The story goes that over three decades ago, Rosa, the Italian Duchess of Ferrari was so bewitched by the sugar-white beach and turquoise waters of Xpu-Ha – a sandy Arcadia 50 miles south of Cancún – she bought a 12-acre piece of land that fronted the Caribbean and backed onto thick native jungle. Here, she built herself a sprawling holiday bolt-hole that she later turned into a hotel. Fresh from an 18-month renovation by its new owner Kevin Wendle, the spruced up Hotel Esencia is a world away from the nearby mega-resorts that crowd the Riviera Maya, but it stubbornly retains the escapist vibe that so enchanted Rosa. Working with in-house creative director C.S. Valentin (ex-Miu Miu and Olivier Theyskens) and architects Gabriel and Alfonso Nunez, Wendle has invested each of the Esencia’s 29 rooms and public spaces with a striking, mid-century quality that combines Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret furniture with custom hand-woven Mexican wool rugs, 1950s artwork with a Botero and Picasso thrown in casually. The room of choice is the Rosa Suite – the Duchess’s former bedroom opens onto an enormous terrace with ocean views and a private heated plunge pool. Meanwhile, the organic spa features Reiki and massages that involve restorative herbs and ingredients from the Caribbean and jungle.
ADDRESS
Carretera Cancún – Tulum km 265
Playa Xpu-Ha
Quintana Roo 77750
Mexico
-
This cult Los Angeles pop-up restaurant now has a permanent addressChef Brian Baik’s Corridor 109 makes its permanent debut in Melrose Hill. No surprise, it's now one of the hardest tables in town to book
-
French bistro restaurant Maset channels the ease of the Mediterranean in LondonThis Marylebone restaurant is shaped by the coastal flavours, materials and rhythms of southern France
-
How ethical is Google Street View, asks Jon Rafman in CopenhagenIn 'Report a Concern - the Nine Eyes Archives' at Louisiana Museum of Art, Copenhagen, Jon Rafman considers technology's existential implications
-
This Mexico City café embraces brutalism’s warmer sideStay for breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Formant Studio-designed Marne Café, where an interior of raw finishes and tactile materials invites you to linger
-
This spa in the Riviera Maya stays open until midnight. Here’s what happens after darkRosewood Mayakoba’s Akbal Series proposes a new kind of night out
-
At Rubra, thrilling tropical cuisine comes courtesy of the youngest World’s Best Female ChefAt chef Daniela Soto-Innes’ exceptional restaurant in Mexico’s Punta de Mita, the cooking is as ambitious as the view
-
Head to Puerto Escondido, a hot spot of eco-friendly hotels for the architecturally adventurousAs a bucolic cluster of beach towns evolves on Mexico’s Oaxacan coast, there’s hope that Puerto Escondido can prove a guiding light in responsible tourism; Eric Millman went to find out more
-
Six hotels where you’ll find the winter sun this FebruaryFrom intimate seaside inns to lush tropical resorts, here are six Wallpaper*-approved winter sun escapes
-
Vipp Todos Santos wins Wallpaper* Design Award 2025A new guesthouse from the Danish design brand brings a Scandinavian aesthetic to a desert location in Mexico
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: meet the travel winners transcending destinationsDiscover the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025 travel winners – the year’s places to stay, dine, drink and join – and watch our video to find out why they won
-
Take a trip to San Miguel de Allende, the Mexican City attracting a flourishing creative crowdSan Miguel de Allende is home to a bold young crowd of talent that’s thriving off the city’s brightly-hued heritage
