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friends for a few years, the Duchess de-
        cided to make her villa the centerpiece
        of Esencia, my absolute favorite Riviera
        Maya hotel. As befits the region’s past,
        the hotel’s entrance was impossible
        to find when I visited shortly after the
        opening.

         On a recent visit, a highway sign clearly
        signaled the exit and I braced for disap-
        pointment.  My fears were unfounded,
        however. The peaceful retreat of the past
        remains elegant and serene.

        The Duchess wisely chose one of Mexi-
        co’s finest architects, Gabriel Nuñez, to
        design a home to complement the jungle
        and sea setting. Dense palms shade the
        path to a simple white building topped
        with a red tile roof. Within, sparse fur-
        nishings,  pieces  of  driftwood,  bowls  of
        fruit and a few photographs give a sense
        of sophisticated simplicity.

        Right angles are nonexistent as walls,
        ceilings and floors curve into each other.
        In the rooms, simple remote-controlled
        shades cover windows over large desks
        facing the sea. Beds are dressed in white
        linens and a few pillows add a touch of
        color.

        The organic spa is equally sparse, but the
        therapists are among the best I’ve ever
        met. Ditto the restaurant, where the
        Guatemalan chef prepares endless com-
        binations of seafood, fruits, chilies and
        veggies in an incomparable array of cev-
        iches.  Everything  I’ve  tasted  there  has
        been divine.

        A few other equally luxurious spots have
        held on to their immaculate beaches
        and swaths of unspoiled jungle. The Bel-
        mond Maroma resort opened as simply
        Maroma in 1995 and quickly became the
        darling of travel magazines and fashion
        photo spreads.

        Like Esencia, Maroma’s style is fashion-
        ably simple, relying on pure while build-
        ings, natural wood shutters and lots of
        windows open to sea views. The Viceroy
        Riviera Maya, which opened as Ikal del
        Mar in 2005, was the first Riviera Maya
        hotel to embrace the jungle, burying
        spacious villas with private plunge pools
        with dense palms and vines filled with
        birdsong.





                                                                                              Sunrise at Sian Ka'an
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