Fairmont Mayakoba

The location is amazing and beautiful. The airport pickup was seamless and we were upgraded to the suv instead of the van. We were also upgraded on departure day. Very appreciative of that. Arrival was nice and the view from the lobby breathtaking. Two minor things with checking in was how hot it was in the lobby since it’s open air. They need fans to circulate and provide a breeze. I felt bad for the staff as you could tell they were hot and uncomfortable as well. Also upon checkin they only had one person at the desk. We waited awhile before we saw anyone. At a luxury resort like this and the size there should always be a minimum of two people at the checkin desk. They also knew when we were arriving with the shuttle pickup. All the meals were delicious. We ate at Tauro twice (Germann was an amazing server) and bassano and hix for a quick bite of sushi and some wine. The breakfast buffet was wonderful and had plenty of options to choose from. Service from Daniela Edy and Ricardo great. We also ate and drank at the beach pool and the star of the show was Angel. He was absolutely amazing and 1000% customer oriented. He went above and beyond for our group of 13. He was so kind and thoughtful. He should teach all the other servers how it’s done. I would come back just for him and his service and attention to detail. Cielo was nice. Service was just ok. The swim up bar was great and I believe her name was Ruby. She was lovely. We visited cafe Maya as well. All good just tiny and felt super cramped while ordering and waiting. Also it should be open later than 3p. We did the butterfly and cenote tour. Loved it and the guide was so nice. I believe his name was Fernando. We participated in the catamaran tour. Moises Jorge and Jezer were awesome. Moises was the one who took us out on the water and was so friendly and informative. Very kindhearted guy. One of the cart drivers that stood out was Jonathan Ruiz. He was awesome! Last but not least was Javier our butler. He was amazing and quick to respond. He was such a pleasure from beginning to end. Our other butler was not that great. She was not communicative or quick to respond. She even said at one point oh sorry I lost the message. Not sure how you lose a message via WhatsApp… she did get a little better towards the end but again when I reached out for assistance she took over an hour to respond. Javier was the best for sure!

This was our fifth trip to Mayakoba and our fourth staying at the Fairmont. For the first time, it felt fairly average. The room had some wear and tear, like the door not closing properly without having to slam it shut and the bathtub closure not working, and the chairs outside were never cleaned off. The high touch/highly accommodating staff has been the driver for us choosing the Fairmont regularly, and the service level was not the same this time. We had some issues with trying to find seating at the pool and renting a cabana to accommodate children, rowdy crowds at the pool, and had to call a few times to have our room serviced and laundry picked up.

We still enjoyed our trip, and the property and food are generally solid, but with some of the issues and given the other options in the area, we’re pausing on another trip to the Fairmont. We may try the Alila next time or one of the hotels at nearby Kanai.

Everything from start to finish is curated and simple. We were visiting for our babymoon, so simplicity and ease were the name of the game and Fairmont Mayakoba delivered. We did the private shuttle from the airport and the pickup was seamless. I recommend getting restaurant reservations ahead of time if you can and don’t miss Tauro. It was our favorite meal and Philippe took great care of us! Definitely do the boat tour—Carlos was wonderful. All the staff were friendly and helpful. Alfonso the bellman was a delight and gave us lots of good baby name ideas! This is a very family friendly resort, so be prepared to be around littles the whole time. Although it’s a large resort, there were always carts waiting to get you around. Can’t recommend this place enough! We hope to come back soon with our little girl.