Esencia

Mexico , Riviera Maya / Playa del Carmen
SOLIDARIDAD, Carretera Cancún-Tulum Km. 265
Show on Google | Map

20 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

07 Feb 2026

Derek

Fantastic stay. Amazing attention to detail. Food was fantastic. Staff genuinely cared. Loved it

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

26 Dec 2025

Clare

Charming and magical

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jul 2025

Yosef

My wife and I had the most amazing time. Great hospitality.

8/10

Excellent

07 May 2024

George

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

14 Jul 2023

Mariela

very big and comfortable room, small bathroom though

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 May 2023

Brian

Absolutely Amazing

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Feb 2021

Verified traveler

Hotel Esencia is an absolute gem! Hands down my favorite 5 star property we have ever stayed at. It’s great for both families and couples. Beef Bar restaurant, although very expensive, is unreal and worth every penny! The beach is perfect and the lagoon Manatee tour with Pansqual is a must! A few minor complains are that we were charged a ghastly price for a second round of covid testing after our original flight was canceled so we had to retest. The tests were only advertised as complimentary all over their social media and website. Also don’t expect immediate 5 star service as staffing is quite sparse due to COVID-19 (which is understandable). With that being said I give the property 5 stars without question and would highly recommend to everyone!!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

07 Oct 2019

Verified traveler

Best. Place. Ever. Everything and everyone was amazing.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

Great hotel

Lovely stay. The property is very nice. The pools are great, the beach is awesome. Really nice beach. Service was great. Food was great. Gym was fabulous. Highly recommend to those going to the area.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

06 Aug 2019

Meri

Just Amazing !!!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Apr 2019

Raymond

Beautiful place

Beautiful property, one of the finest in the world, not for corporate people

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

Wonderful get away

It was amazing. Staff was wonderful, service was great. Food was excellent. V luxurious, perfect for family get away, which is what we were looking for and hoping for. We thought we would e plots the Mayan ruins and Tulum, but it was hard to tear ourselves away from the hotel. The beach was fantastic and although it was spring break, there was always seating at the restaurants.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 Aug 2018

Michael

Hotel Esencia in August.

Great small hotel. Couldn't control the thunderstorms & sargasso blooms though. They did a valiant effort sweeping it up on a daily basis. Staff exceeded expectations which is hard to do on a high dollar hotel. We'll definitely return.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jul 2018

Heather

EXCELLENT STAY! This is our third time at Esencia and it just gets better! Always excited to find a great deal here in Expedia and excited to head back to Esnecia next year!

10/10

Exceptional

07 Nov 2016

corey

Almost private Italian Villa on beach in Mexico

29 room Italian Villa style along a beautiful seems pristine coastline in eastern Mexico. Staff and service was fantastic. Every need we had was met immediately. Beachfront was very private and super comfortable cabanas. Plenty of shade when we needed it. Even found a little cove about 100 yards down that was super clear water and no waves. Very cool and private spot. Rooms super clean daily. Loved the sound system in the rooms with great music on a supplied mini ipod. Very nice touch. Had a private \"wading pool\" that was surrounded by jungle tree plants. Super private.
We had a couple of issues with the \"pool\". Ours was more like a hot tub size and the heater function was difficult to figure out. Had a plunger and we never knew if it was working so we had to call the (excellent) staff to get the heat turned on. Again great response from the staff.
Only other issue was the restaurant food was not up to the tastes of a high quality place like this and the prices a bit high for the flavors we experienced in the nights we dined. But, again superb service!

Partner

8/10

Excellent

24 Jan 2016

Verified traveler

Nice hotel location. US prices.

Very nice hotel location. Beautiful room.
Nice staff. Some need training on keeping the hotel premises clean, and avoid the \"it is not my job\" syndrome (they prefer to leave dirty things behind than collecting them). Not a fit star service.
There is a dangerous reef on the right side of the beach, in shallow waters. Got hurt by sharp rocks. Staff did not mention upon arrival.
Prices here are not \"mexican\" but at par with top hotels in America or US...strange compared to other nice hotels in Mexico. Indeed all prices are in US dollars and you are required to pay in US$...in Mexico, a country with its own pesos.

6/10

Pleasant

21 May 2015

Victor

Too expensive for what you get

The property is very pleasant but at $800 per night you would expect a higher quality hotel. Rooms lack some basic amenities like hairdryers and bath caps. There is a lack of detail on the service (no turndown service). I told the staff when I made the reservation that this was my anniversary and that I wanted my room decorated for the occasion, they assured me they would do so. They didn't do anything at all. Not when we got to the hotel nor the following nights. I requested a special dinner in a setting overlooking the ocean (this was suggested by the concierge). They miscommunicated somehow and placed us on a different location. The table was very poorly lit when the sun sat down. We had to use our phones lights to see. I general the experience is not up to the level of the price they charge.

10/10

Exceptional

12 May 2015

Michelle

Our 5th visit and as wonderful as always

This was our 5th visit to Esencia. We got married here 4 years ago and keep coming back. It is the perfect balance of understated beauty with warm, impeccable service (and the MOST delicious food). The new owner is really taking care to maintain the uniqueness of the property, while also making improvements. New furniture, new bath products, updated menus are just a few. The changes are lovely. We cannot say enough how special Esencia is. We recommend it to everyone we know.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 May 2015

Shana

Quiet Hideaway...time & place to decompress

A very short trip for us, but we will be returning. A nice relaxed vibe. A low key, understated and well kept property. If you don't want the large resort and love peace & tranquility, this place is it.

Beautiful clean beach. Very hospitable staff. The food was excellent. One must have the juevos mortulenos at breakfast. The room's decor is very simple..all in white. very calm and clean. Great smelling all natural soaps, shampoo & body oil. Nice music selection in the ipods. Excellent massage at the Spa. One must do the morning yoga. I did Anusara yoga with Olga. She was a wonderful teacher. The pools are long enough to do some laps if you want a little exercise.

The pain au chocolat in the early morning pastry basket was to die for. Don't step away from the basket or the birds will come and get them. The bungalows are nestled into the natural fauna. I saw several typed of birds, iguanas, squirrels and even a slim, fast garden snake. You get the full experience here....you get to be surrounded by nature and have the comfort of luxury accommodations

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 May 2015

Mary

Luxury boutique bliss

Hotel Esencia is a serene boutique hotel nesseled in the middle of the forrest. The grounds were beautiful and well maintained. The beach had a ton of seaweed but you feel like you are the only one on the beach as the hotel is not flanked by big hotels which made it so enjoyable. The food is truly amazing. Not a detail was missed by the staff. Hotel Escenia is a gem and a first class experience!

Partner