October 16, 2026 | Beacon & Burgundy Travel

Maroma Beach: Mexico’s All-Inclusive Paradise

As a travel advisor, one of the questions I hear most is, “Where should we go in Mexico?” More and more often, my answer is Maroma Beach. This quiet stretch of soft white sand and turquoise water on the Riviera Maya

was voted the most beautiful beach in Mexico in 2023, and it is home to some of the region’s best all-inclusive resorts.

Whether you’re planning a honeymoon, a family vac

ation, a well-earned break from work, or a group trip, here’s what makes Maroma stand out and how to choose the right resort.

Where Is Maroma Beach?

Maroma Beach sits on the Riviera Maya, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Cancún and just north of Playa del Carmen. That makes it an easy transfer from Cancún International Airport, so you can trade the airport for the beach on your first afternoon.

The location gives you the best of both worlds. You’re far enough from the crowds of Cancún’s Hotel Zone to feel truly away, yet close enough to visit Playa del Carmen’s shops and restaurants, or the cenotes and Mayan ruins of the region, whenever you want.

What Makes Maroma So Special

It’s officially Mexico’s most beautiful beach. At Tianguis Turístico 2023, the country’s largest tourism event, Punta Maroma received the title of most beautiful beach in Mexico, an award voted on by readers of México Desconocido magazine.

It’s peaceful. Access to Maroma is limited to guests of the nearby hotels, resorts, and vacation rentals. You won’t find day-tripper crowds or vendors here, just room to spread out.

The setting is lush and natural. The beach is backed by more than 500 acres of tropical forest, so the resorts feel tucked into nature rather than lined up along a busy strip.

There’s plenty to do, or nothing at all. Calm, clear water makes it ideal for swimming, snorkeling, and paddleboarding, while the Great Maya Reef, the largest coral reef system in the Northern Hemisphere, lies just offshore.

The Best All-Inclusive Resorts on Maroma Beach

Each resort on Maroma has its own personality. Here’s a quick look, followed by who each one suits best.

Resort	Best for	Ages	Highlights
Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancún	Couples, honeymooners	Adults only	AAA Five Diamond, 412 suites, swim-up suites, Preferred Club upgrade
El Dorado Maroma	Romantic, relaxing escapes	Adults only	Four pools, gourmet dining, spa
Palafitos Overwater Bungalows at El Dorado Maroma	Bucket-list honeymoons, milestone celebrations	Adults only	Mexico’s first overwater bungalows, glass floors, private infinity pools, butler service
Catalonia Playa Maroma	Families and groups	All ages	Kids’ club, water sports, Privileged upgrade
Senses Riviera Maya by Artisan	Stylish couples	Adults only	Boutique feel, yoga, shuttle to Playa del Carmen

Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancún

This adults-only, AAA Five Diamond resort is the classic cho

ice for honeymoons and anniversaries. Every room is a suite, many with four-poster beds, and ground-floor swim-up suites open right onto the pool. Couples’ spa treatments in private beachside cabanas are a signature experience. For extra pampering, the Preferred Club upgrade adds a dedicated concierge and a private section of beach with reserved loungers and waiter service.

El Dorado Maroma

Also adults-only, El Dorado Maroma is all about tranquility and food. Guests enjoy four pools, a relaxing spa, and a variety of restaurants, including Lima Limón for Peruvian ceviches with a view of the beach. It’s a wonderful pick for travelers who want a slower pace and a gourmet experience.

Palafitos Overwater Bungalows at El Dorado Maroma

You no longer need to fly to Bora Bora for an overwater bungalow. Palafitos, at El Dorado Maroma, were the first overwater bungalows in Mexico: just 30 private, adults-only suites set right over the turquoise water of Maroma Beach.

Each bungalow has a glass-bottom floor, direct ladder access to the ocean, a private infinity pool, an indoor Jacuzzi, an outdoor shower, and a large sun deck. Guests enjoy Karisma’s Gourmet Inclusive Experience, with butler service and 24-hour room service, plus an overwater grill and wine bar and the overwater Naay Spa. You also have full access to the amenities of El Dorado Maroma next door. For a honeymoon, anniversary, or once-in-a-lifetime celebration, it’s hard to top.

Catalonia Playa Maroma

Traveling with kids? Catalonia Playa Maroma is the family favorite on this beach. Its hacienda-style design and eco-friendly feel come with a kids’ club, beach volleyball, dance lessons, and water sports. The Privileged upgrade adds a separate lounge and beach area, à la carte dining, and other exclusive perks for parents who want a little extra.

Senses Riviera Maya by Artisan

This adults-only boutique resort is chic, intimate, and a little playful. Free yoga, beach access, and a shuttle to Playa del Carmen make it a great choice for couples who want style and the option to explore.

Looking for ultra-luxury?

Maroma is also home to high-end retreats such as Maroma, A Belmond Hotel, and Chablé Maroma, whose villas come with private plunge pools. These typically operate on a different meal plan than a traditional all-inclusive, so ask me how to package them for your trip.

Tips for Planning Your Maroma Getaway

Consider a club-level upgrade. Programs like Preferred Club at Secrets and Privileged at Catalonia add perks such as private beach areas, lounges, and extra dining options, and they’re often worth the added cost.
Ask about sargassum. This seasonal seaweed affects much of the Mexican Caribbean, typically in the warmer months. Maroma is often reported to be hit less heavily than many nearby beaches, but conditions vary year to year.
Leave time to explore. Cenotes, Mayan ruins, eco-parks, and the shops of Playa del Carmen are all an easy day trip away.
Be ready for sales pitches. Some resorts offer timeshare or vacation club presentations at check-in. A polite “no, thank you” is all you need.
Book early for peak dates. Holidays, winter, and spring break fill up quickly, especially for swim-up and club-level rooms.

Why Book Maroma With a Travel Advisor?

With so many resorts, room categories, and upgrade programs, choosing the right fit takes more than a quick online search. A travel advisor brings firsthand knowledge of the properties, access to packages and promotions, and support before, during, and after the trip. That matters for couples and families, and even more for group travel: destination weddings, milestone celebrations, corporate retreats, and incentive trips, where coordinating rooms, events, and transfers for many guests is a job in itself.

If Maroma Beach is on your list, for yourself, your family, or your team, I’d be glad to help you plan it. Sendme a message on LinkedIn for a personalized quote, and feel free to share this article with anyone dreaming of a Mexico getaway.

Meet the Alux: The Mayan Trickster Spirit Behind Cancun’s Most Charming Legend

Have you ever set your sunglasses down on the nightstand, only to find them across the room the next morning? If you were on the Yucatán Peninsula, the locals might have an explanation for you.
On my recent trip to Mexico, I came home with plenty of resort notes and restaurant tips. But the thing I keep telling everyone about is a tiny, mischievous spirit called the Alux. It’s one of those stories that changes how you see a place, and it’s woven right into the landscape, from the airport to the resorts.
So, what is an Alux?
The Alux (pronounced “Alush”) is a small trickster spirit from Mayan tradition. If you’re picturing Ireland’s leprechauns or Iceland’s trolls, you’re on the right track.
Aluxes are said to live in caves, underground rivers and the jungle, the same cenotes and caverns that draw so many visitors to the region. They aren’t evil. They’re playful, and their favorite trick is moving your things around while you sleep.
A tradition of respect
The belief at the heart of it is simple: if you disturb an Alux’s home, you leave an offering to make peace.
People share stories of wallets that wandered off overnight or a water glass that ended up somewhere unexpected. What struck me most is how seriously the tradition is taken. It isn’t a gimmick for tourists. Many locals, including the people who build in the region, treat it with genuine respect.
The legend of the Cancun Airport bridge
This is my favorite part, because you can see it with your own eyes.
As the story goes, more than 40 years ago a bridge was being built near the Cancun Airport. It collapsed three times, and no one could explain why. Eventually the architect was told the construction had destroyed an Alux’s home.
The solution? Build the Alux a new home first. Only after that little house was in place did the bridge finally stand.
That small house still sits beneath the bridge today. So when you land in Cancun, skip the phone for a few minutes on your transfer and watch for it as you pass under the bridge. It’s a wonderful first welcome to the region.
Alux houses at the resorts
The tradition doesn’t stop at the airport. Many hotels built in the jungle follow the same practice, building an Alux house on the property before construction begins.
Some of these little houses sit right along walking paths where guests can see them, and staff often have their own stories to share. If you’re staying at a jungle resort, ask the team whether there’s an Alux house on the property. It makes for a lovely evening stroll and a great conversation starter.
How to be a respectful visitor
The Alux is part of a living tradition, so a little etiquette goes a long way:
• Look, but don’t touch. Never move, take or leave things at an Alux house unless a local invites you to.
• Ask before you snap. Check with your guide before photographing offerings.
• Keep it kind. Share the story with curiosity and warmth, and avoid joking about the belief in front of staff.
• Remember it on excursions. Caves, cenotes and the jungle are said to be Alux territory, so treat them with extra care.
Why stories like this matter
As a travel advisor, I love moments like these. A beach vacation is wonderful, but it’s the stories, the traditions and the little houses under bridges that turn a trip into a real connection with a place.
And if your room key ever goes missing on your trip? Now you’ll know who to blame.
Ready to explore the Yucatán? I’d love to help you plan a trip that goes beyond the resort, with local stories like this one built in. Contact me to start planning.

The excursion I recommend when clients want a memory that never fades

We had the top down, crossing from Kona to Hilo, when the temperature dropped so fast we had to pull over and put the top up.

That’s the Big Island in one drive. You’re baking in the sun on the Kona side, and 40 minutes later you’re between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea pulling your jacket out of the trunk. Most visitors never see that. They land in Kona, stay on the resort side, and leave thinking they’ve seen the island.

I’ve spent time on that drive, and on that island, enough times to know the difference between what a guidebook tells you to do and what actually sticks with someone. That difference matters a lot when a client tells me they want their trip to mean something.

What they actually asked for

A couple came to me planning their 5-year anniversary. Big Island, staying in Kona. They didn’t ask me for the best restaurant or the nicest pool. They told me they wanted moments that would stay with them forever.

That’s a different brief than “plan us a nice trip.” It changes what I recommend.

I could have handed them a standard Kona itinerary: snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay, a coffee farm tour, sunset at the resort. All good. None of it answers what they actually asked for.

So I recommended manta ray night snorkeling.

Why this one, specifically

Off Keauhou Bay, boats anchor over a stretch of water lit from below. The lights pull in plankton. The plankton pulls in the mantas, some with wingspans over 12 feet, and they come in close. Not “spotted one in the distance” close. Close enough that you feel the water move when one banks past you.

It’s not a resort activity. It’s not something you stumble into. It’s the kind of excursion you have to know to ask for, at the right time of year, with an operator that actually knows the water. That’s the part clients don’t see when they’re building their own itinerary off a blog post: knowing which operators run it well, and when the conditions actually deliver.

For a couple trying to mark 5 years together with something they’d remember, it was the obvious call. Not because manta rays are trendy. Because it’s the kind of thing that becomes the story you tell at every anniversary after.

What came back

A few days into the trip, I got a text with videos attached.

“Thank you so much for recommending this excursion!!! Genuinely the coolest thing we’ve ever done. I can’t believe they were so close to us. They are gentle giants!”

That reaction is the whole reason I do this. Not because I like getting nice texts, though I do. Because it confirms something I believe about planning trips: the goal was never to fill a schedule. It was to listen for what they actually wanted, then know exactly which piece of the island delivers it.

Anyone can book a Kona hotel. Anyone can look up “things to do on the Big Island” and get a list. What they can’t get from a search result is someone who’s driven the island end to end, knows what’s worth the drive and what isn’t, and has planned enough Hawaii trips to know when a client is describing a “wow” moment versus a “nice to have.”

If you’re planning a Hawaii trip that needs to matter

Every couple, every family, every solo traveler wants something a little different out of Hawaii. Some want to disconnect completely. Some want their kids to see a volcano up close. Some, like this couple, want proof that 5 years in, the adventure isn’t over.

I plan Hawaii trips across the islands, and manta ray night snorkeling is one piece of a much bigger toolkit I use depending on what someone tells me they actually want. If you’re thinking about Hawaii and want a trip built around what would actually mean something to you, reach out. I’ll ask the right questions first, then build the trip around the answer.

May adventure follow you wherever you may go.