We tested the waters south of the border to find the best places to make a splash.
In-Room Pools
Rosewood Mayakoba in Playa Del Carmen
Rosewood Mayakoba is known to brim at full occupancy almost every day of the year thanks to its posh digs, stellar service and award-winning, landscape-celebrating design. Each of the 130 chic suites (located beachfront or on the mangrove lagoon) boasts personal heated pools in a magical outdoor setting. If you choose to leave your sanctuary, there’s an award-winning restaurant, postcard-perfect stretch of beach and a cenote (limestone sinkhole) on property, in addition to water sports, a spa and fitness center (room rates start at $515 a night; rosewoodhotels.com).
Photo courtesy of Rosewood Mayakoba
Viceroy Riviera Maya in Riviera Maya
Straddling the jungle and the shore, the Viceroy Riviera Maya is an intimate, five-star eco-retreat set in a tropical sanctuary. Forty-one villas are scattered throughout the property; many equipped with private plunge pools. Stay in one of the five newer Signature Villas: they are a whopping 1,400 square feet-plus and encompass private pools set on oversize sun decks surrounded by rich vegetation. Kick back and listen to the true soundtrack of nature (indigenous birds and spider monkey calls) while a villa butler sets the scene with candlelight and mood music (room rates start at $605 a night; viceroyhotelsandresorts.com).
Photo courtesy of The Viceroy Riviera Maya
El Dorado Casitas Royale in Riviera Maya
This flashy adults-only, all-inclusive resort features 205 suites set along a secluded stretch of stunning white sand. While a lagoon-style pool tempts with its beachfront location, the real splash is checking into one of the 32 thatch-roof suites with private infinity pools. These pretty pools with a view ensure you’ll never really have to leave the romantic cocoon of your suite (room rates start at $596 per person, per night and are all inclusive; karismahotels.com).
Photo courtesy of El Dorado Casitas Royale
Rooftop Pools
Hotel El Ganzo in Los Cabos
Unique for Los Cabos’s resort landscape, Hotel El Ganzo is a 72-room boutique hotel with an edgy design, rotating modern art and even a music studio that’s been graced by top artists like Damien Rice. Stylish guests make a beeline to the rooftop infinity pool that harbors panoramic views of the sea. The area is equipped with sunbeds, a stage for live entertainment and a fresh sushi bar, though the real highlight is the one-of-a kind, all-glass-enclosed hot tub (room rates start at $380 a night; elganzo.com).
Photo courtesy of Hotel El Ganzo
Hacienda San Angel in Puerto Vallarta
Considered one of Puerto Vallarta’s most romantic hideaways, Hacienda San Angel is an intimate 10-room boutique hotel set within an 18th-century hillside building. Positioned on a residential cobblestone street, the hotel is unassuming yet delightful with its fairy-tale appeal of pretty courtyards and lush gardens. The main pool is located on the property’s highest level and offers unbeatable city and beach views (room rates start at $395 a night; haciendasanangel.com).
Hotel Cacao in Playa Del Carmen
This new-to-the-scene, trendy downtown boutique hotel is located right on buzzing 5th Avenue in the heart of Playa Del Carmen. There are 60 modern rooms, bold architectural elements and a restaurant run by one of Mexico’s most famous chefs, Enrique Olvera (of Mexico City’s Pujol). Spend sunny days on the rooftop of this stylish escape. There’s a sexy infinity pool with fabulous views of the city and beyond (room rates start at $208 a night; hotelcacao.com.mx).
Spa Pools
Zoëtry Paraíso de la Bonita in Riviera Maya
At this intimate collection of 90 oceanfront suites, every guest enjoys the perks of an all-inclusive vacation in the tranquil setting of an elite resort. Accommodations are individually appointed, the prized restaurants are breezy and à la carte and there’s even a private catamaran for gratis sunset cruises. The standout of this retreat, however, is the large spa, which boasts one of the only Thalassotherapy pools in North America. The jetted saltwater pool sits on a lush lawn overlooking the sparkling Caribbean and is open to all resort guests (room rates start at $350 per person, per night and are all inclusive; zoetryresorts.com).
Photo courtesy of Zöetry Paraíso de la Bonita
