One of our favourite places in the world to visit. The resort is spectacular and the staff is amazing. We booked for 10 days, and began by renting a car in cancun, which i'd recommend and arrived for our second visit. Could somehow be better than the first visit, the accommodations are great, beds are very comfortable, super clean and each villa has it's own mini pool.

As always, the breakfast buffet is the best, we'd usually have a 2 hour leisurely breakfast trying various things and reading the paper. After we'd head for the beach / pool which is a ways away from the lobby, but great for us as we would usually walk for some exercise. You can also take a golf cart or the small lagoon boat, which is also great.

The restaurants are spectacular, the food and drinks aren't inexpensive but everything is top notch, everything is fresh and very good. eg, no bottled drinks like lemonade, always fresh.

The spa is amazing, I'd certainly recommend the classic thai massage. My friends had mixed reivews on the rain shower, although I didn't try it.

Definitely the best part is the staff, incredibly helpful. There are so many people that make you feel welcome it's hard to leave.

Looking forward to returning again!

Patrick

I rarely write these, but in this case I feel compelled. This trip was a gift to myself (accompanied by my wife) for my 40th birthday. It would have been difficult to find a better place on earth this close to NYC.

Everything positive you read below/above is true. This is an incredibly unique/gorgeous property. The grounds/food/staff are absolutely first rate and it always feels like you have the place to yourself. My wife described the entire property as 'spa-like.' I went without my kids. From a couples perspective -- if you want a serene, beach-y, five-star which is relatively easily accessed from the East Coast of the U.S. with minimal to zero headache, then this is your place.

The pictures do not lie. The property is incredibly unique, gorgeous and immaculate. The staff and food are first rate. We never felt a need to leave the property and we are not homebodies by any stretch of the imagination (will travel for a researched/recommended meal etc). I was told the place was fairly well booked and yet we always felt secluded. If you want pampered relaxation, then search no further.

I will add one last thought -- my wife and I are almost always outwardly affable (but we are incredibly demanding quietly in our own thoughts). Not once in my thoughts was I thinking anything short of something along the lines of 'this place is first rate' (and I have stayed in five stars around the world).

My reviews are normally longer than this. We went there for our honeymeen August 2011. There is nothing to say about the Banyan Tree Mayakoba except, well, I am in awe. I never thought a place that incredible existed. Perfect staff. Perfect everything. I had tears in my eyes when I left for the first time in my life.

My husband and I returned to the Banyan Tree again this December with our 6 month old with the fond memory of our previous stay in August 2009. This time we stayed in a Courtyard Villa which was even nicer than our Garden room from last time. We also got a great deal through Jetsetter. You simply can't find a nicer hotel for the price - assuming you take advantage of the offers that are out there on various discounter sites.

However, the service took a big hit since our last stay. Even though the hotel's occupancy was only around 60% during most of our stay, everything we tried to do seemed to be "fully booked." For example, the hotel has this great eco tour around the mangroves that's free for guests. We tried to go sign up on 3 occasions and were told that the tour was booked. We finally went on our last day - we were on a waitlist - and of course after sitting on the boat for 15 minutes waiting for the other guests that never showed, we got our tour. We were the only ones. Apparently this happens all the time. On another night the hotel was having a special Argentinian BBQ at the beach restaurant. We tried to sign up for it and were told that it was booked solid. After complaining, the manager squeezed us in. Needless to say, during our 2 hour dinner we were one of 4 couples eating at the restaurant - so much for fully booked. We finally realized that they hotel management had no idea on how to yield manage its amenities.

The other big change since our last stay was that this hotel became very kid friendly. There was tons of families with young children at the property and a nice kids clubs. We were even able to get fresh purees for our 6 month old every day delivered to our room for a nominal price. The babysitting service that the hotel uses is also great and very flexible. If you end up booking the service for more than just a few hours here and there you can negotiate a steep discount to the quoted rate.

Bottom line, I would still recommend this hotel. However, if you are staying for more than a few days definitely get a rental car. While Playa del Carmen is a little cheesy, its nice to get off the property for dinner and there are lots of good and much more reasonable dining options in town. Cabs are extremely expensive. Also diving through the hotel and any other services are going to cost you 3x more than if you book directly.