Mahekal Beach Resort

"Gypset style" is how the hotel describes its decor, modeled after the sophisticated boho-chic look chronicled in Julia Chapin's book of the same name. That look is certainly pronounced in the Mahekal's open-air reception area with a vaulted, palapa roof with lighting swaying in bamboo cages overhead. There is a glass table with a driftwood base and some low-slung sofas near a big, masonry fireplace. The stucco bungalows are painted turquoise and have thatched roofs and rustic wood porches with simple white hammocks. Most guests are couples and adult travelers, though children are welcome and kids under the age of four stay free. 

The Mahekal is near the center of Playa del Carmen, between the Maya Jungle and the Caribbean coastline of the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. It is two blocks from Fifth Avenue, a district brimming with restaurants, shops, and hotels, and live music and dancing in the evening. It's just under a 20-minute drive to Xcaret and a few minutes farther to the caves and cenotes at Rio Secreto. The Mayan ruins at Tulum take half an hour to reach by car. Two golf courses -- the Golf Club at Playacar and the course at Grand Coral Riviera Maya -- are just under 15 minutes away by car. The Cancun Airport is a 45-minute drive away.

The Mahekal's contemporary rooms are spare but attractively adorned in a beachy style complete with ceiling fans and air-conditioning units. A simple backdrop of white-washed walls, wood blinds, and stone flooring is decorated with a variety of handicraft-style furnishings, such as glass-top tables with tree-trunk bases or tightly woven, colorful baskets as side tables. Beds sit on rustic wood frames with white linens and colorful throws and cushions and the closets have limed wood doors. Each room has a safe, but there are no TVs, phones, or mini-fridges. Rooms are supplied with bug spray and mosquito nets, useful as insects can be an issue. Cribs and rollaway beds are available for a fee. All rooms have porches or terraces with hammocks, and some of the more expensive rooms have tucked-away private splash pools. The bathrooms are also spare, with large mirrors with side cubbies and turquoise ceramic vessel sinks on slabs of granite. Walk-in showers have rainfall showerheads and toilets are separated behind frosted-glass doors. Most units at the Mahekal are thatched-roof bungalows that either face the ocean or the gardens and pool. Ocean-facing rooms can be noisy -- particularly for guests who sleep in while the early risers are at the beach. There are also rooms underneath bungalows that have regular ceilings, good news for guests who are light sleepers as the palapa roofing lets in noise. 

The Mahekal has most of the expected features of an upper-middle-range resort, with a few notable exceptions. The resort has four pools, including one with an infinity edge and two with hot tubs. A full-service Mayan spa includes a 24-hour fitness center. There's also a beach with lounge chairs that fill up early in the morning, but it can be narrow depending on the season. When the tide washes up too much seaweed, guests may want to head back to the pool, as the smell isn't pleasant. Bottled water is free, and beach towels are available; guests can also rent bikes, snorkeling equipment, and scuba gear on-site. For dining, the Cocina Restaurant is open-air with contemporary rattan chairs and amorphous wood tables. Silver chafing dishes, placed on a long counter, provide a formal touch in the more casual space. All-day dining (and cocktails) are offered at Las Olas Restaurant and Bar, but the atmosphere is prettiest at night when the pool lights create an azure glow and candles wink from tables and niches in the poolside masonry wall. In 2016, the hotel added Fuego Restaurante y Cantina, which serves locally-sourced Mexican cuisine in a beachfront space. A light, fun look pervades Boli's Bar, with its cobalt-blue pool tables and an orange-surface for its table tennis. And a third bar, Itzi, is a true pool bar serving drinks and light fare to guests by the infinity pool. There's also a meeting space, and Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel.