The Riviera Maya Edition at Kanai MEXICO Ian Schrager Company collaborates with Edmonds International and Rockwell Group to create a new resort that sits in harmony with Mayan civilisation and the natural world. Words: Catherine Martin • Photography: © Nikolas Koenig
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swim in the crystal-clear waters of a cenote is the quintessential Riviera Maya experience, with the underground caves serving not only as refreshing
respite from the midday heat, but a journey into a mythical world. Thought to have been created when a meteorite hit earth some 65-million years ago, there are an estimated 10,000 cenotes in the Yucatán Peninsula alone, and though a popular tourist attraction today, in Mayan civilisation, they were considered the entrance to the underworld. Now, these natural wonders are serving a new purpose – as inspiration for Latin America’s first Edition hotel. Located at Kanai, a luxury resort community on the Caribbean coast, The Riviera Maya Edition nestles within a 620-acre nature reserve of mangroves and lagoons. Its existence comes courtesy of Grupo Alhel, a Mexican real estate developer with a growing portfolio of hotels across the country. Having opened a St Regis at Kanai in 2023, the group this time opted for Edition, with the two properties a healthy boost to Marriott’s already strong foothold on the market. The Kanai masterplan also includes Etéreo from Auberge Resorts Collection, and a site earmarked for a fourth hotel; though importantly, the developed land amounts to less than 10% of the reserve, ensuring the natural environment remains intact. Protection of the red mangroves was a key condition of planning approval, and authorities went further
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