The custom-made curvy furniture is sparse yet creamy and lush, all in service of details that harken back to nature: elegant reflecting pools with trees that appear to sprout from the water; an open-air lobby with mile-high ceilings that host a vertical garden, bountiful plants swaying in the breeze; a path to the white sand beach lined with a thicket of undulating palms; an ocean pier with nets attached that let you swing over crystal-clear water, home to starfish and schools of silvery fish. Thanks to a clever platform, lounge chairs at the main infinity pool (there are multiple) appear to float. This hotel—with its private “nest” areas and massive egg-like sculptures and signature black tea scent—is very, very sexy.
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Photo: Nikolas Koenig
But while the Edition Riviera Maya looks, feels, and smells like other hotels under the Edition umbrella, it’s also filled with thoughtful touches that remind guests they are in fact in Mexico, and not just at an anonymous resort. The lobby bar sits in front of huge wooden shelves filled with locally sourced sculptures; the structure of the spa is inspired by the circular structure of local cenotes, stunning natural pools inside caves (the Edition offers special expeditions where you can dive into the fresh water, in darkness broken by natural skylights). Native plants serve as decor—by the ocean, beach naupaka plants are planted so carefully that their shadows look like art installations, and greenery peaks through gauzy curtains in treatment rooms for massages and facials. The hotel’s culinary and beverage programs are run by award-winning Mexican chefs Tomás Bermudez and Francisco Ruano, serving modern variations of fresh local cuisine.