HOTEL ESENCIA, MEXICO
It’s 6am and I’m not a morning person, so I’m surprised to find myself watching the sun rise over the Caribbean Sea the day after I arrive at Hotel Esencia. The sun snatches at clouds; the beach, a creamy scoop of vanilla, is empty. Mine are the first footprints of the day to mark the sand’s temptingly blank canvas. As the sky blurs from indigo to taupe, then pink and finally a buttery glow, I realise this is the first time I’m up without hitting ‘snooze’ in years. Perhaps I’m already falling under Esencia’s captivating spell.
Originally built as the private home of an Italian duchess, between Cancún and Tulum, Esencia comprises an art-filled main house, 42 suites and three villas on Xpu-ha beach, said to be the Riviera Maya’s most beautiful. I agree, and so must Suki Waterhouse and Diane Kruger, who’ve been known to hide away here.
My suite is wide and white, with a huge bed looking out on to a patio, a vast stone bath and a private pool surrounded by greenery. In the leafy canopy high above, raccoons clamber among the trees. Nature is a prominent part of Esencia: sea turtles nest on the beach and iguanas pad around, oblivious to passing guests. The staff are part of Esencia’s irresistible charm, too – they proffer cheerful ‘buenos diases’, and seem genuinely glad to show off this unique slice of paradise. This is how luxury should be – barefoot, relaxed and inhibition-free.
After a breakfast of huevos rancheros in the main restaurant (which sits beside Esencia’s two pools and on the edge of Xpu-ha) and a smoothie from the juice bar, I flop on to the beach under a straw palapa. The rest of the day is spent curling my toes in the sand, sipping iced lemonades, letting salt from dips in the warm sea crackle on my skin, all while wrapped in Esencia’s signature (and eminently Instagrammable) yellow-and-white striped towels. Lunch – glossy cubes of tuna ceviche and chunky guacamole – is served on the beach, too.
Another day, another sunrise from my front-row seat on Xpu-ha. My new-found love for the dawn sees me join morning yoga on the open-air top deck of the beachfront hacienda, and teacher Esmerelda leads us through a series of vinyasas as palms sway. I’m relaxed in a way I haven’t been for months. Afterwards, I spend hours napping in a hammock and reading in a yellow Adirondack chair. It’s bliss.
Though Esencia practically compels you to do absolutely nothing, I visit Tulum’s ancient ruins, a 20-minute drive away. Closer to home, a stroll along Xpu-ha leads to an abandoned Art Deco hotel that sits above a vast cenote, whose hyaline, turquoise waters are begging to be kayaked upon.
On the last day, like every other, I clamber out of bed and walk down to Xpu-ha. For the final time, I watch the rays dance on the rolling tide. Morning will be seeing a lot more of me in future. I’ve realised paradise, like life, is designed to be savoured and on Xpu-ha, I’m soaking up every delicious drop of it. CYAN TURAN