played in the fine white sand, collected sea shells, walked along the beach, and swam in the crystal clear turquoise water.

We also took the complimentary kayaks and paddle boards for a ride, which was a lot of fun and good exercise. We brought our own sand toys, but the hotel sells them in case you don’t want to bring your own. You can also pay to use the catamaran, jet skis, and go parasailing.

Ocean View Suite Vs. Beach Front Suite

We stayed in an ocean view suite the first 2 nights and then moved to a beach front suite once one opened up. The suites are  basically identical except for where they are located- either adjacent to the pool or directly on the beach. Both offer stunning ocean views, although the beach front suite’s view is unobstructed and therefore better. Also, our beach front suite was quieter since we weren’t right next to the pool.

We had a ground level ocean view suite whose terrace opened up to the pool and was just a few more steps to the beach. As a family with young kids, it was extremely convenient to be located right by the pool, while still being able to enjoy spectacular ocean views from our suite. Our suite also had its own private plunge pool on the terrace, which the kids played in every morning until we were ready to hit the beach.

The bright and spacious 1,100 sq ft suite had a living room with a desk area,  55” flat screen TV, Bluetooth speaker, mini bar with complimentary soda, water and snacks, nespresso coffee maker, and a daybed style couch. There was also a rollaway bed so the kids would each have their own bed, and cribs are also available upon request.

We appreciated the staff’s attention to detail to have the rollaway bed ready upon arrival. That’s just one of the many ways the resort shines on customer service- anticipating your needs before you even need to ask for something. They also left us a personalized welcome note from the General Manager, a bowl of fruit, a gourmet chocolate egg, and adorable Cookie Monster cupcakes for the kids. The kids were bubbling over with excitement about the cupcakes.

In keeping with the Andaz brand’s artisan decor that highlights local products and materials, our suite featured Mayan textiles, tiles, and handcrafts displayed on the walls. The decor is inspired by nature with a neutral palette reminiscent of sand, stone and water plus bright color accents.

The bedroom included a king size bed, 2 chairs, a dresser, a TV, and a large walk-in closet. Sliding glass doors led out to a second terrace with a couch and table, separated from the other terrace by a partition.

One thing we appreciate about Andaz resorts is all the fun amenities you receive during your stay, such as the stylish hats we received at Andaz Payagayo in Costa Rica. Here we each received a pair of colorful flip flops to keep and were able to borrow a beach bag during our stay. Another helpful amenity included a small bottle of natural bug spray for the mosquitos, which wasn’t a huge problem but we still used it at night. Standard amenities such as robes, an iron, and safe were also in the closet. The hotel provides laundry services for a reasonable fee and offers a free shoe shine.

The suite’s luxurious white marble bathroom is divided into 2 separate rooms to allow greater privacy. One has a toilet and sink, and the other has a rain shower and double vanity. The shower features a large circular window, once again inspired by a local cenote, and allows natural light to flood the space.

The resort supplies luxuriant bath products by Malin + Goetz in delicious scents including peppermint shampoo, cilantro conditioner, and rum body wash. The toiletries smell so good that you may be tempted to rob the housekeeping cart. 😉

Dining at Andaz Mayakoba

There are 5 restaurants at Andaz Mayakoba, 3 of which are by the ocean and 2 by the lagoon. You can also dine at any of the other restaurants in the Mayakoba Resort complex and charge it to your room, which is great for Hyatt members looking to earn more points on their hotel spend.

Andaz is incredibly family-friendly when it comes to dining. Kids under 5 eat free, the restaurants offer kids menus, and older kids (I think under 12) can order items off the adult menu for half price.

Of the 5 Andaz Mayakoba restaurants, Cocina Milagro seems to be the most popular. It serves meals all day long by the lagoon pool featuring a bountiful breakfast buffet, open kitchen, craft cocktails, and live entertainment.

Casa Amate is also on the lagoon side and offers gourmet Latin American cuisine and an extensive wine collection. It boasts a unique location in an elegant house turned into a restaurant, so you feel like you’re a dinner guest at someone’s home.

By the ocean, Tinta del Pulpo serves casual meals poolside featuring Yucatán specialties, elevated street food, and live entertainment.

Olla Ceviche Bar, which is also by the beach pool, serves ceviche, tapas, and more kinds of tequila than you can imagine. Here Hyatt members can take a complimentary tequila tasting class. I took it and found it highly informative and slightly intoxicating. 🤪

Sotavento is a casual beach front restaurant whose design is inspired by a shipwreck. The restaurant features Mediterranean cuisine, live entertainment, and barefoot dining in the sand.

As Hyatt Globalists, we received complimentary breakfast for our family of four every morning. We had the option to eat breakfast at Cocina Milagro any day of the week and at Tinta del Pulpo on the weekend. We enjoyed a delicious poolside breakfast at Tinta del Pulpo on Easter Sunday. The kids hopped into the pool as we waited for our food to arrive, and hopped right back in after they finished eating. This allowed us to finish our meals at a leisurely pace while safely watching them splash around in the pool. We highly recommend families with kids eat there for a laid back dining experience.

The rest of our stay was during the week, so we ate breakfast at Cocina Milagro three times and ate way too much from the delicious buffet. The breakfast buffet includes artisan pastries and breads, cheese, charcuterie, made to order omelettes, waffles, pancakes, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, a meat carving station, fried plantains, chips, salsa, guacamole, local specialities, fresh fruit, juice, cereal, yogurt and more. It is an impressive selection of food that will satisfy even the pickiest eaters like our 5 year old son. He may have left breakfast with Nutella smeared all over his face every morning, but he ate until he was full so we were happy.

As Hyatt Globalists we were also able to order off the menu in addition to the buffet, which is completely unnecessary since the buffet offers so many tasty options. However, on day 3 we tried the Eggs Benedict, one of our favorites, and it was delectable.

The restaurant has indoor seating as well as outdoor tables overlooking the lagoon pool. The kids enjoyed the swinging basket chairs outside, which kept them entertained as we lingered over breakfast.

Fitness Center

If you gorge yourselves at breakfast like we did, you’ll probably want to visit the fitness center during your visit. It is located next to the lagoon pool and has floor to ceiling windows the enjoy the sunshine and nature views while you exercise. There’s a good selection of cardio and strength training equipment to burn off all those margaritas.

Spa

A full service spa is near the fitness center with 6 treatment rooms overlooking the mangroves and 2 hydrotherapy areas, one for each gender. Spa treatments include massages, manicures, pedicures and more. We received a coupon in our welcome packet for $50 off a spa treatment, so Bertaut indulged in his first ever pedicure and I pampered myself with a manicure. Each treatment lasted over an hour and included massages of either the feet and legs (for the pedicure) or the hands and arms (for the manicure). I also indulged in the jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. We were so relaxed after our treatments and left highly impressed by the spa.

Kimbo Kids Club

While we pampered ourselves at the spa, our kids were having a blast at the kids club. Kimbo is complimentary and is open from 9am to 5pm for kids ages 4 to 12. You must remain at the resort while your kids are at Kimbo (or at least in the Mayakoba Complex), or they may charge you for babysitting if you leave.

Kimbo has a full schedule of activities to keep the kids entertained, including ecotours, Spanish lessons, treasure hunts, pool and beach visits, arts and crafts, movies, video games and more. Our kids loved the afternoon they spent there and we certainly loved having some time to ourselves. The staff are warm and friendly and take great care of the kids. Our kids wanted to go back the next day, but we had plans to visit nearby Xcaret theme park for the day.

Activities

The resort offers a plethora of daily activities, most of which are complimentary, such as tours to the nearby cenote and pueblita village. Our absolute favorite was the eco cruise boat tour through the lagoon, which is offered twice daily at 11am and 3pm. Or you can arrange for a private tour, which is also complimentary and what we recommend. We had a fantastic tour cruising through the beautiful lagoon. We learned about the flora, fauna, and wildlife in the area, spotted baby crocodiles, turtles, birds, coaties, iguanas, and more. We also enjoyed getting to peak at the other resorts in the complex. Make sure not to miss this tour, which was a highlight of our stay.

Last thoughts on our Andaz Mayakoba review

Andaz Mayakoba delivers laid-back luxury in a serene setting that boasts one of the most beautiful Riviera Maya beaches and a lush mangrove lagoon. The resort seamlessly caters to both families and couples and never felt crowded even during the busy Easter holiday weekend. Thanks to the complimentary kids club, parents can enjoy both family time and kid-free time to relax, get a massage, or just stay in bed. 😉 A few other favorite kid-friendly features include the free meals for kids under 5, zero entry pools, pristine beaches, free mini bar snacks and drinks, and the abundance of activities for families to enjoy together, especially the eco cruise through the lagoon. We had a wonderful stay and hope to be back soon, once we replenish our supply of Hyatt points.