Boutique beach babes and families who prefer to entertain themselves.
Esencia is located on Xpu-Ha beach, about 90 minutes south of Cancun on the Mayan Riviera, on the way to Tulum.
Formerly the private villa of an Italian Countess and her Mexican architect husband, a stay at Esencia is a real home-from-home experience. You can either stay in the original villa in an ocean view room or suite (La Rosa Suite is our favourite) or in one of the Garden Suites set in lush, tropical gardens with their own plunge pools. The super-private two bedroom Cottages are ideal for small groups and families and come with their own pool, small kitchen and entertainment room. Décor is clean and white with flashes of colour and mahogany furnishings.
Food is a highlight at Esencia with rustic dishes prepared by the gourmet chef using local ingredients and international flair at the wonderful Sal y Fuego restaurant. Then there’s the fabulous Mayan inspired Aroma Spa offering special treatments using organic indigenous fruit, plants and herbs, many of which are grown in the hotel’s garden, two swimming pools and miles of powdery white sand.
Apart from lazy days on one of Mexico’s most beautiful beaches, Esencia also offers yoga and meditation classes, Mexican cookery classes and if you want some nightlife, lively Playa del Carmen is just 20 minutes’ drive away. To the south you’ll find the Mayan site of Tulum and the Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve, and with the second longest reef in the World tantalisingly close, divers are going to find it hard to resist.
Unlike other boutique hotels on this stretch of coastline, children are accepted at Esencia making this the perfect spot for families who prefer smaller, more intimate hotels.