Paraiso de la Bonita a Riviera Maya Resort

At first glance, Paraiso de la Bonita resembles a lot of luxury beachfront resorts. But this newly renovated Riviera Maya adults-only resort just north of Puerto Morelos (part of the Royalton Reserve and Marriott Luxury Collection) feels like a true beachfront hacienda.

That’s because it was originally conceived and built in the early 2000’s by Mexican architect and bon vivant Carlos Gosselin for his “bonita” wife Elisa, as an homage to their global travels and an oceanfront home to their friends and associates who visited from far and wide. 

Parties, Paintings, and Peacocks

Years ago, the pair hosted creatives of all kinds as their guests in a series of suites that snake along the beach, each named for one of the couple’s favorite travel destinations. Sculptures and paintings from the Gosseln’s collection fetched from India, Africa, and Latin America still decorate the walls of the common areas of the resort, and domesticated birds like Cosmo the Peacock still roam the property among the native coatis and iguanas, while Sofia the red macaw is a fixture in the main lobby. 

Renovations and Reserve Suites

The resort reopened in January 2026 and now boasts 100 suites, each with an up-close ocean view. The original chain of 2-story buildings are now complemented by “The Reserve,” a 7-story building at the south end of the “snake,” anchored by the sparkling new saltwater pool (there are now two on the property). I was hosted in a Master Luxury Suite on the 6th floor of that building, and my massive 1,238 square-foot room had a plunge pool up front with some very cool modular seating, an outdoor shower in back with another view of the ocean, Frette linens, and a lovely, understated earth-toned decor. The suites in the original buildings start at 1130 square feet, and have soaking tubs and private terraces or balconies for gazing at the Caribbean. 

My suite was one of thirty-three in the Diamond Club, aka the Chairman Building, which gets you a delightful butler just a WhatsApp message away. My butler, Catherine, ironed my wrinkly summer dresses and wrote a fake note to my employer when I declared that I did not want to leave. “Dear Boss,” she wrote, “Ms. Lisa urgently needs more beach days to boost her performance.”

This type of warm and exceptionally personal service was repeated over and over during my stay. Every team member I encountered offered such genuine care, from the servers at breakfast to the bartenders at the lounges. I asked Cesar Eslava, the General Manager, if any employees remained from the Gosselin days, and he confirmed that several team members have been there for over 25 years, along with Sofia and Cosmo. 

Easy Living on the Ocean

The resort is all-inclusive, adults-only, and feels incredibly private and safe due in part to the kilometer of beachfront space it stretches across. The restaurants never require reservations, and special bites and buffets are offered daily at the poolside. When it’s time to eat, there’s an appealing collection of options. Breakfast happens at K’uhul, with live comal cooking and a mix of buffet and a la carte dishes. 

Chef-driven Côté à Costa offers Mediterranean style coastal cooking, including plenty of fresh seafood and luxe ingredients, plus a wine cellar manned by onsite experts. Joya, the beachside bar and grill, has a woodfired pizza oven, fresh ceviches, and Latin flavors to enjoy all day long. We also ate at Qin Qin, an Asian Fusion spot in the Chairman Building with yummy dumplings, fresh sushi, and flaming tableside desserts.

Loads of fun activities are also available, running the gamut from wine or mezcal tastings, tennis, yoga, snorkeling, cocktail making, and latte art. Custom cooking classes are held in the brand new Gosselin Cooking Studio, a well-equipped space to make ceviches with the hotel’s kind and knowledgeable chefs.  My favorite was the team’s beachside version of a paint and sip, called Aperol and Canvas, where you can unleash your inner Picasso or Matisse and sketch the palm tree-studded landscape or a portrait of your favorite resident animal. I opted to paint the colorful Sofia and brought home a handmade souvenir. 

Most people at the resort refer to Buena Onda, the ornate bar off the lobby, as the “Piano Bar,” since folks gather there after dinner to enjoy live music including popular piano sing-a-longs, but there’s also craft cocktails from the martini cart to sample, coffee drinks to sip all day, and some incredible art pieces from the original collection, like the Faith and Hope dragon sculptures that you can fist-bump for luck. 

Mayan Traditions

Paraiso de la Bonita upholds the Mayan tradition of aluxes, the tiny mythical goblins said to protect the crops and jungles of the Yucatecan peninsula. Ask to visit their little houses on site, which the hotel team keeps stocked with open cans of Dos Equis beer and Pepsi to honor and keep them happy. 

The beachfront temazcal ceremony, a pre-hispanic style sweat lodge, was a highlight of my stay. We sat in a dome built from volcanic rock while a shaman helped us purify our souls and reconnect with ourselves. The shaman’s assistants create steam by pouring water over hot stones that they heated previously in an adjacent wood-fired oven. They play instruments while the leader chants, and everyone sweats. I found this experience a little scary at first, but as the shaman continued to speak and chant, I became very comfortable, even in the intense heat, and left with an inner and outer glow. 

Thalasso Spa, the resort’s newly renovated, 22,000 square foot sanctuary, offers more contemporary wellness experiences in a fresh, light-filled space. There’s brand new hydrotherapy circuit in a sunshine flooded area, plus saunas, steam rooms, an outdoor saltwater pool, a salt room and massage cabins with views of the ocean. 

Cure for the Crowds

All this luxury adds up to a cure for the crowded resorts that line the road from Cancun to Tulum. Give me fewer rooms within a bigger, oceanfront footprint, and plenty of appealing dining, drinking, and activity options aimed at entertaining a smaller number of guests and I’ll take this art-filled paradise founded with heart.  

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