On a recent trip to Mexico, I had the pleasure of staying at the newly opened Andaz Mayakoba Resort, one of four hotels in the greater Mayakoba resort area — which also includes Banyan Tree, Fairmont and Rosewood hotels and residences.

While Andaz properties are among my favorite hotels, I had the opportunity to explore the entire Mayakoba property, and I was blown away by its beauty and appreciation for its natural surroundings. The development was designed to complement and blend into the existing geography rather than to replace it.

The natural environment into which the resort area is built is a rich, geographically diverse region in the Riviera Maya in the state of Quintana Roo, along the Caribbean coastline of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. The region is home to tropical jungles, mangroves, colorful flora and fauna and turquoise waters. The karst geology has yielded an extensive underground river network over time, making the region one of the best for cave diving and one of the most beautiful for its cenotes, or sinkholes.

During our stay, we walked through the mangroves, listening to the unique sounds of the wild animals that live on the property. We took an eco-cruise through the lagoons, spotting crocodiles and dozens of species of rare birds and fish, and we went swimming in the translucent blue waters of the underground cenotes.

I also had the pleasure of speaking with Andaz’s general manager, Lin Schatz, who filled us in on some of the preservation efforts the hotel is undergoing to protect and rebuild the reefs and beaches on the hotel’s property.

Andaz Mayakoba Resort embraces and celebrates the local Mayan culture, and an important part of that culture is the natural landscapes upon which it was built and has been sustained for thousands of years. It was so refreshing to see such a large company place so much value in preserving not only the local culture and history but the geographical integrity of the region as well.

— Nicole Quasté, assistant editor