Rosewood Mayakoba

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO

- Michael Shulman

It's safe to say I haven't treated my body like the proverbial temple so much as an amusement park, so usually the concept of a so-called wellness retreat and all it might entail-flavorless low-calorie/low-carb meals, patchouli oil, shots of wheatgrass juice, colonic irrigation, what have you-fills me with no small amount of dread. Yet something about the way that Rosewood Mayakoba presented its wellness experience just struck me as different: more of an emphasis on mental and spiritual well-being, while sacrificing none of the luxury. This appeared to be something into which I could really sink my teeth. So I did, and was not disappointed. Upon arrival at the Cancun International Airport, I was transported via a Cadillac Escalade to Mayakoba, a lush expanse of coastline on Mexico's Riviera Maya, comprising a quartet of world-class luxury resorts by Andaz, Banyan Tree, Fairmont and Rosewood, as well as Latin America's first PGA Tour golf course, the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleón. After checking in, I was taken to a boat that delivered me to the lagoonside dock of my Wellness Suite.

Located on what staff and frequent guests refer to as "spa island," the Wellness Suites form a cluster of eight town-house-style cantilevered lofts along the lagoon. The primary suite offers a patio off the bedroom, a hall of closets, a dedicated vanity area, and an expansive limestone bathroom with a double vanity, rain shower, soaking tub and outdoor meditation pavilion-cum-treatment area with a reflexology fountain. On the main level are a large living room and dining area, another bathroom (with yet another rain shower) and a spacious lawn with a heated plunge pool and stairs leading down to a private dock.