Travel
Riviera Maya: Far from
the End of the World
Text and Photos by David Danzig
W
hen ancient Mayan priests and mathematicians
deduced over 5,000 years ago that December 21, 2012
held astrological significance, little could they have imagined
the Hollywoodized,
doomsdayesque conspiracy
theories their prophesies
would elicit in our modern
world. Yet, here we are,
on the precipice of this
year’s winter solstice,
with hundreds of websites
documenting the coming
of the apocalypse and
reruns of the movie “2012”
portraying the earth
imploding in a computergenerated, cataclysmic orgy.
Opposite: A
suspended daybed on the beach
at the Viceroy
Riviera Maya
Above: A pelican
rests on the private
pier at the Viceroy
Riviera Maya, site of
couples’ massages
or private dinners
upon request, or
meditative moments
of serenity.
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XICO
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In actuality, the Mayan’s erudite
predictions boded something far more
benevolent: they believed that the earth
would experience a spiritual awakening
at the end of the Mesoamerican Long
Count calendar (which takes place — you guessed it — on December 21, 2012).
In other words, unless you are just a
hopeless nihilist, don’t sell all your
worldly possessions in anticipation of
there not being a December 22 this year.
The best part is that visiting Mayan
ground zero has never been more
appealing. With the Eurozone’s malaise
pinching their tourists, hotel inventory
remains wide open, yielding tremendous
values. Plus, reports of narco-related
violence, most of which happens
thousands of miles away from the
Yucatán Peninsula, has unfairly maligned
all of Mexico in the eyes of some tourists,
also freeing up more rooms. The result:
a serious bang for your peso at a trove of
fabulous, upscale resorts now dotting the
coast in Riviera Maya. It might not be the
end of the world, but you can still enjoy
paradise like there’s no tomorrow.
Maya Oh Maya
While Cancun wears the party hat of
the Yucatán Peninsula (even the control
tower at Cancun International Airport
has been transformed into a painted
100-foot bottle of Corona Beer), some
45 minutes south, Riviera Maya attracts
a generally more sophisticated, upscale
crowd seeking the same riches of sun and
sand, but without the collegiate spring
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Top Left: Coral Ceviche made with fresh mahi
mahi, pineapple, kiwi, Habanero Chili Oil and
Wild Oregano at the Coral Grill & Bar at the
Viceroy Riviera Maya
Opposite: Stairs lead to the hot tub inside the
Wayak Spa. Heeding Mayan astrological tradition,
the thatch roof aligns with the stars and its dome
naturally lights up during a full moon.
break atmosphere. As you drive farther
south toward Belize, the denseness of
tropical rain forest sets in as does the
Mayan mystique.
Many resorts in the area have
purposefully conquered the jungle in
their march to the seven-mile beach,
developing the land into flat, well-
Top Right: Wayak Spa fertility baths, where it is
believed that Mayan spiritual powers will enable
couples to enhance their chances at conception
Above: The Viceroy boasts a working sweat lodge
where guests can experience a guided Mayan
purification ritual.
manicured sprawls of multi-storied
domiciles, restaurants and bars churning
out standard-issue Mexican grub and
sugary margaritas. The lure of the raw,
intimate rain forest with its flora and
fauna, while surely intriguing to the
developers, simply presents too many
logistical issues in running such largescale operations.
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This is what makes the Viceroy Riviera Maya so special. This
small-scale boutique spread out on six acres boasts an extremely
exclusive campus of 41 private villas, which literally embrace
the jungle, eventually opening up to a sugary sand beach and
a postcard view of the emerald and turquoise waters of the
Caribbean Sea.
Welcome to the Jungle
I won’t waste your time with a blow-by-blow account of
lounging on a relaxing apparatus, inhaling the ocean breeze and
sipping on boozy, fruity concoctions. Let’s just say my wife and
I did all of that in excess, but that’s not why the Viceroy is one
of the most extraordinary resorts in this hemisphere.
Start with the check-in process. We arrive to an openair, palapa-style lobby, instantly greeted with a fresh glass of
coconut water with lemon grass and a cool towel scented with
copal, a local tree resin that possesses sacred powers according
to Mayan legend. Foregoing typical front desk check-in
formalities, we follow our resort host down a heavily canopied
trail of palm trees and dense foliage. Almost immediately we spy
a family of small Yucatán spider monkeys moving through the
trees like sleek Siamese cats.
Our host explains to us as we meander along through large
natural rock formations with small, natural spring waterfalls that
the Viceroy’s villas are tantamount to private sanctuaries, each
one totally secluded and unto itself. Indeed, as we move along,
we only catch glimpses through the vegetation of the villas
which have adopted novel Do Not Disturb signs: large knotted
sailing ropes draped across each verdant entryway.
Before reaching our villa even deeper in the bush, we arrive
at the Viceroy’s Wayak Spa. This indoor/open-air facility offers
myriad Mayan-inspired herbal and marine treatments such as
the Xaman Ek, a fertility regiment that promises to “balance
the chakras and reorder the energy between the couple.” The
treatment begins with a couple’s massage and concludes with
the couple enjoying an organic medicinal bath in side-by-side
wooden tubs carved right out of the trunk of a fallen Zapote
tree which was downed by lightning.
The Viceroy’s resident real-life Mayan shaman, Jose, who
also oversees the property’s sweat lodge rituals, takes a moment
from brewing a special tea made with local herbs to perform a
sacred ceremony to commemorate our arrival, enveloping us in
the smoke of burning copal incense and praying that “the peace
of nature and cosmos be with you.” We haven’t even officially
checked in yet and we’ve almost reached the Mayan equivalent
of Nirvana.
When we do formally check in, it’s in the confines of our
cozy villa. After 90 seconds of requisite paperwork our host
offers a gift of several bars of locally made chocolate-scented
Below: An iguana crosses the path at the Viceroy Riviera Maya.
Bottom: A table of decorative skulls for sale in downtown Playa del Carmen
Ice cold coconuts for sale on the street in Playa del Carmen. For a couple
of bucks a machete-wielding hombre would slice open the husk and put in
a straw, yielding one of the world’s greatest-known (and tastiest) hydrants.
Opposite: A private plunge pool at dusk
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organic soaps, bids us farewell and leaves us in our tropical
paradise.
Best. Check-in. Ever.
And this is just a small glimpse of the well-oiled machine.
From the high staff-to-guest ratio to the extraordinary on-site
restaurants to the suspended daybeds hovering over the beach
like spiritual relaxation magic carpets, the Viceroy taps into the
one thing that an overworked, time-starved, stressed-out couple
needs: serenity.
Without question, the Garden of Eden villas steal the show.
Each one boasts its own private plunge pool, outdoor shower
and outdoor dining area replete with a daybed and handmade
hammocks. Painstaking efforts go into the patchwork of
bamboo, thatch and strategically placed thickets of dried palm
fronds which give each villas’ private outdoor area a complete
Robinson Crusoe effect.
If you stop and consider the ingenious engineering that
invisibly runs plumbing, electricity, Wi-Fi and satellite TV into
these five-star havens, you will only enjoy the villa’s flat screens,
Bose sound systems and indoor walk-in showers that much
more. Bottom line: this kind of primitive isolation mixed with
five-star pampering should be required therapy for all couples.
Grab your significant other and go now — as if there were
no tomorrow.
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IF YOU GO
Numerous flights operate in and out of Hartsfield-Jackson
Atlanta International Airport daily into Cancun International
Airport on both Delta Air Lines and AirTran Airways.
The Viceroy Riviera Maya — Travel and Leisure IT list 2012;
Conde Nast Traveler Gold List 2012. Doubles begin at $675.
800-582-0281 or www.viceroyrivieramaya.com
The property lies 40 miles south of the airport, an approximate
45-minute car ride on a smooth, well-paved highway (until the
last 1,000 yards or so on a gravel road). Luxury SUV service or
van service is available from the hotel ($240/$170 roundtrip
USD, excluding gratuity).
Downtown Playa del Carmen sits only a few miles away as the
crow flies, but takes about 15 minutes in cab from the Viceroy
Riviera Maya. Figure on $20 with tip each way or free in the
Viceroy’s complimentary vehicle. Also further south are several
worthy attractions, including Xel-Há Park, a natural aquatic park
which allows guests a true elemental experience of swimming
and snorkeling in a natural lagoon and inlet and the ruins of
Tulum, a cluster of 800-year-old pyramids, temples and other
ancient buildings perched on four-story cliffs overlooking the
Caribbean. And if you really get fidgety, the island of Cozumel
lies just over six miles off the coast reachable by ferry or plane.
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