Hotel Esencia is a majestic 50-acre estate at the midpoint between Tulum and Playa del Carmen in Mexico. It has long enjoyed a storied past in this ancestral cradle of culture, cuisine, and comfort. Originally built as the private hideaway home of an Italian duchess on a beautiful beach of the Mayan Riviera, it later became a hotel, and, for some time, has been a sought-after destination for honeymooners seduced by the serene comforts of this timeless mansion.
The estate’s provenance as a place of leisure for nobility is the guiding inspiration for a modern reimagining. The Main House remains the hotel’s centerpiece, around which footpaths lead to only 29 suites and villas where guests enjoy genuine privacy and top flight hospitality. Ideally situated far from huge resorts and the roar of pleasure boats, the immaculate bay of Xpu-Ha is a natural haven where each year sea turtles make their nests.
RESTAURANTS
Dining at Hotel Esencia is at once a culinary voyage and a coming home. Meals are simple yet sophisticated, drawing as much from Mexico’s eclectic range of regional cuisines as from the well-loved comforts of Mediterranean cooking. Ingredients are sourced locally from farmers and artisans in Quintana Roo, or further afield from the places in Mexico known for exemplary delicacies—moles from Oaxaca, fruits from Yucatán, and wines from Baja.
SPA & HEALTH CLUB
At the east end of the gardens is Hotel Esencia’s health club overlooking the estate’s cenote. Housed under traditional palapa thatched roofs, Esencia Spa and the fitness room integrate hallmarks of modern wellbeing with ancient customs of cultivating beauty, balance, and peace.