Honey, I’m home

MAROMA, A BELMOND HOTEL PERFECTLY FUSES A BRAND NEW RENOVATION WITH ANCIENT MAYAN HERITAGE

BY Ottocina Ryan | PHOTOGRAPHY William Jess Laird

Icalmly lower my hand into a beehive, deep in the Azumel jungle. Several tiny creatures board my fingers and crawl around, tickling my palm. Like drinking a mocktail expecting a buzz, I’m anticipating a sting and bewildered that it doesn’t come. I remind myself, these aren’t just any bees, they’re Meliponas—an endangered stingless honeybee, sacred to the Mayans.

The Melipona bees flourish at Fundación Selva Maya’s research campus that I am touring, courtesy of my hotel, Maroma, A Belmond Hotel in Riviera Maya. The organization's beekeepers point out newborn bees, and extract honey from the hive for my friends and I to taste. The nectar drips down my hand like liquid gold; it’s the most flavorful honey I’ve tasted. The Meliponas are integral to the Yucatan Peninsula’s ecosystem. And not coincidentally, are Maroma’s muse and emblem, just one of their many nods to Mexican culture and the Mayan heritage.

Upon arrival at the 72-room beachfront property, I’m enveloped in a dreamy haven. Maroma reopened August 3rd following a top-to-bottom renovation, and it shows. The decor is pristine, and service is flawless from day one. Renowned designer Tara Bernerd reenvisioned the property in a palette of modern greens, blues, and terracotta, mirroring the surrounding landscape: the convergence of jungle and beach. From my suite’s deep soaking tub and tiled sinks set in colored marble, to the woven throw pillows, nearly all the furnishings and art are created by Mexican artisans. Even the intoxicating TierraAmate scented bath products, custom made by Mexico City perfumery Xinú, incorporate on-property Amate trees—sacred in Mayan culture—as an homage to the land. It’s all meaningful and no detail is overlooked. Plus, every angle of the hotel is so aesthetic, you could practically drop your phone on the ground and the photo would be grid-worthy. Aligned with Mayan belief, there are almost no hard corners, to let the energy flow throughout the property. And flow the energy does….

The week is filled with authentic cultural activities and laughing so hard my cheeks hurt, over tables of ceviche and margaritas. At many resorts in Mexico, I find you could be anywhere, LA or Vegas perhaps. Yet Maroma’s emphasis on cultural immersion is on par with their regard for luxury and safety. Mayan history and Mexican culture permeate everything on the property and Belmond works closely with local establishments to offer elevated and educational excursions.

First on our agenda is relaxation. We rinse off the heat in the cenote-inspired main pool. The mystical blue oasis is surrounded by palms, green striped loungers shaded by tasseled umbrellas, and servers who won’t let you lift anything…aside from a drink to your lips. The staff is sunshine personified—always smiling, friendly, and optimistic. As if everything is as fun for them as it is for the guests.

I return to my room to change for lunch, and not wanting to waste a second I could be eating tacos, I accept my butler’s offer to unpack for me. You can imagine the amazement (and personal inadequacy) I felt coming back from lunch to find everything, down to my bikinis, folded neatly and organized by color. My expectations of every hotel just went up a notch—and thanks to Maroma’s excellence, they keep climbing with each passing day.

The next morning, we visit a cenote, whose owners have Mayan heritage. Our group is the only one, not a Tulum tourist in sight. We climb down a ladder from a small hole and what I turn around to, takes my breath away; it’s a fusion of the underworld and Disneyland. Cerulean pools with stalactite chandeliers hanging above stretch as far as we can see. Bats flit around the air as we ease into the refreshing water. Emmanuel of 4 Worlds Expeditions leads us through a maze of mystical caves, imparting knowledge about the geology and how the cenotes formed…all while impressively holding our one designated phone safely above water. Our all-girl group was not going to miss this photo opportunity.

Back at Maroma, we further our cultural immersion. Chef Daniel Camacho teaches us to make tortillas from scratch. We then enjoy the fruits of our labor, heaped with carnitas and guacamole. No matter how much we feel like we’ve mastered the craft, we don’t hold a candle to Chef's modern takes on classic Mexican dishes, at on-property restaurant Casa Mayor. The chilaquiles at breakfast overshadow every other rendition of the dish I’ve tasted, an orange mezcal sorbet leaves its impression with slightly smoky notes, and the lobster ceviche, sustainably sourced from nearby Sian Ka'an biosphere, is incomparable. Each meal at Maroma is bursting with more color and flavor than the last, and Woodend, headed by Michelin-starred Chef Curtis Stone, somehow raises the bar once more with its fresh seafood dishes that are as eye-catching as the chef.

With full bellies, my friends and I lie snuggled together on pillows across the lawn, looking up at the stars and palm trees dancing in the warm breeze. We sip biodynamic wines as an Astrological Society representative points out constellations. We even try out their telescope, spotting Saturn, with its faintly decipherable rings.

Every morning, my butler knocks on my door with coffee from a different region in Mexico. I take the coffee to my balcony to watch the sun rise over the turquoise Caribbean. I repeat the ritual each afternoon, when a cocktail of the day is brought to my room, poured over a giant ice cube, and thoughtfully garnished. The service and attention to detail are delightful. It’s also educational, as all drinks are accompanied by a notecard explaining their background.

The bee is ever-present from honey in the cocktails, to the Bee Healing Ritual in Maroma Spa by Guerlain, the French maison’s first spa in Mexico. The honeybased treatment begins with body and face exfoliation. After the invigorating exfoliation, I drift off to sleep as the masseuse kneads my body with warm herbal pouches crafted in the spa’s apothecary, and I awake to the lymphatic drainage facial. Feeling like my newfound dewy, glowing skin is an accomplishment enough for the day, I head to the beach. My friends and I spend the afternoon sprawled on daybeds, listening to the waves and sipping hibiscus margaritas from Freddy’s Bar, the zero-waste beachfront bar.

To kick off the evening, we do a tequila tasting. Casa Mayor’s ocean view serves as a backdrop, while an expert walks us through a couple small batch tequilas, a mescal, and a raicilla—a liquor made from the agave root. She tells us to remember her when raicilla rockets to popularity in the next couple years, as mezcal has. The tasting is engaging and fun, and we bond over eating the pairings: worms and ants—crunchy, salty, authentic.

My week at Maroma felt like living in a dream. It opened my eyes to many aspects of Mexican culture while offering elevated renditions of familiar traditions. Mayan customs permeate the property and the curated excursions lead us to the fantastical wonders of the Riviera Maya—Mayan ruins, cenotes, and stingless Melipona bees (which will have their own sanctuary at the hotel by the end of 2023). Every day was whimsical and conducive to making memories of a lifetime. All that said, the decor and colorcoded closet organization were memorable wonders in their own right.*