The Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya is set on 36 secluded acres on the coastline. Most of the 128 rooms are set in bungalow style villas and all have water views of the sea, lagoon or cenote, fresh water sinkholes. Some rooms are adjacent to the 25,000-square-foot spa, a destination in itself. Their spa is located centrally in a meditative garden and treatments are given in Thai massage suites or palapas (thatched huts) overlooking lagoons. All of the interiors of the room are designed with Asian influences and tropical flair, using native exotic woods and stone, bamboo hardwood floors, crème-colored marble and showcase Mexican art. Ceiba trees and a cenote, both sacred to the ancient Mayans, are integrated into the hotel's landscape.

Price: $455-$1,790

For more information: The Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya

Just minutes from the Cancun airport, this secluded resort is designed around an ecological reserve that includes 22 acres of mangroves with walking paths that connect to the ocean. Visitors can spend the day in one of the Cabanas located in the ecological reserve, or take a boat ride out to the jetty to soak up the sun. When it opens in autumn 2009, it will be offering 16 one-bedroom club suites with private pools and 45 hotel rooms, as well as residential properties. Six swimming pools, side by side, lead in succession to the beach. Since it's located near a fertile coral reef, diving, snorkeling and deep-sea fishing are popular activities. Fish tales can be embellished afterwards in the cigar room where guests can enjoy a Habano cigar along with local tequilas and imported rums.

Prices not yet set

For more information: Nizuc

The Rosewood Mayakoba's spacious suites are either on the beach or lagoon front, where each room has a private dock. Many of the rooms have rooftop sundecks, terraces, outdoor garden showers and plunge pools. A bottle of Don Julio Blanco tequila and fresh limeawaits them. Guests of Rosewood Mayakobá can leave from reception in one of the boats and be delivered directly to the first tee of the Greg Norman designed golf course, El Cameléon. For winding down after 18 holes, the Rosewood spa is located on it's own private island where guests can soak in a cenote-a fresh water sinkholes once considered sacred to the Maya.

Prices: $490-$4200 USD from May 1st -December 19

For more information: Rosewood Mayakoba

Maroma Resort and Spa was originally a coconut plantation purchased by Jose Luis Moreno, an architect from Mexico City in 1976. Moreno designed the resort in accordance with Mayan astronomy, so the setting would have a natural flow. Now it's part of the Orient-Express Hotel portfolio and has recently added super-luxe digs with their beachside Villa Karolina that sleeps eight and has a pool and private beach access. This has proven popular with movie stars and international dignitaries. Also new, chef Guillermo Gomez developed a Tequila and Ceviche Bar that pairs more than 100 tequilas with six different ceviches that change daily. He recommends lobster ceviche marinated with passion fruit coulis and garnished with cilantro and red onion paired with 100 percent agave tequila that has settled in a barrel for 12 months, like the Tequila Esperanto or Tequila Don Julio Real. Both have honey and citrus notes with lingering aftertastes.

Prices: $510-$5200, January 2-December 20

For more information: Rosewood Mayakoba

A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, is located on a 50-acre private estate on a stretch of beach in Playa Xpu-Ha. Many of the buildings once served as the exclusive beachside retreat of an Italian duchess. This place is a good choice for family getaways; spacious two-bedroom guest cottages may be staffed with a private chef and nanny. Families can reserve the cottages as well as adjoining garden rooms to accommodate up to 12 people. Aroma Spa has just started offering Chocolate Massage for kids.

Prices: Rooms start at $525, suites start at $3,630

For more information: Hotel Esencia
or Small Luxury Hotels

Ah Cacao Chocolate Café in Playa del Carmen claims to promote natural well being through the enjoyment of real chocolate and coffee all from Mexico. Their goods are made by skilled chocolate artisans in Mexico, which lays claim as the birthplace of real chocolate. Try specialties like 70 percent cacao chocolate bars, criollo cocoa powder, cacao beans and real vanilla extract from Yucatan orchids. The cocoa beans used here come from small farms in Chiapas and Tabasco.

For more information: Ah Cacao Chocolate Café

Paraiso de la Bonita was recently in the news because of its sustainable tourism program to benefit the Sian Ka'an Biosphere reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It's also known for the Thalasso Center and Spa, the first spa in North America to offer Thalassotherapy, using warm seawater, algae and mud to restore health and vitality; it dates back to the 480 BC in ancient Greece. The living organisms in the seawater are absorbed into the body and believed to help heal a wide variety of symptoms, including depression and cellulite.

Prices: $900-$5000

For more information: Paraiso de la Bonita

Hechizo means "enchanted" in Spanish. Though off the beaten path, this small, nine-table restaurant is considered one of the best on the Riviera Maya. Tucked away on a winding dirt road, there's no menu, but chef Stephen Schober offers seafood he has hand-selected that day. The menu ranges from watermelon and goat cheese salad, to osso buco to fresh tuna served with a local Mayan salad known as xek—jicama, mandarin, cilantro and chile. Only dinner is served and reservations are recommended.

Prices: Dinner for two, approximately $120 including wine

Tulum was a Mayan sanctuary protected by a winding wall that runs along the coastal cliff. The castles and temples of this archaeological site are now available to the public for nighttime tours. The buildings are illuminated by LED-type (light-emitting diode) illumination lamps that will not cause any impact to the architecture or to the environment. The goal of the new project is to offer an alternative experience of the ruins and present the history of this archeological site and to add more hours to the operating schedule.

The Sian Ka'an reserve was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The Muyil Forest and Float Tour by Community Tours Sian Ka'an starts at Muyil ruins, where a Mayan guide interprets the natural history of the area and explains contemporary life for the villages located in the Sian Ka'an reserve. Following this, guests will hike jungles and snorkel canals along an ancient trade route, and visit Xlapak, a small, mysterious ruin once used as a rest stop and customs post on the Pre-Colombian trade route.

Prices: Muyil forest and float tour $95 USD includes transportation from Tulum and meals

For more information: Sian Ka'an