The Riviera Maya EDITION at Kanai — Hotel in Quintana Roo

We came here in May, been meaning to get a review up.

We have been Marriott members for since 2010, but my family have been Marriott members for over 30 years, so loyalty is very important to us. This hotel did NOT disappoint and we are already coming back in December.

The ambiance: The entire place is a vibe; from the music, to the decor, the food and the service. The hotel definitely gives Edition Hotel vibes but with a twist. We loved how they brought the local colors into the resort, really making this oasis feel authentic. It is modern but moody at the same time. It is an impressive property with an entrance ive never seen before, really making it feel exclusive. The lobby is an art piece and the bar area is something that you must visit, so unexpected for an Edition hotel.

The rooms: I have a subjective view and reason why is because we stayed in a MASSIVE suite, using our upgrade certificates from our titanium status. The room was beyond our expectations; from the arrival treat in the room (which was delicious) to the sheer size of the room. We had 2 bathrooms, which was great, tons of plug to charge up your devices and TONs of closet space. I would say there was some room for improvement for the in room coffee; no milk or creamer so we never used it.

We had full kitchen with a fridge which came in handy for the waters we wanted to keep chilled.

The rooms were beyond clean and they provided plenty of towels. I would say if you like firmer pillows, make sure you ask for extra pillows. They are of a down material, so they get flat pretty quickly. With that, I have found the Edition Hotel pillows are never the most comfortable, but that is personal preferences.

The pool / recreation areas: Ill start with the gym. The Gym was amazing, we used it everyday. It is well equipped for the hotel gym and had plenty of weights, machines and space to do yoga/stretching. they had plenty of free bottle water and they had a full time attendent cleaning and replacing towels on the machines (nice touch).

The Pool: The pools are amazing and again are a VIBE. Great music, drinks and poolside service. You really do not need to lift a finger. They have a family friendly pool (which we preferred) and an adults only pool as well. The adults only pool was very nice and the beds are amazing, the view was great. However, the actually state of the pool needs review. Alot of the pebbletech (the pebbles in the water that line the pool) seemed to be coming off, for the caliber of the resort this is something that needs to be addressed. As for the family friendly pool, there is a ton of places to tuck into a corner, get shade and have in water platforms (for rent) to enjoy. They have a restaurant right pool side and provide you with sunblock (if you forgot yours). Both pools are fantastic, I recommend doing both, if you can.

Food and Drink: The food was fantastic. However, I will say the variety is a little lack luster, if you are not a huge fan of Mexican food. You might be limited. The room service food was always hot and they set up the table was always top notch. Cocktails by the pool and dinner was always on point. They had good amount of options for non-drinkers. There is 1 major improvement that I can see being well recieved by guests. There needs to be a place to grab coffee that is dedicated to coffee, in the likes of a coffee shop. Bring in local roasters and make is special. That part alone would be HUGE.

Some additional perks: Very LGBT friendly; wore a speedo all week and noone said a word or looked put off. You can access the St. Regis resort for the restuarants or the pool. Beach in Cancun is always a hit or miss with the sargasem. This resort does the best they can, but it is still in the water.

Special Service shout outs: Joshua was fantastic, he really made our experience at the...

For my 40th birthday, I went on a quick three-night trip alone to one of the most beautiful and incredible properties I have stayed at anywhere in the world. I am a Titanium Bonvoy and have stayed at top properties from the US to Europe to Asia.

Living in Atlanta, Cancun is a quick 2.5-hour flight, and I felt like I had taken a rocket ship to a different planet. As I’m sure you’ve read, the entire property is built on top of a mangrove forest and is seamlessly integrated with nature. Stunning. Beautiful. Peaceful. You feel like you are immersed in this tropical paradise. Even the drive from the front gate to the hotel is 10+ minutes. Several times during my stay, for the first time I can ever remember, I actively sought to sit on a couch in the lobby, listening to the music and the birds. So tranquil.

My point of contact, Joshua, was the most warm and welcoming host you could imagine. He talked about a philosophy of luxury and love—and you could feel it. When he gave you a hug, it was because he cared, not because some manual told him to. I don’t want to ruin anything, but he had bespoke surprises for me around every corner. Amidst paradise, he was the highlight of my trip.

As Titanium, I got upgraded to a giant (I mean GIANT) one-bedroom king suite. The only thing they don’t include is breakfast, which is always disappointing, but as an old SPG elite, I am spoiled by the St. Regis standard vs. the Ritz/Edition. That said, I ate breakfast in the kitchen, and while it was slightly pricey, it was absolutely delicious and fresh.

Whereas the hotel's service was exceptional, the restaurants are still working through some service kinks. I had So’ol for lunch two days. The view was amazing, and the food was very flavorful. Cocktail and mocktail weren’t that great. The Colada they posted on Instagram didn’t look like that, and the foam had melted by the time it got to me. Service was a miss. I ordered the main entree (tuna tatami), and he returned about 20 minutes later to tell me they didn’t have that today. Then, one of the appetizers I ordered (the shrimp tostada) never came out. Turns out he forgot to put it in. But then there was confusion because he brought out a Ceviche and tried to convince me to keep it instead of the shrimp. Eventually shrimp came out and it was delicious. The next day, when my guacamole came, the chips were stale. It took another 15-20 minutes to get fresh, crispy ones (that all combined were delicious). I was looking forward to Ki’is for dinner; honestly, it fell pretty flat. Not bad, but nothing mind-blowing. I wish I could’ve seen the tasting menu items before making my reservation, as I probably would’ve gone across to the St. Regis (complimentary golf cart) for dinner. I didn’t ding them for a star on the restaurants because they’ll improve. Again, it was not bad, but it was not up to the mind-blowing experience the rest of the property offered.

On that note, I can’t say enough fantastic things about the spa. Probably top to bottom my best spa experience anywhere in the world. First, everything seamlessly integrates with nature like the rest of the resort. I couldn’t help but capture the walk to the treatment rooms through the jungle fauna on my second day.

The Riviera Maya EDITION at Kanai is still a bit of a secret and will be discovered one day soon. If you want to escape to the natural world of beauty, surrounded by sun and sea, the Edition at Kanai is highly...

This was one of the best vacations we have been on. We went for our 10 year wedding anniversary and will be back. You will need to book transportation from the airport to the resort. Explore your options to find the best price! I would suggest stopping by the convenience store and the liquor store before heading to the resort to grab anything you may want while at the resort. The resort sits off the main road a ways so it is a bit of a trip to go out but not impossible. Upon arrival you pull up to a very secluded entryway covered in lush foliage and greeted immediately by the very friendly staff. Your bags are collected and then you are handed off to your concierge. We had Esther (not sure if there are others). Esther is absolutely fabulous. She escorted us to check-in and then gave us a tour of the resort before taking us to our room. She setup a Whatsapp chat with us so that we could remain in communication during our trip. Anything we needed we just sent her a quick message and it was done. So simple and easy. The lobby area of the resort is beautiful! Our luggage arrived very quickly to our room. We had the Superior Suite, 1 Bedroom room. The pictures online are nice but in person the room was even better! The views from the balcony were amazing. We ate breakfast every morning at the Kitchen restaurant. The host, Guti, was there to greet us each morning and was very friendly. Daña took great care of us and made sure our breakfast was fantastic. The restaurant was another beautiful area of the resort. We spent our first day at the adult only pool area which is down by the beach. It looks like its a long walk but it really isn't. The food at the pool restaurant was delicious, the Lobster Roll is a must! Rene took great care of us at the pool and had some great suggestions for us for drinks. We requested a specific drink on day one and they didn't have one of the ingredients for it. However, the next time we visited the pool he remembered and let us know they they now had what was needed for our drink! Great customer service! We also visited the main pool while there and Carlos was terrific. He made sure we had everything we needed. As I mentioned before we were there for our 10 year anniversary and Carlos and the pool/restaurant team surprised us with a hand written note, which they all signed, Congratulating us. It was very special. Another amazing feature is that the resort shares amenities with the neighboring St. Regis resort. So you are able to go to their pools, restaurants, etc. Its a quick golf cart ride and you just have to go the entrance and they will take you over. You have to check out xxx. It was so good that we went back a second time. Another must try is room service. We wanted to just say in one night and enjoy the room and the view. We ordered the Edition Burger with Fries. This burger is in the top list of burgers I have ever had and the fries were fresh and hot when they arrived. We ordered this burger 6 times over the course of our trip it was so good! You have to try it! On our last day there we went to the beach cabana and had another amazing, relaxing day with good food and drinks. One more shout out the all the people who made this an amazing 10 year anniversary trip! Esther, Carlos (and pool team), Rene, Daña and...