I’m barely over the shock of seeing not one but two white Rolls Royces parked in front of Live Aqua Resort & Spa  in Cancun when an employee, dressed in oddly medical-looking uniform consisting of white capris and a white tunic, guides me into a plush chair in the resort’s enormous lobby and begins giving me a hand massage. A hand massage.

Can this be Cancun? Yes, but a fresh Live Aqua take on Cancun where, despite its size (371 rooms and suites all with ocean view and private balcony), nurturing, personalized touches more commonly associated with a boutique hotel abound.

The resort has a clean, Miami-hip look and feel (Paris Hilton has stayed here) with sharp angles, Spartan furnishings and liberal use of bright whites and earth tones to complement the famously blue Caribbean which is almost always visible.

At turn down, a small sand Zen garden is left in your room and your choice from five custom-blended aromatherapy oils is activated in a charming ceramic burner. Not chill enough? Attentive staff will bring in a small gurgling water feature (aka, a table-top fountain) if you ask.

The resort also has eight wonderful pools in varrying shades of blue that, from your balcony, appear to cascade their way into the even more intensely blue Caribbean. A couple of times each day a small flock of trained scarlet macaws circled over the pools to deliver messages (often marriage proposals) from one guest to another.

Dinner at the resort’s flagship Restaurant MB was one of the best international gourmet meals I had in all of the18 months I spent traveling around Mexico. The tuna carpaccio was rich and fresh, the diver scallops were creamy and sweet, the veal chop was tender and the martinis were perfectly prepared.

The breakfast buffet at Siete restaurant didn’t disappoint either with amazing home-cured smoked salmon, a vast array of Mexican breakfast favorites (from chilaquiles to cochinita pibil) along with US and European breakfast standards made to order, a wonderful freshly-baked bread selection and fruit galore.

And now Live Aqua Resort & Spa is all-inclusive, or “Cancun Limitless” as they like to call their program which includes your room, all meals, all beverages (except super-top-shelf alcohol), most activities, mini bar, Wi-Fi, daytime use of tennis courts, use of the extremely well-appointed health club and daily yoga and Tai Chi classes.

Treatments at the resort’s Aqua Spa are not included in rates, however, they’re completely worth the splurge. Allow 45 minutes to indulge in a free guided circuit through the spa’s sauna, steam room and hot and cool plunge pools before your treatment begins—assuming you can make a choice from the spa’s list of head-to-toe indulgences using ingredients and techniques from around the world like Moroccan argan tree fruit.

Rates from US$225 double occupancy, all-inclusive plus a US$50 spa voucher

Live Aqua Resort & Spa
Boulevard Kukulcan Km 12.5
Cancun 77500 Mexico
Phone: (888) 782-9722
www.feel-aqua.com

Our review of this resort was originally published by iTraveliShop

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