Brad A. Johnson
  • Blog
  • About
  • Photography
    • Food Photography
    • Travel Photography
    • Restaurant Photography
    • Hotel & Resort Photography
  • Writing
  • Contact
Brad A. Johnson

Food & Travel

Brad A Johnson
  • Blog
  • About
  • Photography
    • Food Photography
    • Travel Photography
    • Restaurant Photography
    • Hotel & Resort Photography
  • Writing
  • Contact

Exclusive First Look: The Viceroy Riviera Maya

  • December 19, 2011
  • Brad A. Johnson
Viceroy Rivera Maya (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Viceroy Rivera Maya (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Viceroy Riviera Maya (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Viceroy Rivera Maya (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Viceroy Rivera Maya (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
The new temescal at Viceroy Rivera Maya (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Viceroy Rivera Maya (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Viceroy Rivera Maya (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Viceroy Rivera Maya (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Coral Grill at Viceroy Rivera Maya (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

The Viceroy resort (formerly called The Tides) near Playa del Carmen, Mexico has just changed its name and also unveiled its brand new beach villas and a fresh new look throughout the property. The revamp also include a new beachfront restaurant and new menus.

Starting today, The Viceroy Riviera Maya is debuting 11 new villas, increasing the total inventory to 41. Two of these are the resort’s first beachfront bungalows with direct access to the surf. New furniture has been introduced throughout the resort. Nothing drastic. Just a slightly more contemporary update in lampshades, fabrics, cabinetry and accent furniture (including the private alfresco daybeds). There’s also a new gym. yoga pavilion and temescal (igloo-shaped sweat lodge).

The resort formerly had only one restaurant, La Marea, but guests always enjoyed the option of dining in the restaurant or at the beach bar (with the same menu). The bar has been expanded into an all-day cafe called Coral Grill.

At the candlelit La Marea, long white tablecloths flutter in the ocean breeze inside an open-air palapa surrounded by palm trees and spider monkeys. [Update:] Chef Jorge Ildefonso joined the Viceroy in 2015 and launched an exquisite Mayan-inspired tasting menu. He stuffs local xcatic chilies with sushi-grade tuna tartare. He wraps Mexican goat cheese into a taco with pumpkin-seed pesto and corn sprouts. He serves crisp-skin pork belly in a puddle of black bean sauce with banana blossoms and avocado cream. And for dessert, he stuffs a mulato chili with cinnamon-infused chocolate and serves it with sweet corn ice cream.

One of the things that has always set The Viceroy apart from other resorts in the Riviera Maya has been its rustic interpretation of luxury, a style that recalls Gilligan’s Island or a Mayan version of Robinson Crusoe. The seaside resort is a collection of individual cottages with dramatic palapa roofs and private plunge pools set amid six acres of dense jungle paradise populated with wild monkeys and strange-sounding birds. Narrow pathways crisscross through a thicket of palms, mango trees and giant ferns. A wooden footbridge leads to an indoor/outdoor spa where smoke rises through the trees from a cauldron of smoldering crystals (used for traditional Mayan blessings and spa rituals). Opened in 2002 as Ikal del Mar and rechristened The Tides in 2006, the intimate hideaway has always provided a charming, soothing antidote to the region’s oversized modern resorts. None of that has changed.

This article originally appeared in Mexico Today. For more travel inspiration and photos, I invite you to follow me and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

 

 

Share
Tweet
Brad A. Johnson

Brad A. Johnson is a writer and photographer specializing in food and travel. His work has been honored by the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, James Beard Awards, World Food Media Awards, Food Photographer of the Year Awards, Society of Features Journalism Awards and others. Based in Southern California, Brad is the Editorial Director of OLTRE, a new luxury travel magazine published by Internova Travel Group and Global Travel Collection.

Previous Article

Quick Review: Public Hotel Chicago

  • December 15, 2011
  • Brad A. Johnson
View Post
Next Article

Best Airline Food of 2011: Singapore Airlines

  • January 1, 2012
  • Brad A. Johnson
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Travel: Adventure
  • Travel: Culinary
  • Travel: Mexico

Review: Casona Los Cedros, Yucatán

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • June 25, 2023
View Post
  • Travel: Asia
  • Travel: Culinary

Where (and What) to Eat in Bangkok, High and Low: 11 Must-Visit Thai Restaurants

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • January 1, 2023
View Post
  • Travel: Adventure
  • Travel: Asia
  • Travel: Culinary
  • Travel: Europe

R.I.P. Crystal Cruises (Update: Returning in 2023!)

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • February 6, 2022
View Post
  • California Restaurants
  • Travel: Culinary

Review: Addison, San Diego

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • December 4, 2021
View Post
  • California Hotels
  • California Restaurants
  • Travel: Culinary

Quick Review: Valle, Oceanside CA

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • November 19, 2021
View Post
  • Travel: Culinary

Food Photographer of the Year Exhibition at the Royal Photographic Society in Bristol, England

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • October 29, 2021
View Post
  • Travel: Mexico

Update – Review: Acre, Farm-to-Table in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • June 27, 2021
View Post
  • Travel: Culinary
  • Travel: Mexico

Where to Eat in Los Cabos, Mexico: The Restaurants Redefining Baja Cuisine

  • Brad A. Johnson
  • June 13, 2021
88 7
126 0
214 0
199 0
98 5
154 0
Brad A. Johnson
  • Blog
  • About
  • Photography
  • Writing
  • Contact
Writer. Photographer. Traveler. Restaurant Critic.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.