A Wellness Wonder in Mexico – Wellness Hotel Review

C H A B L E    M A R O M A  landed on my radar a few years ago. Smitten, with all the write-ups about their sustainability efforts, I knew I had to book a trip to Chablé Maroma and experience this hotel for myself.

The second we enter the lobby and take in its chic design with modern edges and soft natural fibers, I feel my stress melting away. The open-air design speaks to me and is exactly what I want on vacation. I couldn’t wait to see our room, but instead of heading there first, the bellman turns left down a shaded path, and we arrive at the spa.

spa // I ask if this is a common detour for all guests, and he replies yes. This is a genius idea. Allowing you to see what the spa offers from the get-go of your vacation enables you to determine how much time you want to dedicate to being there. Let me tell you, once you lay your eyes on this jungle pool, you will want to book your appointments right away, which we did.

Before leaving the spa, we pause at the center fountain. Encircled in a light cloud of incense, a Mayan healer gives us a traditional blessing. Another insightful move because it sets the tone for the entire concept of what Chablé is about. Chablé Maroma, in their own words ::

Your time spent at the spa at Chablé Maroma is more of a spiritual journey than other luxury hotel spas. The experience is designed to, and succeeds at, touching the mind, body, and soul.

We found the hotel’s medicinal + culinary herb garden outside the spa, overflowing with aromatics used in both their spa treatments and kitchens.

Supposedly, the fitness center is adjacent to the Spa, but we didn’t ask to see it and weren’t inclined to use it during our short stay. There was a time in my life when I wouldn’t stay at a hotel without a fitness center, and I know many of my clients feel the same. This hotel is fairly spread out, and I felt I was maximizing my activity level every day.

The room numbers are on wooden signs, with the Mayan name + numbers. Eek’ means star. 

rooms // Rooms at Chablé are officially called villas. Every villa has a private pool and a well-appointed outdoor living space. I could easily see myself spending an entire day not moving from my verandah, room service + a private pool, and voilá my needs are met. Since I only had three days to experience the hotel, I didn’t go that route this time.

After you’ve had a moment to take in the beauty of the verandah, the warm, rich tones of the wood in pleasing contrast to the bright white linens will call you to explore the interior of the villa. The rooms are spacious, and the large picture window illuminates the space with gorgeous Mexican sunshine. The villas have one king or two double beds, and we love that your bedding preference is assigned when we make your reservation and not left to chance on arrival.

The wow factor of these villas hit us when we walked into the bathroom. It is a stunning masterpiece, complete with indoor + outdoor showers. While it doesn’t have a soaking tub, don’t forget the plunge pool right outside your front door.

At first glance, I thought it was odd to have a daybed in the bathroom, but by the end of my stay, I was already contemplating how I could put one in my bathroom at home. It was the perfect perch for afternoon tea and a magazine and proved handy when one of us was dressed and ready for dinner before the other but wanted somewhere to wait that would enable us to keep the conversation going.

sleep // The beds were not too firm and not too plush. I love a fluffy duvet, even in the tropics. The temperature + blinds were easy to control and personalize to our preferences.

You’ll sleep soundly at Chablé Maroma, but I can’t say nature’s alarm clock won’t wake you up in the morning. For us, this was in the form of a coati. This furry little animal looks like a mix of raccoon, monkey, and anteater; he made himself at home on our verandah until we opened the door to get a closer look. (You’ll have to head over to our Instagram and find this little guy in the Riviera Maya highlight.) 

what to do // We found our stay at Chablé to be very water-centric. We spent our days alternating between basking in the sun by the gorgeous pool or hiding in the shade of the palm trees that line the expansive beach. By late afternoon, we always found our way back to our room for a cool dip in the plunge pool before dressing for dinner.

The hotel is not adults-only, even though it presents as one from our point of view, and in fact, I think it would be a perfect honeymoon hotel. There were no kids on property during our stay. While they don’t offer a kid’s club, they do have a babysitting service. It isn’t at the top of my list for family vacations, but I could see how a family with 1-2 kids, who are accustomed to a quiet life (translation:: self-entertainers), would do fine here.

Spend any amount of time on the beach, and you will see people participating in watersports. Kayaks + paddleboards are the most popular due to the calm surf.

It’s no surprise to those who know me that my favorite activity here was Chi-Chi’s cooking class. The classes are offered almost daily and are complementary. No more than six guests at a time are welcomed into the kitchen, along with the chef, to learn traditional Mexican cooking. On the day we signed up, it was only the two of us, and it was the highlight of our experiences on property. The hotel also offers wine tastings and more formal culinary classes at an additional cost.

eat // Chablé Maroma has 2.5 restaurants, centrally located in the main building of the hotel. Kaban is on the first floor, and every time we went, the floor to ceiling doors were flung open to enjoy the sea breeze and sparkling water views. The menu for lunch +  dinner focuses on seafood and traditional Mexican fare. This is also the restaurant where everyone has breakfast, and while it has a pretty comprehensive menu, I went with the Mexican staple of chilaquiles every morning. They were the absolute best! So amazing that I took a photo so I could always remember them ::

Bu’ul is the fine dining option on the property and is only open for dinner when it hosts an impeccable chef’s tasting menu. This is where Mexico’s culinary arts and cultural dishes collide expertly in what is sure to be one of the most memorable meals of your vacation. 

The .5 restaurant is Bu’ul’s rooftop raw bar. Go for the oysters; stay for the endless ocean views!

In-villa dining is also an option and offered 24 hours.

I’d be remiss if I moved on without touching on the hotel’s mixology offerings. I had a few incredible cocktails worth trying to recreate at home if I had any level of confidence in my mixology talents. I would fail miserably.

My favorite was a charcoal margarita. Sounds and perhaps looks unappealing, tastes exceptionally refreshing and crisp. Sidenote – I usually throw a bottle of activated charcoal in my suitcase when I travel. I’m not one to continuously blame the water in foreign countries, especially when staying in luxury hotels. More often than not, I believe our gastrointestinal systems go into shock when we change our diets so rapidly. Activated charcoal always settles my stomach, and I think that is what drew me to the charcoal margarita – we have a delightful history.

wellness // In staying true to exactly who I am, I’ll go straight into wellness after raving about my cocktail. I really can’t pull any standouts into my wellness highlight for this property because Chablé Maroma does an impeccable job at incorporating wellness into every guest experience. With every decision I made on property, there was always an obvious option for bringing a more profound sense of well-being into my travel journey. Chablé Maroma, in their own words:

sustainability // It is often tricky for luxury hotels to execute sustainable practices without losing the luxurious feeling that visitors are paying for and expecting. Chablé Maroma does a masterful job of intersecting these two essential concepts. Guests will never know that the water used on property is courtesy of an ethical state of the art management program. Many of the sustainability efforts are more noticeable but interpreted as a part of the high-design style featuring minimalist accommodations immersed in raw nature.

P I N   T H I S   F O R   L A T E R ::

C H A B L E    M A R O M A   F A S T   F A C T S ::

Where is Chablé Maroma?

Chablé Maroma is in Punta Maroma, which is located between Playa del Carmen and Cancun.

How far is Chablé Maroma from the airport?

Chablé Maroma is around 41 kilometers, 38 minutes from the Cancun airport.

Is Chablé Maroma all-inclusive? 

No, the room rate at Chablé Maroma is not all-inclusive.

Is Chablé Maroma adults only? 

No, the hotel welcomes kids but there is no kid’s club and limited kid-friendly activities.