Fairmont Mayakoba

The water is the first thing you notice: a network of mangrove canals threads between the guest towers, and several rooms look straight onto it rather than the sea. Fairmont Mayakoba is a 401-room resort built along the Riviera Maya coast, its casitas and suites arranged among tropical forest and canal, with corridors that favour boat over car. Rooms are grouped by type rather than height: Fairmont rooms and views sit in the Bamboo Tower, with access to its own pool, while Deluxe and Signature Casitas spread through the gardens at ground level, each with a terrace or balcony. Beachfront suites add a private stairway down to the sand, and the top-tier Presidential suites carry their own pool and separate living room. Ten pools sit across the grounds in total. Guests move between them by an internal canal system, and paddleboards and kayaks are available for exploring it directly. El Camaleón, an 18-hole course designed by Greg Norman, runs along the same stretch of jungle and mangrove before reaching the Caribbean. A wellness centre and several restaurants and bars round out the grounds. Check-in guests land at a resort built for movement between water, fairway and beach, on a site the brand has held for 20 years.