I stayed at a new resort in Mexico where suites cost up to $1,200 a night and 'nomadic guides' tend to guests' every need. Here's what it was like.
Palmaïa - The House of AïA is located in Playacar, a highbrow residential community in Playa Del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico. Spread across 14 acres, the resort is right on the beach.
The lobby is gorgeous, with high ceilings, marble floor, and elements that evoke a sense of nature, like thatch lanterns and stone check-in desks. Here, you'll meet your private butler (or "nomadic guide").
Palmaïa - The House of AïA is a set between dense, tropical jungle and the white-sand beach. Everything is walkable.
The resort is about a two-minute golf cart ride from the lobby, and it's the only time you'll need to hop on.
Split among four, five-floor buildings, there are 314 suites averaging about 1,000 square feet each (indoor and outdoor space). Each suite is equipped with a king or queen bed, a lounge area, and a patio/terrace.
The rooms also have air-conditioning and plenty of closet space.
There is no wall between the bathroom and the bedroom, so be prepared to be intimate with your travel partner. The bathroom has dual vanity sinks, a rain shower, and a large soaking tub.
I was a fan of the full-size organic and vegan bathroom toiletries, including shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, as well as an after-sun gel and insect repellant.
The resort is all-inclusive, so all mini-bar items were complimentary. I loved that high-ticket items like coconut water, iced tea, and kombucha — which you rarely see in an all-inclusive mini-bar — were included.
You'll notice there are no water bottles in the fridge. Due to the resort's commitment to sustainability and environment-friendly principles, there is no plastic on the property. Instead, carafes of filtered water are provided in every room, including a customized tumbler you can use on property and take with you as a souvenir.
I booked a ground-floor "swim-up" suite. These suites have balconies that open directly to the pool. The pools are long and deep, and I spent many mornings doing proper laps.
On most days, I had my door completely open and did work out here. My friends, booked in other swim-up suites, would gather around.
Out of 314 accommodations throughout the resort, there are only 42 swim-up suites. While I loved being able to roll out of my bed and into the pool in seconds, I had to sacrifice views, which the other suites offer.
Each of the four buildings has its own pool. My friends and I all booked suites in the same building, and while guests can use any pool they like, they generally stick to the building they're booked in.
Here's the view from the fourth floor. Guests booked on higher floors have unobstructed views of resort facilities, the ocean, and the sunrise.
While I wished there were private villas that came with their own pool, I rarely spent time in my suite.
Palmaïa - The House of AïA is incredibly private. The resort has its own sprawling beach. Wooden markers separate the property line from the public beach.
Security guards are stationed at the markers day and night. I watched as they turned away curious beachgoers who tried to enter the property.
Guests receive a special bracelet that identifies them.
All the pools are lined with cabanas, and the landscaping is immaculate, with pockets of mangrove and swaying palms.
I appreciated that the beach wasn't cramped with rows of sunbeds, and the infinity pools didn't waste space on sunbeds either.
To give you an idea of how much private space we had, this photo captures less than half of it.
You can always spot your assigned butler — your "nomadic guide" — in their stylish black outfits. Our nomadic guide was named Edgardo. We exchanged our WhatsApp contacts so we could text him when we needed anything.
Here's a quick rundown of some of the things he did for us: arranged complimentary bikes to ride into town (5th Avenue, the heart of Playa Del Carmen, is a 15-minute bike ride away); arranged all our on-property dinner reservations; and arranged my spa appointments and daily activities.
He also arranged my transfer back to the airport.
The main hub of the resort was the al fresco, bohemian beach bar, anchored by a fire pit and outdoor DJ area.
The DJ area was subtle — we didn't even realize what it was until a DJ showed up playing tribal beats.
The owner of Palmaïa - The House of AïA is a huge fan of Burning Man, and it shows in the resort's design. The entire beach bar was made out of natural materials, and it was furnished with colorful accessories and seats arranged in a "community" concept.
The beach bar was open day and night.
With its Rituals of Sound programming, there was live entertainment every night, but nothing over the top. Every performance was intimate and low key, whether it was an acoustic duo playing guitar, a flamenco dancer, or a DJ playing tribal beats.
Speaking of Burning Man, there was a blazing fire pit every night, which fostered the resort's "community" theme. It was unlike anything I've seen outside of Tulum, and it was open to everyone, from fathers and daughters dancing along to the music to friends chilling out under the moonlight.
The resort has five dining spots. Each night, dinner took place at one of the elevated dining establishments, like Lek, which serves Mexican food.
Every restaurant at the resort has plant-based options. In fact, 70% of the menus are plant-based. Even the resort's delicious pastries were made with no egg, milk, or butter, as were the cheeses.
We dined on various international dishes, like a vegetarian bibimbap, and plenty of healthy bites, like hummus and edamame. You can also order typical resort-style dishes like steak sandwiches and pizza.
The main restaurant, Su Casa, was open for breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dinner. The al fresco restaurant, which only offered a la carte dining, was never crowded.
The casual eatery embraced the concept of "barefoot luxury." Because the resort is all-inclusive, you can order dining anywhere — but, with the ocean breeze and the views, this was my favorite spot.
The menu was comprised of mostly Western and Mexican dishes for breakfast, but the chef was happy to whip up dishes not on the menu, like my special request for chilaquiles.
We ordered lunch wherever we wanted, whether in the beach cabana or poolside. I got in the habit of eating tacos every day.
The resort offers a wellness program called Architects of Life, which dives into the mind, body, and spirit. There are complimentary daily activities like yoga, transpersonal astrology, and sound healing.
The program is curated by the in-house shaman, Balder. Some events take place in the "Gypsy Tent," a beachside tent that moonlights as a kids club.
I found myself frequenting Atlantis Spa ...
... which is located in the jungle and consists of five treatment casitas connected by stone pathways.
Some spa services are not included in the resort's all-inclusive package.
Each casita has a floor-to-ceiling glass wall. The design of these avant-guard casitas struck me as nothing short of exotic.
I was completely mesmerized by the view before my deep-tissue massage. The spa also offers organic facials, Ayurvedic therapies, cupping, and body polishes.
The spa is built around a natural, fresh-water cenote (underwater sinkhole found throughout the coast). I took a refreshing dip after my massage.
There's also an outdoor pavilion, Rituals Deck, built around the trees. Many of the activities took place here, including yoga, meditation, and a class on making your own dream catcher.
I didn't have to pay extra for anything — it was all included in my stay.
The in-house shaman, Balder, led most of the classes, including sound healing. The class normally takes place in the tent but we opted to do it in the spa casita.
My friend Margaret also had her astrology chart read by Balder, and she was ecstatic. Turns out, these types of readings are usually expensive — but again, it's all-inclusive here.
Considering the high-end cuisine, the level of privacy, and the backbending service we encountered at the resort, it's safe to say Palmaïa - The House of AïA is not the typical all-inclusive resort you'd find in Riviera Maya.
The location was perfect: the resort is right on the beach, and it was never crowded. The crystal-clear sea was calm and warm. It reminded me of the Maldives.
Between the amenities and the top-notch service, the resort makes it hard for you to leave. In fact, this vacation marked the first time I ever stayed at a resort in Mexico and chose not to leave the property.
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