Mayakoba: A Magnificent Tourist Development in the Riviera Maya
The Riviera Maya is, without a doubt, the tourist zone with the greatest growth and boom in the last few years, as it has been the focus of attention of investors and tourists. Precisely at this stage, a new luxury tourist center is being developed: The Mayakoba Complex. This complex was mainly built by the Obrascón Huarte Lain group, (abbreviated OHL) of Spanish origin. There are six luxury hotels in the area, each one with its own characteristics and its attractions, which we would not mention due to space restrictions. The complex is located on the kilometer 298 of the federal highway that goes from Playa del Carmen to Cancun, in the state of Quintana Roo.
OHL´s investments reached 1.375 billion dollars and of these, 85 million were necessary just to prepare the terrain. Construction was divided into two phases: The first has been finished and the second will be done by the end of 2012. (This second phase used 540 million dollars of the original budget; the rest was invested in the first).
The plan, in its first phase, was to create maximum quality and comfort hotels and villas on a surface of 650 hectares. The Villas have 1600 linear meters of beach. At this first phase, the tourist zone has six parcels available for hotel and residential use, with a total of 1500 rooms (including the Villas), beach clubs for each parcel and an 18-hole golf course, 72 par. The proximity of the Complex to the airport (a little less than 60 kilometers), itâs an attraction for people to stay at this location. All the hotels have wireless internet. The private services rendered go from stores to a business and conference center, babysitting and child development programs. There are various bars and some other restaurants in the zone.
The first hotel to open its doors to the public was The Fairmont Mayakoba, in November 2005. The different areas of the hotel are connected by a series of ponds, and transportation within the place is done in boats provided by the hotel. Here the most relevant point is the harmony designers sought to manage in the landscape. There is also a bird-watching club in the hotel, and the beach, of course, is private.
In April 2007 the Banyan Tree Mayakoba was inaugurated, which brought the public´s attention for its luxurious and beautiful facilities, as well as the services rendered. It represents an investment of more than 170 million dollars and has services such as a gym, spa, five pools, laundry and dry cleaning, parking lot with valet parking, business center and a golf course named âThe Chameleonâ designed by Greg Norman.
The hotel has an Asian influence in its decoration and is distributed into Villas with independent pools (the smallest one is 35 square meters) all of them with their respective bunk-beds. Around the hotel, we can find typical mangrove vegetation. The main pool concentrates all the attention, since people can order typical drinks, ask for a board game, a magazine, a âscentedâ towel, or a newspaper. There is even a âcleaning of sunglassesâ service! It is important to mention that the hotel prices include tips (of baggage handling, and transportation in boats and cars) as well as the use of bicycles and the guide that takes you through the hotel canals.
The last of the hotels to open was the Viceroy Mayakoba which belongs to the Kor Hotel Group, with 62 rooms and 60 Villas, and an investment of 115 million dollars. Both, interior and exterior decorations are magnificent. Each Villa has a gourmet kitchen with natural stone, oversized cabinets and premium kitchen aids, besides having state-of-the-art electronics in its rooms. The decoration was made by Kelly Wearstler.
In short, visiting this development at the Riviera Maya is a delight for the visitor⦡and is something you definitely donât want to miss!
Article produced by the Editorial Team of "Explorando Mexico".
Copyright Explorando México, All rights reserved.
Photo: www.Mayakoba.com
