There’s a reason why the balmy beach towns of Mexico lure honeymooners year after year: the idyllic beaches, the heavenly resorts and unforgettable restaurants are stamped in time, delivering familiar, picture-perfect settings that (thankfully) never seem to change. But several coastal hot spots are flourishing with respective revivals that only make them more alluring — and enhancing visits with new, luxury-drenched options for couples. From riviera Maya’s top tables at new restaurants to Los Cabos’s reimagined hotels, these eternally iconic getaways are making distinctive waves along Mexico’s coast.
New Resorts in Riviera Nayarit
The 200-mile stretch of Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit on the Pacific Coast is framed by the Sierra Madre Mountains. Here, honeymooners revel in the pockets of uncrowded beaches and lush jungles along with plenty of privacy. Riviera Nayarit is unabashedly authentic with charming beach towns that now offer some of the best resorts in the country.
Punta Monterrey
For almost a decade, Punta Monterrey was a private resort where you had to be family or friends of the owner to score a room key. It wasn’t until this past spring that the owner decided to open the intimate property to the public, and honeymooners have been swooning in paradise since. The rustic hideaway set in the small town of San Pancho is located almost two miles deep into the jungle and nestled quietly on an ecological reserve and its own secluded golden sand beach. There are 12 unique thatch-roof, stand-alone cabins and bungalows to choose from (many are perched on a hill and offer amazing sunset views). All meals are homemade with ingredients plucked straight from the property’s 12-acre garden. It’s barefoot, bare-boned luxury at its best, with myriad activities available, like spearfishing and yoga (room rates start at $80 per person, per night and are all inclusive; monterreybeach.com).
Photo courtesy of Punta Monterrey
Matlali
Opened last year, Matlali has been wooing romance-seeking couples with its intimate hilltop setting that faunts incredible coastal views. With the feel of a small village that includes 40 suites and villas (many equipped with their own private infnity plunge pool), couples have plenty to explore, including two outdoor pools. The spa is one of the best in the area, equipped with stand-alone villa treatment rooms and an oversized, outdoor hot tub lined with round stones for refexology treatments. The resort’s Eva Mandarina Beach Club, just a minute’s drive from the property, is a sandy sanctuary with private lounge chairs, excellent service and the perfect margaritas (room rates start at $220 a night; matlali.com).
Photo courtesy of Matlali Hotel
Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit
The favored all-inclusive property’s recent $20-million overhaul makes it feel brand new. Half the 267 suites (all banking in at more than 1,000 square feet) have been modernized with new amenities, furniture and technology. What haven’t changed are the private terraces, white goosedown comforters and the fact that many of the expansive suites have private Jacuzzis. The resort spa also received a major facelift with the addition of a hydrothermal circuit that includes a eucalyptus steam room, peppermint ice fountain and bi-thermal showers. There are still five restaurants for dining, including the French Pilaf (room rates start at $333 per person, per night and are all inclusive; grandvelas.com).
Photo courtesy of Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit
Next: Hotel Renaissance in Los Cabos ►
Hotel Renaissance in Los Cabos
Last year, Hurricane Odile wreaked havoc on the tony Los Cabos (twin beach towns Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo), where major resorts closed for several months due to extensive damage. Top properties took advantage of the intermission to amp their amenities, renovate rooms and rebuild grandeur.
One & Only Palmilla
At One & Only Palmilla, all 173 sumptuous rooms (still equipped with personal butlers) were enhanced with luxurious new furnishings and fabrics. The honeymoon haven — known for its secret nooks, cabanas and “floating” beds (yes, they’re actually suspended over the ocean) — now offers a decadent Jean-Georges Vongerichten Steakhouse, Seared, and sushi restaurant Suviche that seduces with a sleek new look starring a back-lit alabaster bar. The 22,000-square-foot spa is even more enticing with 13 new treatment villas set within individual secluded landscaped courtyards, many touting plunge pools, rain showers and swinging daybeds. The robust guest experiences — surf lessons, cooking classes and cruising aboard the resort’s private yacht with overnight excursions — ensure you’ll have loads to brag about on Instagram (room rates start at $455 a night; oneandonlyresorts.com).
Photos courtesy of One & Only Resorts
Esperanza
Guests at the intimate, 57-room boutique Esperanza, an Auberge Resort, feel as though they have the entire property to themselves. The reopening revitalized the rooms and grounds with an entirely new sun-kissed palette inspired by the natural colors of the area’s rocky cliffs and crystal blue ocean. Rooms also boast original art and handcrafted furnishings created by local artisans. The signature Cocina del Mar restaurant now includes a ceviche bar, and the decadent spa features a contemporary outdoor relaxation lounge, exciting new wellness program (up to 35 different yoga and exercise classes are on offer weekly) and a boutique selling housewares, textiles and accessories (room rates start at $675 a night; aubergeresorts.com).
The Resort at Pedregal
Regarded as one of the top beachfront resorts in all of Mexico, The Resort at Pedregal (formerly Capella Pedregal) has a brand new name and identity. The intimate, 66-suite boutique property is positioned on 24 acres, complete with a sprawling beach, gourmet restaurant, personal concierges, a gorgeous infinity pool and some of the best service this side of the famous Arch. Built into the cliff and overlooking the PacifIc Ocean, the new Champagne Terrace at the El Farallon restaurant offers a romantic interlude, as well as memorable sunsets. Fitness junkies will delight in the new wellness program at the luna y Mar Spa, now featuring classes and treatments indigenous to Mexico and the surrounding region (room rates start at $775 a night; theresortatpedregal.com).
Photo courtesy of The Resort at Pedregal
Next: New restaurants in Riviera Maya ►
New Restaurants in Riviera Maya
Considered to be a top culinary destination, the dining scene in Riviera Maya is caliente. Home to the annual Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine & Food Festival, the Yucatan Peninsula continues to serve unforgettable dishes that live up to the hype.
Photo courtesy of Hotel Cacao
El Pueblito
Opened in August 2015, El Pueblito in the highbrow Mayakoba resort community brings a new element of Mexican culture to the destination. Modeled after the historic plazas of Mexico, El Pueblito is a breezy, outdoor plaza chock-full of galleries, shops and three distinctive restaurants managed by three five-star resorts. Banyan Tree’s Bann Tang Thai serves contemporary Thai cuisine prepared by chefs from Phuket; Rosewood’s Taqueria dishes out authentic tacos and a variety of top-shelf tequilas; and Fairmont’s Star Coffee fixes your sweet tooth with pastries, ice cream and Mexican coffee.
Nibs Restaurant
For scene-stealing dining, fashionistas and jetsetters make a beeline to the sexy new Hotel Cacao, home to Nibs restaurant. The artsy dining room with colorful, wall-size murals is an attention-grabber on its own, but the menu prepared by executive chef Alejandro Cuatepotzo — a protégé of Enrique Olvera, one of the top chefs in the world — is the main attraction. Expect memorable, Latin-inspired dishes like fish ceviche with red cabbage, cilantro, mango, cucumber and habanero oil and braised beef brisket, mole mancha-manteles (a local meat stew) and roasted leek.
Koba Restaurant
You don’t have to be a golf aficionado to visit El Camaleon Golf Clubhouse: Foodies make a beeline to Koba, a new restaurant fronted by Pedro Abascal, a famed local chef who graces food festivals and cooking shows. He even has the bragging rights to his own label of Mexican wine, Monociclo. Koba offers international comfort foods with a Mexican twist, using fresh ingredients native to the Yucatan, in addition to traditional favorites like tacos and ceviches.