Hotel Esencia
Riviera Maya · Mexico
Prices
Next 365 nights · updated daily
Daily price line
Hover any point for the rate
Calendar heatmap
Hover any day for its rate
Reviews
Character and identity
Hidden down a barely signposted jungle road between Tulum and Playa del Carmen, Hotel Esencia spreads across 50 acres of garden, jungle and unspoiled white sand on Xpu-Ha beach. Originally an Italian duchess's private home, now owned by entrepreneur and art collector Kevin Wendle, it still feels residential: 40 rooms and villas in crisp white with natural wood, two pale blue pools, a thatched Beach Bar on the sand, and the new palapa restaurant Mistura curving onto the beach. The circular spa, with private outdoor tubs tucked into jungle niches, leans on Mayan rituals and ingredients grown onsite. Service is warm and discreet.
Who's it for
Best for:
Design-literate couples, solo travellers and creatives who want to disappear: the fashion and film crowd, art collectors, repeat guests who treat it like a private home. If you value seclusion, a quiet beach, a serious spa and a no-bill-signing residential feel over resort scale or nightlife, this is the place.
Should look elsewhere:
Foodies expecting cooking on a par with the rest of the experience will find the kitchen the weak link, with menus lacking a clear profile and a key chef no longer involved. Families wanting a big kids' club, or guests who want to roam to nearby restaurants and bars, will find the isolation limiting.
Bottom line
What defines Esencia is the feeling of a private coastal home rather than a hotel: discreet, art-filled, set on one of the Riviera Maya's last undeveloped beaches, with a spa that genuinely lives up to the setting. Book an Ocean Suite in the main house for the sea view, or a Pool Villa if you want full seclusion, and accept that you'll eat where you sleep.
Location
What this place offers
- 24-hour room service
- Babysitting services
- Bar
- Fitness classes
- Gym
- Meeting rooms
- Outdoor pool
- Pet friendly
- Restaurants
- Spa
