Eighteen restaurants in Mexico were awarded Michelin stars earlier this year.
Now, 87 hotels in Mexico are recipients of a new distinction: the Michelin Key.
Michelin, the French tire company known for its star scheme in recognition of outstanding restaurant cooking, has created “the Michelin key distinction” to highlight the “crème de la crème” among hotels that appear in the Michelin Guide.
“All our hotels excel in design, architecture, service and personality — the Michelin Key denotes the absolute most outstanding experiences in our selection,” the company says.
There are now “key hotels” in Mexico as well as the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Spain and Japan.
The Michelin selection team awards three keys for hotels where guests can experience “an extraordinary stay”; two keys for hotels offering “an exceptional stay”; and one key for hotels where “a very special stay” is on the cards.
Michelin announced Thursday that three hotels in Mexico were awarded three keys, 21 received two keys, and 63 were given one key.
Those distinctions place the 87 Mexican hotels among “the best of the best” of Michelin Guide hotels based on “five universal criteria” — architecture and interior design; quality and consistency of service; overall personality and character; value for the price; and a significant contribution to the guest experience in a particular setting.
Mexican hotels with 3 Michelin Keys
Michelin awarded three keys to:
- One&Only Mandarina resort in the Riviera Nayarit.
- Hotel Esencia in the Riviera Maya of Quintana Roo.
- Xinalani in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.
One&Only Mandarina
Located about an hour’s drive north of Puerto Vallarta, “the spectacular One&Only Mandarina combines eco-lodge sensitivity, boutique-hotel good looks, and luxury-hotel comforts and facilities,” according to the Michelin Guide.
The guide also says that it situated in a “tranquil setting amid 80 acres of coastal rainforest.”
“The treehouses and villas are stunning, inside and out, and come with every conceivable luxury, from plunge pools to butler service,” Michelin says.
“The three restaurants draw on some high-caliber culinary talent, and the diversions include anything from humble nature walks to various seafaring and whale-watching adventures.”
An overnight stay starts from above US $800, but prices are much, much higher at certain times of the year, such as the end-of-year holiday period.
Read more about the 105-room One&Only Mandarina on the resort’s website.
Hotel Esencia
Located between Playa del Carmen and Tulum, Hotel Esencia is “an intimate beachside escape, an antidote to the tacky high-rise hotels elsewhere on Mexico’s Caribbean coast,” according to the Michelin Guide.
“The main structure at the Esencia, a converted home of a European duchess, houses a handful of guest rooms; other accommodations range from the Jungle Suites, surrounded by beachside gardens, to free-standing beachfront bungalows,” the guide says.
Michelin notes that the hotel organizes excursions like snorkeling, horseback riding, jungle walks, and windsurfing, and highlights its “organic spa,” a “unique offering” that uses “principles of ancient medicine.”
It also notes that Hotel Esencia has three restaurants: “the Mexican-Mediterranean Mistura, the Japanese Taiyo, and an outpost of the global steakhouse brand Beefbar.”
A night at Esencia will set you back anywhere from around $700 to several thousand dollars, depending on when you are visiting and your accommodation type.
Read more about Hotel Esencia on its website.
Xinalani
Located on Bahía de Banderas south of Puerto Vallarta, Xinalani is a “secluded eco-resort wedged between the jungle and the water” that is only accessible by boat, according to the Michelin Guide.
“Pick up what you need before boarding, and put an auto-responder on your e-mail,” Michelin advises, as “there’s no Starbucks near the hotel, nor a consistently reliable Wi-Fi connection — no television, no complimentary in-room iPad.”
Rather, “the point of coming to Xinalani is to get away from all of that and enjoy the sand, sun, and sea.”
Michelin notes that Xinalani is “a peaceful retreat geared toward yoga enthusiasts.”
“But even if you’ve no intention of getting into Warrior pose or Downward Facing Dog, you’ll be in heaven here, so long as you’re into the great outdoors and the resort’s low-impact approach to the environment,” the guide says.
“The natural landscape surrounding the place is Xinalani’s main attraction: even the 33 guest rooms, situated within a series of palm-thatched cabins, are open-air.”
Xinalani is more affordable than Mexico’s two other “three key” hotels, with some room rates as low as $210 per night.
Read more about Xinalani on its website.
Mexican hotels with 2 Keys
Mexico’s 21 newly-designated “two key” hotels are located in nine states: Baja California Sur, Yucatán, Jalisco, Guerrero, Mexico City, Quintana Roo, Nayarit, Guanajuato and Oaxaca.
They are listed below, with links to their Michelin Guide reviews.
Baja California Sur
- Cabo San Lucas: Chileno Bay Resort & Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection
- Cabo San Lucas: Esperanza, Auberge Resorts Collection
- Cabo San Lucas: Montage Los Cabos
- Cabo San Lucas: Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal
- San Jose del Cabo: Las Ventanas al Paraiso, A Rosewood Resort
- San Jose del Cabo: One&Only Palmilla Resort
- San José del Cabo: Zadun, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Yucatán
- Chocholá (around 40 kilometers southwest of Mérida): Chablé Yucatan
Jalisco
- Costa Alegre (south of Puerto Vallarta): Las Alamandas
Guerrero
- Juluchuca (south of Zihuatanjeo): Playa Viva
Mexico City
Quintana Roo
- Playa del Carmen: Banyan Tree Mayakoba
- Playa del Carmen: Etéreo, Auberge Resorts Collection
- Playa del Carmen: Palmaïa-The House of AïA: All Inclusive Wellness Resort
- Playa del Carmen: Rosewood Mayakoba
- Playa del Carmen: Maroma, A Belmond Hotel, Riviera Maya
- Tulum: Casa Chablé
Nayarit
- Punta de Mita (northwest of Puerto Vallarta): Susurros del Corazón, Auberge Resorts Collection
- Punta de Mita: Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita
Guanajuato
- San Miguel de Allende: Casa de Sierra Nevada, A Belmond Hotel
Oaxaca
- San Pablo Villa de Mitla (about 50 kilometers southwest of Oaxaca city): Casa Silencio
Mexican hotels with 1 Michelin Key
Mexico’s 63 “one key” hotels are located in various destinations including Acapulco, Cuernavaca, Mérida, Mexico City, Oaxaca city, Puerto Escondido, Puerto Vallarta, San Miguel de Allende and Tulum.
Click here to see the full list of Michelin’s “one key” hotels in Mexico.
Mexico News Daily
