Forbes Travel Guide magazine has taken the task to send their inspectors undercovered as regular guests to resorts, spas, and restaurants all over the globe. With the objective to verify luxury, Forbes Travel Guide, evaluates over 900 features of criteria. The process takes a few months, but the inspectors take with them the responsibility to evaluate the service, facilities, and overall, the experience of each place they visit. Fifteen out of the 157 hotels on the 2023 Forbes Travel Guide Star Award are located in the Riviera Maya.
On this year’s list, you’ll find over 1,900 reviewed sites, from spas to high-end restaurants, and 4-5 star hotels. Some hotels may be rated as “recommended”, as these are qualified by Forbes as “excellent properties with consistently good service and facilities”.
Which Riviera Maya resorts were given the Star Award?
Here’s the list of the fifteen hotels in the Riviera Maya listed in the 2023 Forbes Travel Guide Star Award:
- Banyan Tree Mayakoba
- Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya
- Grand Velas Riviera Maya
- Hotel Esencia, Tulum
- Hotel Xcaret Arte
- Hotel Xcaret Mexico
- Kimpton Aluna Tulum
- La Casa de la Playa
- Maroma, A Belmond Hotel, Riviera Maya
- Paradisus La Perla
- Rosewood Mayakoba
- Royal Hideaway Playacar
- Thompson Playa del Carmen Main House
- TRS Yucatan Hotel
- Viceroy Riviera Maya
How does a hotel get the Star Award?
This year, Forbes Travel Guide, came together to award over 1,900 restaurants, hotels, and spas for the 65th time. This annual Star Awards, Forbes Travel Guide send their trained inspectors incognito to review hotels and cruise ships, dine in the restaurants, and experience spa services while posing as ordinary guests. They then tested up to 900 rigorous standards on every place they visited or stayed. The inspectors were in charge to observe and rate from luxurious facilities, decor, and staff, to the quality of the beverages, cuisine, and the overall experience. The official site of Forbes Travel Guide stated that “Seventy percent of a property’s rating relies on its service—with a more exacting look at the guest experience as a new service metric for 2023—while the remaining 30 percent accounts for the quality and condition of its facilities”.
A great thing that Forbes Travel Guide offers with this listing, is the inspector’s insights regarding each site. If you’re interested, for example, in a spa in the Riviera Maya, you can see that Muluk Spa at Hotel Xcaret Arte is on the list. By clicking on it, the site takes you to the inspector’s highlights, things to know, treatments, and amenities. The same goes for a hotel, except, that in this case, the inspector also provided valuable information regarding the rooms, restaurants, and amenities.
The best destinations for sun-seekers
This year’s list features 48 new Five-Star hotels, 64 new Four-Star properties, and 45 new Recommended hotels. And is no surprise the Riviera Maya and other Mexican destinations made it to this year’s list. Since the Riviera Maya and Cancun have been awarded by many other awards in recent years as top sunny destinations, and by the best luxurious resorts in Cancun.
You won’t disagree if you ever find yourself in the middle of the jungle in an underwater river in Akumal, or in the middle of the Quinta Avenida, the pedestrian street in Playa del Carmen. And so, if you plan to visit Cancun, you can easily move to any other destination nearby. The freedom you can get when hiring private transportation in Cancun will allow you to spend a weekend in Tulum from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, or even Isla Mujeres. If you don’t have too much time or are staying at a hotel in Cancun, you can opt for Cancun Transportation to Playa del Carmen, or visit Puerto Morelos and have a bite of some of the most delicious seafood restaurants in the area.