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Hotel Esencia

Carretera Cancun - Tulum Km 265, Playa del Carmen 77750 Mexico
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Traveler (683)
Room & Suite (184)
Pool & Beach (139)
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About

#1 of 23 resorts in Playa del Carmen
Location
4.9
Cleanliness
5.0
Service
4.9
Value
4.6
2023 Travelers' Choice Best of the Best
Mexico's only 5-Star rated independent hotel by Forbes Travel Guide, Hotel Esencia is a 50-acre private estate, with an awe-inspiring 500 meter beachfront, award winning spa, three restaurants, and an indulgent atmosphere fitting of royalty. In fact, the estate was once the exclusive beach-side retreat of an Italian duchess. Though friendly, warm and generous, the duchess demands the very best and Esencia still benefits from her superior taste, her impeccable style, and her zest for life. We are proud to announce that in 2023 Hotel Esencia was voted #19 on the list of the "World's 50 Best Hotels" as chosen by 580 luxury travel professionals who were asked to name their 7 favorite hotel visits during the past 5 years.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Fitness Center with Gym / Workout Room
Bar / lounge
Beach
Snorkeling
Babysitting
Valet parking
Wifi
Hot tub
Pool / beach towels
Swimming pool toys
Pool with view
Adult pool
Outdoor pool
Heated pool
Private pool
Plunge pool
Yoga classes
Yoga room
Fitness / spa locker rooms
Fitness classes
Personal trainer
Sauna
Coffee shop
Restaurant
Breakfast available
Breakfast in the room
Complimentary Instant Coffee
Complimentary tea
Complimentary welcome drink
Happy hour
Kids' meals
Outdoor dining area
Snack bar
Special diet menus
Wine / champagne
Poolside bar
Evening entertainment
Board games / puzzles
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Highchairs available
Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )
Airport transportation
Car hire
Taxi service
Meeting rooms
Spa
Body wrap
Couples massage
Facial treatments
Foot bath
Foot massage
Full body massage
Hammam
Hand massage
Head massage
Makeup services
Manicure
Massage
Neck massage
Pedicure
Salon
Solarium
Steam room
Waxing services
24-hour security
Baggage storage
Concierge
Currency exchange
Mosquito net
Outdoor furniture
Sun deck
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Sun terrace
Sun umbrellas
Butler service
Umbrella
24-hour check-in
24-hour front desk
Express check-in / check-out
Private check-in / check-out
Dry cleaning
Laundry service
Ironing service
Shoeshine
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Room features
Allergy-free room
Blackout curtains
Air conditioning
Private beach
Additional bathroom
Coffee / tea maker
Cable / satellite TV
Walk-in shower
Soundproof rooms
Bathrobes
Desk
Dining area
Housekeeping
Interconnected rooms available
Private balcony
Room service
Safe
Seating area
Separate dining area
Separate living room
Sofa
Telephone
VIP room facilities
Wardrobe / closet
Bottled water
Clothes rack
Laptop safe
Private bathrooms
Wake-up service / alarm clock
Minibar
Refrigerator
Flatscreen TV
iPod docking station
Bath / shower
Complimentary toiletries
Hair dryer
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Room types
Ocean view
Pool view
Bridal suite
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
5.0 of 5 stars
HOTEL STYLE
Hidden Gem
Romantic
Languages Spoken
English, French, Spanish

Location

Carretera Cancun - Tulum Km 265, Playa del Carmen 77750 Mexico
Name/address in local language
Hotel Esencia
290Reviews16Q+A55Room tips
Traveler rating
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Popular mentions
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Leslie m wrote a review Mar 9
Covington, Louisiana6 contributions1 helpful vote
+1
The whole property is exquisite! Food was amazing, drinks were refreshing! Mauricio our personal concierge was the best and made my birthday unforgettable with decorating our room and all the special gifts and touches. Kennedy and Omar were amazing treated us like family. Everyone working there was super friendly and helpful. Views unforgettable! The whole trip unforgettable!! This place was so clean, not a leaf on the ground or beach! I told everyone about this place and we will definitely be back!! Thank you Hotel Esencia!!!
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip: It’s a great place to stay. Perfect boutique hotel. Pricey but worth every penny.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Sumaya U wrote a review Mar 5
1 contribution1 helpful vote
+1
What a paradise! Feels like you’re on private island, away from it all with the most beautiful white sandy beach and world-class food and service that rivals any other luxury hotel I’ve ever been to. They really deserve all the awards they’ve won. Apparently this hotel was originally a private villa and it still feels like you’re staying at some aristocratic family home with so many beautiful decorative details and interesting art and architecture everywhere. Almost all the suites are set apart from each other in two story bungalows, if not in the main original villa. None of the rooms is far from the beach and they are all immersed within the most majestic palm jungle. We even saw beautiful wild peacocks strutting around along with many other exotic birds and animals. Definitely not like the massive all-inclusive hotels — this is really the definition of a private, ultra luxury boutique hotel. The warm and loving staff, the extraordinary spa, the quality of the rooms and the sumptuous dining options are what sets this apart from any other hotel in Mexico. I’ve been wanting to come here for so many years and it’s a bit pricey but you definitely get what you pay for here. We booked an entry level category room and it was larger and more luxurious than I expected so don’t hesitate to book that if you’re on a budget. Ours had both a plunge pool and a bathtub plus a huge shower and private terrace where they surprised us each morning with fresh hot coffee and warm little treats. Everyone was just so nice, they made us feel like VIPs. There are 3 restaurants, all different with so many dining options and all so good that I could have stayed here for weeks. I highly recommend their Mexican seafood grill overlooking the sea; go for the fresh fish, the tacos, the tamarindo shrimp, and the ceviche, and we had the best sushi from their Japanese restaurant delivered to us right on the beach whenever we wanted…heaven! Their dinner restaurant Beefbar is beautiful and yummy with live music there almost every night we were there. Highly recommend the tuna with crispy rice, the Kobe beef nigiris that they torch for you right at the table, and their brick oven pizza which we discovered the last night. And saving the best for last, the spa! If you go here do not miss this once in a lifetime experience. Your body will thank you!
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
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lauren wrote a review Feb 2024
Daytona Beach, Florida39 contributions35 helpful votes
Mayan spa is the absolute BEST. Worth staying here for that alone. Afternoon tea with the iguanas on the veranda is also a great touch. Lots of privacy. The outdoor showers and hot tubs are great...not a fan of the hot tubs in room, but I think kids would appreciate. Great bath products/book selections in rooms too. Sushi and tacos are wonderful, but I think that Beef Bar need to improve...we ate several dishes that missed the mark. The food overall is also unbelievably expensive....however the service is well done.
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
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Response from Arturo Montes de Oca, General Manager at Hotel Esencia
Responded 2 weeks ago
Thanks so much for your recent visit and for taking the time to share your feedback here. We are especially delighted to hear that you loved your experience at our Esencia Spa. Many of our treatment ingredients are sourced from herbs and flowers from our spa garden, and many of our wellness therapies involve ancient Mayan rituals. It's really such a unique experience to remember, and we were pleased to be recently honored by Forbes as “Mexico’s Best Spa”. As food prices have unfortunately shot up everywhere we are always careful to price according to our costs, and are constantly benchmarking our prices against other luxury hotels in our region. Import taxes on non-Mexican alcohol are now as high as 114%. Though I’m happy to know that you loved our tacos and our sushi, I regret that you were disappointed by your dinner at Beefbar, one of our three restaurants. Though it doesn’t reflect your experience, Beefbar was recently awarded by Michelin as one of the world’s best eleven steakhouses worldwide. We usually see very nice comments about it here and I sincerely apologize if mistakes were made by the chefs during your visit. It’s something I will look into with our executive chef according to what you ordered. Thanks for noting our high level of fine dining service as we are all quite proud of our team here and always aim to provide the best in service, cuisine and comfort. We hope to have the pleasure of a return visit one day! All the best, Arturo Montes de Oca Hotel Manager Hotel Esencia
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Coastal605915 wrote a review Feb 2024
1 contribution
This place is flat out amazing. Relaxing, peaceful and if you are looking for luxurious accommodations and top-notch service, this is place. We visited in mid-February for the second time and our experience was even better than our first visit, which I didn't think was possible. We had a wellness suite with a rooftop plunge pool and the room was more than we expected. As for the resort itself, it is run like a well-oiled machine, and you can tell the staff really want to make this an unforgettable experience for the guests. Big thank you to Kennedy and Omar for their amazing beach service. These guys worked so hard and always had a smile on their faces. Food and restaurants were great, and we had two amazing spa treatments. We will return again! Thank you Esencia.
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Alex wrote a review Feb 2024
5 contributions
The perfect place to spend a week in paradise. You have complete privacy but the staff are there to welcome you like family. You're surrounded by nature but are treated to the nicest luxuries. The beach is beautiful, rooms incredible, and food/drink all you could hope for. My 3rd time there and I'll be back!
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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abmilw wrote a review Feb 2024
Milwaukee, Wisconsin674 contributions294 helpful votes
Staff is well trained, they try hard, work hard and are very nice. A few minor lapses. Facility: great grounds, nice pools with warm water, awesome beach (they rake seaweed). Rooms: well appointed, TV had static, hairdryer, a/c worked well, shower good pressure, shades block out most light, nice bed, outlets. If you get room with private pool, plunge pool, outdoor shower - note: highly likely they not private. Restaurants: 3 of them; Taiyo Japanese +omakase, fair, ntg unique and pricey. BeefBar. beautiful place - food was average - think the only open half the week dinner only. Need to buy bottled water here. Other restaurant is BLD place. expensive lunch. ingredients fresh. I get staying at top notch, pricey place, but some pricing seemed excessive whether food, bottle water or a Tequila. We walked down the beach for cheaper meal. Spa: nice, calm, had very nice treatments. 2 hot tubs after massage were each closed for other services - didnt seem fair that they should do that. Spa is co-ed (Steam, sauna (eh), hot tub). About 25 minutes $40 one way to downtown PDC via taxi, about 65 minutes from Cancun airport. Suggest make restaurant dinner reservations and spa head of time. Same with manatee excursion. 90 minute excursion to try to see Manatees worth it. Snorkeling off the beach, wont satisfy diehard, but we did see variety of fish and smaller corals. They have snorkel gear, and paddle boards and boogie boards. This resort on Xpu-Ha bay. fairly quiet, pretty.
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
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tim s wrote a review Feb 2024
1 contribution
Simply the best place we have ever been. The attention to detail is exceptional. Kennedy and Elias , as well as the whole staff, showered us with service that was second to none. There are three restaurants on the premises, all are A plus. A must go destination.
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Justin R wrote a review Jan 2024
1 contribution
+1
Without a doubt this is now favorite hotel in the world. For years now this has been on my bucket list and last week I finally had the chance to experience this with some of my favorite people. I can’t put into words how lovely the staff is here and how beautiful the surroundings are. The rooms are pristine and every night’s turndown service included a new surprise gift, not to mention how orderly my room was tidied - it was all so magical. All of the food tasted super fresh and delicious and they had so many options to choose from, even a vegetarian menu and sushi. They also have a spa where they make all the lotions and potions from herbs and flowers from their garden, all natural not to be missed. Can’t really think of any negatives, just go and see for yourself!
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Date of stay: January 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip: Ask your personal concierge for a visit to swim with the Manatees in the Lagoon. Wonderful...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Longleg wrote a review Jan 2024
Northampton, United Kingdom7 contributions18 helpful votes
+1
Absolute Paradise! From the moment you arrive you are transported into another world. Alexa our concierge was fantastic with nothing too much trouble. The food here is the best we have ever experienced in Mexico. We even had our own Peloton in our suite. Definitely coming back. This place deserves all the awards. We were even lucky enough to see the elusive wild Manatees.
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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MissH wrote a review Jan 2024
New York City, New York3 contributions
Heaven , if I could Elloise it up indefinitely, this would be my chosen palace! All the way from Kevin the owner to the genies who deliver hot chocolate and love when you least expect it — this is a.5 star hotel. Rubix cubes, handmade confectionary treats, it’s like cheers everyone knows your name , I thought I looked Tulum , but my discovery of esencia changed the whole vacation world For Me !
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Not the right property for you?
There are more places to choose from in the Playa del Carmen area.
PRICE RANGE
$1,255 - $2,405 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
esencia playa del carmen, esencia hotel playa del carmen
LOCATION
MexicoYucatan PeninsulaQuintana RooRiviera MayaPlaya del Carmen
NUMBER OF ROOMS
48
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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HOTEL ESENCIA - Updated 2024 Prices & Resort Reviews (Riviera Maya/Playa del Carmen, Mexico)

Frequently Asked Questions about Hotel Esencia
Which popular attractions are close to Hotel Esencia?
Nearby attractions include Xpu-ha Beach (0.6 miles), Cenote Azul (0.7 miles), and La Playa Xpuha (0.6 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at Hotel Esencia?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, a pool, and an on-site restaurant.
Which room amenities are available at Hotel Esencia?
Top room amenities include a minibar, air conditioning, and a flat screen TV.
What food & drink options are available at Hotel Esencia?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant, a lounge, and a poolside bar during their stay.
Is parking available at Hotel Esencia?
Yes, free parking, secured parking, and valet parking are available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Hotel Esencia?
Conveniently located restaurants include Xalmar Beach Club, BLoved Lounge & Restaurant, and Serenity Beach Club.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Hotel Esencia?
Yes, guests have access to a pool, a fitness center, and a sauna during their stay.
Does Hotel Esencia have airport transportation?
Yes, Hotel Esencia offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Are any cleaning services offered at Hotel Esencia?
Yes, dry cleaning and laundry service are offered to guests.
Are pets allowed at Hotel Esencia?
Yes, pets are typically allowed, but it's always best to call ahead to confirm.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Hotel Esencia?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English, Spanish, and French.