Mayakoba, a sprawling jungle-and-beach development on the Yucatan Peninsula, is home to four luxury resort hotels. The Fairmont Mayakoba resort was the first to open, in 2006, followed by Rosewood in late 2007 and Banyan Tree in February; Viceroy is set to open in 2010. Info: www.mayakoba.com

• Rosewood: 128 suites overlook either lagoons or white sand beaches. Lagoon suites range from $475 a night, depending on the season and the room; beachfront suites range from $725. www.rosewoodmayakoba.com.

• Fairmont: 401 rooms and suites. High-season rates -- from December through March -- range from $209 for a basic hotel room with views of the forest or canals, to $1,499 for a private oceanfront casita. www.fairmont.com/mayakoba.

Nearby luxury hotels: At the Maroma Mayan Riviera resort, an Orient Express hotel, summer rates including breakfast and airport transfers start at $575; www.maromahotel.com. At the Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya start at $495; check for resort credits and fourth night free specials; www.mandarinoriental.com/rivieramaya.

WHAT TO DO

• Golf: The Mayakoba resort has a Greg Norman-designed course. When the PGA isn't using the course, hotel guests can reserve tee times.

• Relax: Extensive spa menus include the standard massages and facials, along with more exotic treatments that incorporate local herbs and rituals. Fairmont's ''Food of the Gods'' involves a chocolate body wrap followed by a massage; in the 90-minute ''Mayan Clay Purification'' the body is coated in clay, then exfoliated and massaged in sage oil.

• Aztec ritual: Some of the resorts also offer a temazcal. As water is poured over hot volcanic rocks, local guides lead participants through chanting and meditation in a sauna-like room so hot it can raise the body's temperature to more than 100 degrees. The ceremony is meant to purge toxins and restore calm.

• Water sports: Resort hotels can arrange a variety of water-related leisure activities, from diving to fishing to kayaking.

• Nearby: Playa del Carmen, the former fishing village turned vacation destination, is just a short taxi ride away.