Mexico: Top-rated luxury resort in Riviera Maya offers half off and other perks

The consensus on Banyan Tree Mayakoba, a new-ish luxury resort on the southeast shore of Mexico’s Riviera Maya? Phenomenal, if you’re basing it on on TripAdvisor.com reviews.

The resort, which opened officially on the luxury development Mayakoba in March 2009, ranks No. 1 of 179 hotels in Playa del Carmen (Mayakoba is about six miles north of Playa del Carmen). Review descriptions include such comments as “best of the best” and “heaven on earth.”

Yes, this piece of luxury on the Caribbean coast is the kind that you pay a pretty penny for, but a stay here may have just become a little more accessible for some, with a current promotion meant to lure visitors before the holiday rush.

Deal: With the online-only special, book a three-night-minimum stay this fall and receive 50% off of the best available rate on the lowest price-level room, the “garden pool villa.” The starting rack rate on these rooms is $655 per night, pre-tax, so half off that means you pay $328 per night. The special also includes a complimentary daily breakfast buffet at the onsite Oriente restaurant for two people, and one 60-minute massage (plus 30 minutes of spa “relaxation time”) for one person.

When: Reserve by Nov. 30 for stays now through Dec. 18, 2009.

Tested: Once you’re on the reservations page, click on the “limited online special” icon and then plug in your dates. I found that a three-night stay in mid-Nov. totaled, after taxes, about $1250.

Contact: Banyan Tree Mayakoba, (800) 591-0439

— Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times