Just about every country in the world has been ramping up its offering for luxury travellers, with some genuinely impressive new hotels, resorts and refurbishments. Although, it seems Mexico has been standing out lately with its swathe of premium accommodation offerings like One&Only Mandarina and Etéreo Auberge Resort. Add another one to the list, then – the long-standing Hotel Esencia which later this month will open the new 12,000-square-foot Esencia Mansion, a masterful four-suite estate with its own 20-seat theatre and a very attractive underground speakeasy.
Stretched across the crisp white sands of Xpu Ha beach in Riviera Maya, just 30 minutes south of Playa del Carmen, Hotel Esencia is the former home of Italian duchess Rosa de Ferrari transformed into a 50-acre, 29-room private estate frequented by luxury travellers dipping down after the quintessential Cancun bender.
The new boutique extension seems to take much of the character of this unique property and double down on privacy. Esencia Mansion is custom designed for groups of eight, bought to life by the grand ideas of New York-based interior designer Giancarlo Valle who worked with the hotel’s in-house team and owner, Hollywood producer and media entrepreneur Kevin Wendle.
Contemporary artist and hotel regular Marcel Dzama has been commissioned to decorate the Esencia Mansion with his works, which are featured throughout the spaces alongside pieces from Wendle’s private collection.
The mansion has plenty of oversized windows to make the most of the surrounding tropics and constantly pull in plenty of natural light while illuminating spaces like the living room, which has its own wet bar and the eat-in kitchen which, of course, has its own space for a private chef to come in and cook up a Mexican feast for the boys. There’s also another family-sized kitchen that connects to a terrace so you can have breakfast out in the open air.
The primary bedroom is blanketed in light by day, connecting to an opulent bathroom with a separate shower room, standalone bathtub, double basins and its own indoor-outdoor pool. Adjacent to that is an office that opens out to another terrace big enough to fit a hammock for maxo relaxo. All other suites are designated “jungle suites” and, while a tiny bit smaller, have their own outdoor terraces and separate lounges.
The rooftop is where most of your time will be spent, though. Looking out over the tree tops, there’s a plunge pool up here as well as a sizable covered terrace that can entertain up to 20 people with a spread of sun loungers and panoramic jungle and ocean views.
A well-stocked and contemporary fitness studio takes up a nice chunk of the mansion, but most unique is the aforementioned hidden screening room, nodding to Wendle’s days as a TV producer, and that well-dressed, fully-stocked underground speakeasy that has its own entrance from the jungle and a DJ booth in case your crew wants to turn it up a few notches.
Furthering the appeal to uncompromising luxury travellers is a private helicopter service for when the team want to book private tours to explore other parts of the region like Coba, Bacalar, Merida and the historic Tulum Ruins.
The Esencia Mansion opens later in September 2022. Rates start from US$11,000 (~AU$16,137) a night. For a crew rolling eight deep, that’s around AU$2,000 per person, per night. The private includes private round-trip transportation, a personal concierge, daily in-villa breakfast and a resident chef.
Hotel Esencia
Address: 77734 Quintana Roo, Mexico
Contact: +52 984 873 4830
