Alila Mayakoba Review – How Has the Andaz Transformation Gone?

Alila Mayakoba Review: Is this the Andaz in Disguise or a Complete Transformation?

The Alila Mayakoba just reopened last month after the former Andaz Mayakoba was rebranded (over a period of over a year), and we recently spent 5 nights there as a family, with our 4 year old son.

The short version is that this was an overwhelmingly positive experience (with a few kinks that need sorting).

The room was incredible, thanks to an insane upgrade. The staff was excellent across the board. The beach was beautiful. Service was consistently warm and helpful. And, for Hyatt Globalists, the breakfast benefit was exactly how I like it.

That said, this also felt like a hotel still working through some reopening issues. Some dining venues were not yet open, the lagoon pool was not fully operational (in terms of service), and there are still a few areas where the pricing now feels much more “Alila” than “Andaz” even if food itself did not generally feel dramatic enough to justify that jump.

For the right guest, especially a couple booking on World of Hyatt points, I would absolutely recommend Alila Mayakoba. For families, I think the answer is a bit more nuanced.

Booking With World of Hyatt Points

We booked Alila Mayakoba for 29,000 World of Hyatt points per night as a Category 6 property (peak).

That may prove to be a very good deal in hindsight.

Between the repositioning from Andaz to Alila (which is no doubt a higher end brand with the likes of the Alila Ventana Big Sur) and Hyatt’s broader award chart changes this year, I would not be surprised to see the points price move higher over time. Just the new 5 tier chart alone would place the high end of this redemption at 40,000 points, up from 29,000.

We were able to use a Suite Upgrade Award (SUA) to secure a Beach Area Suite (no plunge pool) at booking, probably the best possible SUA upgrade on property and one that I almost never saw looking across many dates. They had beach area studio suites with plunge pools which were much smaller and then Lagoon side suites which is not, in my opinion, where you want to be due to needing a golf cart ride to the beach.

It’s worth also noting that we flew from New York to Cancun in First Class both ways at a cost of just 14,000 Rove Miles per person, per direction. This was an incredible use of Rove Miles and you can do what I did until March 31, 2026 when the JAL Transfer Bonus expires.

Check-In and an Incredible Globalist Upgrade

We pre-booked a transfer from USA Transfers as the hotel’s fee for a transfer was about double. Check-in was smooth and efficient.

As I mentioned, we had already used Suite Upgrade Awards to confirm into a beach area suite, but at check-in we were upgraded even further into a massive two-story villa with a giant private plunge pool. That’s the kind of bonus upgrade Hyatt Globalists always hope for but certainly rarely receive.

The room itself was excellent.

It was spread over two floors and felt enormous, with a giant bathroom, a very large living room, and a residential feel that included a refrigerator, freezer, and even an oven. The bedroom itself was more standard in design, but the overall accommodation was very impressive. We also had two terraces, one attached to the plunge pool and another overlooking the jungle.

Housekeeping was solid throughout the stay. We also noticed that staff cleaned the private plunge pool multiple times, sweeping out leaves and debris, which I appreciated.

The bedroom had a good mix of standard outlets plus both USB-A and USB-C charging ports, which is a small thing but one I always like to see done right. It’s stark when a hotel modernizes and leaves you without enough places to charge your devices. 

Have 3 minutes? Here’s a full tour of the Villa:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Dave Grossman ✈️ (@milestalk)

Does It Feel Like an Alila?

Yes*

This does not feel like a completely new resort built from scratch around the Alila brand. It feels more like the former Andaz Mayakoba has been modestly renovated and repositioned with a bigger health and wellness angle.

That is not necessarily a criticism. The Andaz was already a very luxurious resort. But it does mean the renovations may not have seemed as pronounced to us. In our view, the resort felt only marginally more luxurious than the Andaz did before.

And some ways, it actually felt like a step back.

At the Andaz, our private plunge pool had been heated. At the Alila, it was not. The main pool also felt absolutely frigid. For a hotel at this price point, that is something I think needs to be addressed. We still loved having the large plunge pool in our villa, but in practice it was really only enjoyable when the sun was directly on it. And the main pool at a $1,000+ a night resort absolutely needs to be heated. I’m sure when the temperature exceeds 90, the pool is warm, but when it’s upper 70’s, you still want that pool to be an oasis. There was also no jacuzzi on property besides the spa (which I cover later).

That gets to the heart of the current Alila Mayakoba experience for me. The branding and positioning have clearly moved upmarket, and so have the prices, but the actual guest experience does not feel like a major jump from what was already there before, perhaps excepting the “host” service which was on point and on par with a 5 star hotel.

Service Was Excellent

The staff was one of the strongest parts of the stay.

Everyone we encountered seemed genuinely engaged and happy to help. We never had a single interaction with anyone who seemed indifferent to the guest experience, and that really does set a hotel at this price point apart.

Each room is assigned two hosts, which is essentially a lighter version of a butler service. They communicate with you through WhatsApp and cover the day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. They are your point of contact for everything from ice to transportation to dinner.

We found this system extremely effective (although I should note that on Flyertalk I did see others that had underwhelming experiences).

At some resorts, calling for help may or may not result in anything actually happening. Here, the WhatsApp communication worked very well for us. Not every request was handled perfectly the first time, and a few things did require follow-up, but overall we were very satisfied. If your hosts are helpful, tipping is definitely appreciated and I would say expected. For a great host, something in the $15-$25 a night range is probably in the ballpark.

One especially helpful role they play is arranging transportation around the broader Mayakoba complex.

If you are dining at another Mayakoba resort, your hosts are the ones who can try to secure a Red Cart ride for you, based on availability. Those carts are operated by Mayakoba rather than by Alila, so nothing is guaranteed.

They can also help arrange complimentary boat transportation to dinner. We did that for dinner at Rosewood’s Del Lago and it was a lovely touch.

I mentioned the Red Cart in my 2024 review of the old Andaz Mayakoba. Nobody tells you about them and we only discovered it in 2024 when a kind manager at a Fairmont restaurant offered us on for the ride home. If you don’t have a Red Cart and are moving between properties, you would take a golf cart from your room to the Alila lobby, then a larger inter-resort cart to the next hotel, and then a third golf cart from there to the restaurant. The Red Cart goes directly from room to restaurant.  

Globalist Breakfast Is a Real Win

For Hyatt Globalists, breakfast is a major positive here.

During our stay, breakfast included both the buffet and made-to-order menu items with no cap. That is a very generous implementation of the Globalist breakfast benefit and one that frequent Hyatt guests will appreciate. My understanding is that it was buffet only until last week, so hopefully it stays this way! It’s an amazing way to start a day.

There is one issue still being worked out, though.

World of Hyatt terms indicate that the resort is responsible for the gratuity on Globalist breakfast, but Alila did not appear to be handling that correctly during our stay. So that is something to watch. Also worth noting, tips appear to go into a shared pool, so if you want to directly reward a specific server, cash is the better option.

Food and Drink: Good Quality, High Prices, Limited Venues

The biggest thing guests coming from the Andaz days will likely notice is that things are just more expensive now.

The Alila brand is clearly more focused on health and wellness than the Andaz was, but perhaps the most striking change is simply that the hotel now feels much more expensive across the board.

That said, you have to take this in context when in the Mayakoba complex.

Drinks at Alila were probably the most reasonably priced we found within the Mayakoba complex. The issue was more that they tended to be on the weak side, and asking for a stronger drink could mean being asked to pay extra.

Food pricing also made me wince at times from a simple “is this gouging?” perspective. But again, context matters. The tacos, at about $10 each, did not feel quite as outrageous once we had also seen pricing at Rosewood and Banyan Tree. So, Alila is not alone here. It’s just what to expect at Mayakoba which, in fairness, is all 5 star resorts. The Fairmont is the most mass market of the 4 resorts and that’s saying something.

Food quality was generally quite good, but let me make a few callouts. 

If you want the very most expensive food, head to Banyan Tree or Rosewood.

We loved Casa Del Lago at Rosewood, but $60 Cacio e Pepe and a $98 veal chop (did not order that!)  felt a bit exorbitant and we are from NYC….  

Our favorite Mayakoba restaurant is Cello by far. Watch that wallet (my wife accidentally ordered a nearly $40 glass of wine that she did not intend, but when the Mexican Peso is 17 to the dollar, it’s not always obvious how much anything is). But do order the lamb risotto with lamb chops as an absolute indulgence. 

Skip La Copa at Banyan Tree (tip top prices for very mediocre Mexican food) and La Laguna at Fairmont (just mediocre). 

Pool service at the Alila was impeccable, with attentive service throughout the day. The menu is still somewhat limited, which felt like another reopening growing pain, but there were some very good dishes.

If they still offer it, ask for the off-menu quesadilla. I recommend it with flank steak.

It was excellent. The burger, with truffle aioli and fresh-made potato chips, was also very good.

Many dining options listed on the website are not yet open.

We missed the casual Mexican restaurant that the Andaz used to have near the beach and its manager Daniel. (Most staff have not returned.)

That area is now the breakfast restaurant and taqueria, but it was not open in the evening during our stay. That leaves Alisio as the only dinner option in the beach area, though fortunately Alisio was excellent and has a beautiful beachfront setting.

On the lagoon side, near the spa, Casa Amate is the higher-end restaurant. The menu had changed since our previous stays at the Andaz and it did not especially appeal to us this time, though other guests we spoke with said it was excellent.

And for local foodies like me, I will add one more food option.

One day, I took a roughly $30 taxi each way (on the way back you may be able to bargain for $25…) into Playa del Carmen to eat tacos al pastor at the famous El Fogón. It is definitely a trek from Mayakoba, and I would not suggest it for everyone, but it is going to be a far more authentic taqueria experience than anything you will find inside the resort complex. If you care about real local flavor and do not mind leaving the resort bubble for a meal, it was absolutely worth it.

I went for the pastor but that queso fundido was absolute fire. 

The Beach, Pool, and the Mayakoba Setting

The beach was beautiful.

The loungers were the same cushioned style as at the pool, and the ocean water was much warmer and more enjoyable than the main pool. Sargassum is very much a thing in this part of Mexico, but the resort was actively battling it with multiple staff members clearing it away seemingly all day and that was appreciated.

One of the nicest complimentary activities in Mayakoba is the complimentary eco tour, which takes you by boat through the whole complex.

It lasts about 45 minutes, requires advance reservations, and availability is limited. It is absolutely worth doing. Our son loved it, and it is a great way to see the broader Mayakoba area from the water.

If you want exercise, there are also plenty of bikes available and you can ride all over the expansive property. Just try not to get lost.

How is the Alila Mayakoba for Families?

Although we saw more families than couples during our stay, I do not think families are the long-term target market here.

The biggest reason is simple: it just does not feel especially family-oriented.

The former Andaz Kid’s Club did not reopen, which is a real loss for families even though it was never a highlight. There does seem to be an ability to use Fairmont’s Kid’s Clubs, though. Officially or unofficially, I am not sure and never asked.

There is a smaller Kid’s Club near the Fairmont beach area, an easy walk down the sand, and it includes a small outdoor kids’ pool. Access was limited to family hours, which were 2 to 3 p.m. during our stay, although the outdoor area with the small pool was open during all Kid’s Club hours.

There is also a somewhat larger Kid’s Club near Fairmont’s La Laguna with a small ball pit, but getting there is more complicated because golf carts from one resort cannot cross into another resort’s zone. That can mean multiple transfers just to reach it. There is a water slide next door to it, though….

Overall, my point is that there were not many activities or anything for kids outside of two pool floaties (and those may have just been left behind by other guests).

Spa and Wellness

The wellness focus is one of the clearest ways this property is trying to distinguish itself from the old Andaz.

The spa is on the lagoon side, along with the lagoon pool, though during our stay that pool was not fully operational. That meant the lagoon side felt much quieter and more limited, with the spa and Casa Amate as the main reasons to head over there.

We usually get a massage each on a trip like this, but at about $500 here for a basic massage for one, we passed. That pricing just felt far too aggressive for us to enjoy it.

On the plus side, the hydrotherapy circuit was available and included a very nice outdoor jacuzzi.

As of our stay, this appeared to be complimentary, though I did sign a bill that showed an approximately $50 fee being waived, so I would not assume it will remain free forever.

Getting Around the Resort

Something worth knowing before you go is that moving between the lagoon side and the beach area requires a golf cart ride.

That is not necessarily a big deal, but it does affect how the resort feels since it’s split and you need to account for the time to get between the two areas. At least during our stay, the lagoon pool was not fully operational, so there was even less reason to spend much time on that side unless you were headed to Casa Amate, the fitness center, or the spa.

The broader Mayakoba complex itself is beautiful, and between boats, bikes, golf carts, and the Red Carts that connect the resorts for dinner, there are plenty of ways to move around. But, it is definitely a spread-out resort environment rather than the kind of place where everything is a short walk away.

Final Thoughts: Would We Return?

Overall, this was a great stay.

Would we come back? For us, maybe not right away, and that is mostly because of where we are as a family right now. The resort does not feel particularly family-oriented, and the food pricing adds another layer of friction. We are thinking that if we are doing the pure beach vacation, an all inclusive may just make more financial sense. 

But that is what I’m saying for us personally, not as a recommendation to my fellow MilesTalkers.

For a couple, and especially for someone booking on points, I would absolutely recommend Alila Mayakoba. It is a beautiful luxury boutique resort with excellent staff, very strong Globalist treatment, and a lot to like. It just also feels like a resort that is still settling into its new identity after the transition from Andaz. I also have a feeling this resort will get a lot of love from luxury travel agents booking via Hyatt Privé. 

Bottom Line

The Andaz Mayakoba is now the Alila Mayakoba.

It feels more wellness-oriented, more expensive, and somewhat more refined than the former Andaz, but not radically more luxurious. If you come in with that expectation, and especially if you can book with Hyatt points and leverage Globalist benefits, there is a lot to love here.