Hotel Esencia

A mere forty miles south of the glitz and hustle of Cancún lies a decidedly more relaxed section of the Riviera Maya. But usually wherever there are blinding white sand beaches and water so clear you can discern the precise shade of your toenail polish, the developers are close behind. Even this far down the coast, the discriminating traveler needs to do a little legwork to escape the generic experience of the all-inclusive chain resort. Enter the Hotel Esencia, an intimate beachside escape, an antidote to the tacky high-rise hotels elsewhere on Mexico’s Caribbean coast.

The main structure at the Esencia, a converted home of a European duchess, houses a handful of guest rooms; other accommodations range from the Jungle Suites, surrounded by beachside gardens, to free-standing beachfront bungalows. Whatever the extent of your splurge, though, you’d have to be a duchess yourself not to feel pampered at Esencia.

Like other resorts in the area, the Esencia organizes excursions like snorkeling, horseback riding, jungle walks, and windsurfing. One unique offering, though, is the organic spa, using principles of ancient medicine. And Hotel Esencia features not one restaurant, but three: the Mexican-Mediterranean Mistura, the Japanese Taiyo, and an outpost of the global steakhouse brand Beefbar.