BELMOND MAROMA RESORT & SPA

Nestled between 200 acres of verdant jungle and a dazzling white-beach, Belmond Maroma Resort is a peaceful hacienda-style retreat fringing the bright blue Caribbean Sea. Despite being only a 30-minute drive from Cancun airport,it is the total antidote to the hedonism of the area's bigger and brasher resorts. Rooms and suites are connected by winding stone pathways flanked by waving palms and tropical plants; cool interiors are filled with handcrafted furniture and indigenous art, leading out to terraces overlooking the verdant gardens or sparkling ocean. Most exceptional are the One Bedroom Suites, which come with a private plunge pool and spa palapa steps from the beach. Days take on a leisurely rhythm, relaxing by the three swimming pools, sunbathing on the almost-deserted beach or diving just off the shore to explore deep-water shipwrecks and the kaleidoscopic colours of the area's spectacular coral reefs.