Maroma, A Belmond Hotel, Riviera Maya

Maroma, A Belmond Hotel, Riviera Maya sits on the Riviera Maya, 30 miles south of Cancun on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, which started as an architect's dream house in the early 80s. Its barrier reef location makes for almost cartoonishly blue crystalline water and one of the world's most highly regarded beaches, featuring a wealth of sea life and water activities.

The rooms are outfitted in an understated Mexican style, with tile floors, exposed beams, and touches of stucco. Plans vary from bright and open to cool and shaded. The resort is proud to note that the furniture, as well as much of the artwork, are made on premises, in the hotel's own workshop.

Restaurant guests find themselves seated on a terrace, overlooking the sea, dining by candlelight, with live musicians softly playing in the background, lest one forget that this is indeed Mexico. The menu stresses fresh seafood and Yucatan cuisine, and a comprehensive selection of wine.

This is an experience for the truly dedicated layabout; retreat and escape are the order of the day. To that end, the resort features an embarrassment of spa and pampering treatments, available in the spa, in-room, or on the private beach. The more familiar massage, yoga, and facial/body treatments are joined by the Temazcal, a volcanic steam bath/mud treatment which is said to be capable of producing "deep emotional release." Everyone is here to seek rejuvenation, and the stress management business is a competitive one.

Once you are thoroughly relaxed there are a number of more active pursuits in which to engage. The barrier reef offers a fine snorkeling or scuba experience, and for those of a scientific bent, the resort will provide the company of a marine biologist. Deep sea fishing, diving, sailing, windsurfing, parasailing, and swimming (with dolphins, naturally) add to the dizzying array of aquatic pursuits. But for the guests who prefer quiet contemplation of the sea to actual physical contact with water, the resort offers volleyball, horseback riding, and, for those truly determined to avoid relaxation, golf.

Remember, though, that no resort is an island — actually, many resorts are islands, but Maroma is not. Beyond the grounds lie the remains of the Mayan civilization, including a wealth of archaeological treasures. Here it is possible to study the ancient culture and ponder the spiritual and astronomical aspects of the temples and pyramids, before returning to the spa to celebrate the concept of zero (pioneered by Mayan mathematicians) by doing nothing at all.

How to get there: Maroma, A Belmond Hotel, Riviera Maya is a 30-minute drive south of Cancun's international airport.