You Can Restaurant-hop on a Candlelit Boat at This Romantic Overwater Resort
Rosewood Mayakoba
With glass-walled villas and suites floating in a serene lagoon where tropical bird songs are the only sound, Rosewood Mayakoba — in Mexico's popular Riviera Maya region — is one of the most romantic resorts in the world.
Rosewood Mayakoba
But if an outdoor rainforest shower, canopy bed, and private plunge pool aren't enough, the Over the Water Romance experience takes things to the next level.
Rosewood Mayakoba
The experience includes butler service and extras such as daily breakfast for two, a $100 nightly resort credit, and round-trip airport transportation — plus a romantic Champagne dinner arranged by the Celebrations team that's not only the best way to sample the resort's restaurants, but will likely also be the highlight of the trip.
A boat, filled with candles and flowers, will pull up to your deluxe suite at sunset. Love-themed decor is strung from the ceiling and a bottle of Champagne awaits on ice.
Rosewood Mayakoba
You'll be whisked away to your first restaurant, Agave Azul, where a waiter will greet you dockside with your appetizer, blending Asian and Mexican flavors in sushi and seafood dishes like shrimp with mango-ginger chutney or crab gyozas with a coconut and tamarind sauce. Here, you'll be presented with a wine list, where you can order a bottle to pick up with your main course.
As you enjoy your sushi, your boat will cruise through the mangrove-lined canals of Mayakoba, past wildlife winding down for the night and stunning residences, set to the soundtrack of your choice.
Your second stop is Punta Bonita, where your waiter will present you with either roasted totoaba, a fish native to Mexico's Gulf of California, served with baby corn stew, or smoked rib eye with mixed root vegetables and spinach sauteed with rosemary butter and mole, before you set sail and continue your journey.
When it's time for dessert, you'll pull up to Casa del Lago, where you'll be handed either mango and passion fruit cheesecake with vanilla ice cream or carrot cake with honey pineapple and cream cheese frosting.
Rosewood Mayakoba
As you conclude your meal, your boat will slowly make its way back to your suite, where your butler will have prepared one more romantic surprise to end the perfect date night. You'll never want to dine on land again.
Nina Ruggiero is Travel + Leisure's deputy digital editor. A New Yorker living in Los Angeles, she's happiest on a beach, a cobblestone street, or in a hotel bathtub with a view. Find her on Instagram @ninamarienyc.
