The Bayan Tree Mayakoba property itself was absolutely beautiful, but what truly made our experience unforgettable was the people. Every interaction we had reflected genuine warmth, professionalism, and care—it’s clear that the entire staff takes great pride in what they do.
It’s not easy to create an environment where guests feel both welcomed and valued, but the team made it seem effortless. Their kindness, attention to detail, and positive energy turned what could have been just a lovely stay into something truly meaningful and memorable for us.
I don’t usually comment nor post pix of our vacations, and we take several, but at a time where travel can be more overwhelming than usual (cartel violence, DHS issues) I can honestly say we felt completely safe and did not have any traveling issues regarding air or land. In addition, this slice of magic in Mexico is gorgeous! We travel more on the pacific ocean side due to living in Los Angeles, but I cannot wait to come back to Magical Mayakoba!
I would like to recognize specific employees and instances in the order that I remember:
Vacation first started with my email correspondence 1st noting celebration of our 28th Anniversary and later calming my fears of traveling after the cartel violence, both Vivian & Andrea were timely, caring and addressed both areas.
Arrived at lobby and was greeted warmly and given 2 adorable bracelets with flowers (that I put in the refrigerator to preserve and forgot to take home with me as a memento, darn). The bonus was that we were upgraded to an Ocean Front Villa, we were ecstatic…Thank you SO much!!
Then we met Roi, our butler who was fantastic! We spent ½ hour or so chatting and he took us around in the golf cart giving us the lay of the land and showing us SUR. We were early, so we expected we would have to wait for our room. Roi was so gracious and in no rush to drop us off. He offered great suggestions like using boat to take us to Safffon and secured a reservation for us, mentioned how SUR is a gem (and it sure is, we were there every day and it was perfect), we wanted to go to Rosewood’s Punta Bonita and he suggested that we go a bit earlier than our reservation to get the table we want (we did, and we got it), he sent a lovely charcuterie and sparkling wine to our villa for our 28th, Roi was very attentive, professional and yet felt like we knew him our whole life. Well, maybe it is because we had a Rosewood Cabo San Lucas connection…. Roi greeted us daily with a good morning and then a good night text and in between asked what he could do for us and asked what we have been up to. He would find us to physically to check in…Roi is one of the best butlers we’ve had, if not the best! On a side note, we felt really bad…the day of check in, my husband wanted to tip him. Roi politely declined and said that can wait until the end of our trip, just enjoy this moment. Then, the day of our departure we expected to meet him in the lobby to tip him, and he was busy with another guest…so he never got our financial gratitude. So please acknowledge him for us!
Waiting for our room to be ready, we sat on the couches in front of Sands. Edwin, such a warm ray of light, greeted us with waters and towels and asked how he can help us. Every time we say Edwin, he always had a genuine smile and was beyond kind.
We loved our villa, every morning we woke up with the sun and enjoyed the sound of the waves. The anniversary “strawberry cake bathtub” dessert in room with sweet note was a nice way to start our day in Mayakoba. Loved the steam in the shower, and visiting our plunge pool.
SUR, where do I start…we remember Banyan Tree and loving Sands…now it is SUR!!! SUR is a gem, best secret ever! The décor is very calming yet St. Barth’s chic. The service is 5 star with Daniel. We dined at SUR every day because it was so delicious, margaritas perfect and how can toes in the sand viewing the beautiful beach not be a fantastic experience!?! Now let’s talk about Daniel…he is a star! He is consciencious and professional, yet he is very warm and you can tell he has a beautiful spirit.
Paco was everywhere! He would set up our beach chairs, bring waters and move umbrellas, then we see him making our margaritas at SUR. He is great! His smile just radiates, he is always happy to help.
Damiante at Sands bar was lovely. He obliged my husband to take pix, even though my husband interrupted him while he was clearly busy mixing drinks. One morning the lobby coffee was just warm, I asked him to microwave to heat it up. He insisted on making an entire new coffee…he even added a bit of chocolate in it too.
Gamariale at Sands beach made a great set up for us at beach, it was busy that day, but he hustled and moved things around to make it happen!
Met George at SUR on our last full day and gave him an earful about SUR and how it is not properly marketed. We knew it was there because of ROI. It is not listed as a restaurant on the TV menu. I love that it is for adults during the day, especially because I the main pool does get noisy and overwhelmed with all of those life size floaties, but there should be more events to get guests there and experience it!
Davis at Sands made our last margarita of the trip, and boy was it perfection. He was very attentive and offered to take more pictures because he could tell my husband loves capturing the moment.
Laura Sands hostess was just adorable and very sweet.
We first met Jesus as our boat driver both ways to Saffron, so professional and such a kind man with a good soul. He took, yes, more pictures for my husband, explained the lagoon and what we were passing, and lit our way like a gentleman while we walked in the dark. To my surprise, the next day he was a driver and took our luggage to the lobby. Jesus was named properly.
Arturo was full of life and served us at Sands our final 2 cappuccinos, 2 molten cakes with vanilla ice cream + biscotti. He presented it beautifully and his hospitality and warmth was a wonderful way to end our last evening.…
The Banyan Tree Mayakoba property is undeniably beautiful, but it is the people who make it exceptional. Every individual we encountered contributed to an experience filled with warmth, care, and genuine hospitality. We are looking forward to our return…
MX