The St. Regis Kanai Review: Luxury in Riviera Maya, Mexico

Mexico is in the midst of a luxury renaissance — particularly, in some of the hot spots that were previously thought of as touristy but not elevated. I’m talking about Cabo, I’m talking about Cancun. No, all of the Señor Frog’s have not closed (sorry), and the cheesy all-inclusive factories haven’t vanished. But recently, some ultra-high-end hotels and resorts have opened nearby. Instead of being in the center of the action, hotels from top brands like Rosewood, Auberge Resorts Collection, and One&Only are debuting in the private gated communities popping up around the country (see Mayakoba, Mandarina, and Punta Mita, for example). I went to one of the newest resorts on the Riviera Maya — in the gated community of Kanai — to see if true luxury could be found within an hour of the Cancun airport.

St. Regis Kanai, Riviera Maya

• The property features interconnected elevated walkways above the mangrove forest.
• Guests in all room categories have access to 24-hour butler service.
• The resort features a multi-tiered adults-only pool and a separate family pool. (Plus a two-mile stretch of white-sand beach.)

The newest St. Regis hotel, The St. Regis Kanai, Riviera Maya, landed on Mexico’s east coast on March 15, 2023, in the exclusive community of Kanai, about 40 minutes south of Cancun. It seems the appropriate term, given that the first thing I thought of when I saw the avant-garde architecture of this multi-circular structure was a white UFO gently hovering over bright-green vegetation. From above (as seen in drone footage), the sleek overlapping semicircles seem futuristic and intergalactic. In fact, the shape of the curvilinear structures by Mexican architectural firm Edmonds International comes from the constellation Pleiades, which the Indigenous Maya people considered to be the birthplace of their ancestors.

The hovering is also intentional: to minimize the environmental impact on the 620-acre Sian Ka’an Reserve (a UNESCO World Heritage Site adjacent to the resort) and protect the vulnerable mangroves, the resort is suspended above the watery forest on stilts.

“In close collaboration with the government’s environmental protection agency, the resort’s architects and designers undertook meticulous measures to preserve the 400-year-old mangrove,” says George Fleck, vice president and global brand leader of St. Regis. “The structure is ingeniously suspended above the mangrove, ensuring the delicate root systems remain undisturbed. To further minimize ecological impact, an interconnected network of elevated walkways was meticulously integrated throughout the resort.”

Walking on the wooden boardwalks from the main structures toward the sea, in view of the brackish water with lush mangrove trees beneath me, brought nature into the equation in a new way; it was surrounding me on all sides. From the infinity plunge pool on my private patio, I stared out at the miles of mangroves stretching before me, with the azure ocean just beyond. This was also intentional: the curves of the resort’s structure cleverly result in ocean views from nearly every vantage point.

Commitment to Environment and Culture

The Pleiades constellation shape is not the only reference to Maya culture. The Maya calendar is recreated through textiles within the public areas and rooms, with elements inspired by ceremonial Maya garments. The green marble sinks and oval mirrors above them in the bathrooms are inspired by cenotes (the Spanish term for the underground limestone caves filled with water). The intricate walnut wood-carved headboards recall the pattern of ancient Maya textiles, and the Mexican artisan-made ceramic lights by the bed mimic starlight. At the spa, I tried the Celestial Energy treatment, which is inspired by Maya cosmology and utilizes herbal cleansing, hot stones energized under the moon and stars, and aromatherapy based on the phase of the moon. Although I can’t prove the hot stones were “energized under the moon and stars,” I do know they felt glorious on my body and left my muscles feeling soft and limber.

Luxurious Accommodations

The 124 rooms and 19 suites (including a 2,300 square foot Presidential Suite), each have a patio with lounge chairs and a dining area, some with plunge pools; a plush king-size bed and lounge seating; and a truly massive bathroom and closet area, complete with a gigantic white soaking tub and separate glass-and-marble shower. Limestone, walnut, and green marble are the main materials, and they’re repeated throughout the hotel’s open-air public areas, which also boast beautiful water features.

Dining Experiences

I was especially thrilled to learn that my butler — all room categories have access to the exceptional St. Regis Signature Butler Service — would unpack for me, and when I returned from a quick drink at the bar after I arrived, I was delighted to see my clothes hung up and folded neatly in the drawers. From then on, my butler was a quick text away. I also took advantage of the St. Regis offering to steam and iron two clothing items per day, free of charge. This came in handy on my last night there, when I attended the Midnight Supper Under the Stars — a signature St. Regis tradition going back to when Caroline Astor would invite her favorite guests to exclusive and intimate dinner parties — in honor of the hotel’s opening. Held on the round outdoor plaza at the center of the hotel, which was dotted with lanterns and surrounded by a shallow circular pool of water, the evening began with cocktails and live music. A long table was set with flowers and candles for about 40 guests, and we dined on an elaborate five-course meal and danced under the stars.

Other St. Regis traditions I experienced during my stay include the Evening Ritual — a nightly sunset Champagne sabering at the upstairs bar, complete with panoramic ocean views — and sipping their signature drink, a bloody Mary (here served with a Mexican garnish of serrano pepper, charred baby corn, and jicama) in a poolside cabana. It’s said that the bloody Mary was invented at The St. Regis New York’s King Cole Bar in 1934, so all St. Regis hotels around the world serve a version of it.

Activities and Amenities

St. Regis Kanai has plenty of places to explore — it’s definitely one of those resorts you don’t have to leave to stay entertained. Some features are impossible to miss, like the multi-tiered adults-only and separate family pools, plus two miles of white-sand beach (where the sargasso seaweed is caught with nets and meticulously cleaned from the beach each morning). There are also eight bars and restaurants, including an outlet of Richard Sandoval’s Latin-inspired Toro; the poolside Riviera, which specializes in raw fish tiraditos; and Chaya, a Mediterranean-Mexican mashup offering mezze platters, pizzas, and a New Zealand rack of lamb. I spent several hours at the soothing spa — aside from a long list of treatments and a stunning indoor-outdoor relaxation area, there’s also an outdoor hydrotherapy circuit with plunge pools of varying temperatures and steam and sauna rooms.

Less obvious — but still worthy of your attention — is the discreet boutique, which is filled with a thoughtfully curated selection of clothing, jewelry, housewares, toys, art, and other giftables mostly made by Mexican designers and artisans; the hidden speakeasy Jack’s Club; and the library, which is tucked away near the fitness center. You might think a library would be too stuffy in a beach resort, but it’s actually breezy and welcoming, ideal for reading, catching up on emails (if you must), or sampling the ceremonial Maya cacao and tea tastings on offer.

So yes, there is an element here of remaining trapped in the vacation resort complex. However, when it’s as luxurious as this, why would you want to leave?

Rooms at The St. Regis Kanai, Riviera Maya, start at $687 a night.