It’s All Inclusive
Curved pool with turquoise water surrounded by palm trees, white lounge chairs, and thatched-roof buildings at Grand Velas Riviera Maya.
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Top 10 Five-Star All-Inclusive Resorts in the Riviera Maya

The Riviera Maya is where Mexico's luxury all-inclusives go low-rise: estates on their own stretch of beach with jungle behind them, cenotes and Mayan ruins minutes inland, and the same turquoise sea as Cancún without the towers. Puerto Morelos and Maroma, closest to the airport, have the calmest swimming and the best sand on the mainland. Playa del Carmen is the only stretch with a real town attached, and the cove belt south to Akumal is the quietest, at the longest transfer.

Top 10 of 32 qualifying resorts·Ranked by our team using real guest ratings and what's included·How we score·Last reviewed September 2026·Photo: Grand Velas Riviera Maya

Every resort below carries a five-star rating, ranked by real guest ratings, our luxury scores, and how much the plan includes at the top of the market. This page ranks the Riviera against itself; our Mexico five-star list ranks it against Cancún and the Pacific. Tap through for photos, the included-versus-extra picture, and pricing, and see our Riviera Maya guide for the coast stretch by stretch.

  1. Curved pool with turquoise water surrounded by palm trees, white lounge chairs, and thatched-roof buildings at Grand Velas Riviera Maya.
    No. 1. Grand Velas Riviera Maya
    Playa del Carmen, Mexico
    Five-star★ 4.8 (4,182)From $510/night ppFive-star Palmprint 9.5/10

    Exceptional all-inclusive dining program with eight restaurants and Michelin-starred Cocina de Autor.

    Grand Velas does all-inclusive at a genuinely luxe tier, eight gourmet restaurants, a cavernous SE Spa, and a choice of jungle or beachfront suites with personal concierge service. It manages to be both family-capable and couple-romantic depending on which section you book. Riviera Maya at its most refined. Best November through May.

  2. Thatched-roof beach bar with wooden structure and bar seating at Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya, with palm trees and lounge chairs on white sand.
    No. 2. Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya
    Five-star · Adults-only★ 4.7 (4,947)From $234/night pp

    Exceptional swimmable beach and snorkeling.

  3. Overwater bungalows with conical roofs nestled among mangrove trees at Fairmont Mayakoba, surrounded by turquoise lagoon water.
    No. 3. Fairmont Mayakoba
    Five-star★ 4.7 (3,963)From $612/night ppFive-star Palmprint 9.2/10

    True luxury resort with optional all-inclusive convenience.

  4. Sunset over turquoise lagoon at Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun with lounge chairs, palm trees, and whitewashed resort buildings.
    No. 4. Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun
    Five-star · Adults-only★ 4.7 (4,699)From $281/night pp

    Excellent adults-only romance profile.

  5. Nighttime resort courtyard with illuminated waterfall feature, pool, palm trees, and multi-story hotel buildings at dusk.
    No. 5. Hotel Xcaret Arte
    Playa del Carmen, Mexico
    Five-star · Adults-only★ 4.5 (6,262)From $412/night ppFive-star Palmprint 9.1/10

    Exceptional design, art-focused architecture and strong food identity.

    The adults-only, arts-themed member of the Xcaret family, and the headline perk is included access to the Xcaret and Xel-Há eco-parks. On site you get rivers and cenotes to swim, hands-on art workshops, and ten restaurants from celebrity chefs. Creative and very Mexican. Best November through May.

  6. JOIA Paraíso by Iberostar beachfront resort with curved pool, palm trees, sandy beach, and turquoise Caribbean waters under clear sky.
    No. 6. JOIA Paraíso by Iberostar
    Five-star · Adults-only★ 4.9 (8,225)From $234/night ppFive-star Palmprint 9.0/10

    Adults-only all-inclusive with strong service reputation.

  7. Overhead view of an H-shaped pool with white deck, lounge chairs, and palm trees scattered throughout the resort grounds.
    No. 7. Akumal Bay Beach & Wellness Resort
    Five-star★ 4.6 (2,075)From $120/night pp

    Exceptional beach and shore snorkeling.

  8. Palm-lined resort grounds with a rectangular pool surrounded by manicured lawns and white colonial-style buildings under blue sky.
    No. 8. Hotel Riu Palace Riviera Maya
    Five-star★ 4.6 (6,266)From $126/night pp

    True 24-hour all-inclusive

  9. Aerial view of UNICO 20°87° Hotel Riviera Maya with curved orange-roofed buildings framing multiple pools, surrounded by palm trees and tropical vegetation, overlooking turquoise Caribbean waters.
    No. 9. UNICO 20°87° Hotel Riviera Maya
    Riviera Maya, Mexico
    Five-star · Adults-only★ 4.6 (5,337)From $209/night ppFive-star Palmprint 8.8/10

    Strong adults-only positioning with a polished, modern Mexican design identity.

    UNICO leans hard into a sense of place, an adults-only resort where your personal 'host' books art walks and tequila tastings, and the Esencia spa is built around a cenote-style pool. Smaller and more design-led than the Riviera Maya giants, it's stylish couples' territory. Best November through May.

  10. Large resort pool with blue water, palm trees, lounge chairs, and white umbrellas, with multi-story hotel buildings and beach in background.
    No. 10. Cozumel Palace All Inclusive Resort
    Five-star★ 4.6 (1,781)From $163/night pp

    Excellent service reputation

Chains on this list

Loyal to a brand, or curious how the rest of a chain stacks up? Each profile ranks every resort the chain runs.

Secrets · 2 on this listIberostar · 1 on this listRIU · 1 on this listPalace Resorts · 1 on this list

Plan the trip

Picking the resort is half the work; our Riviera Maya travel guide covers the rest: when to go, weather month by month, safety and entry requirements, and how the areas differ.

How this ranking works

Every list on this site draws from the same catalog: resorts we've individually researched, with the all-inclusive fine print read so you don't have to. The order weighs verified guest ratings, what's genuinely included at the base rate, and how each property performs on the thing this list is about: here, riviera maya five-star.

The seal next to a resort is its Palmprint: our 0–10 grade for how well it delivers on this list's promise, the same mark you'll find on its full profile. The details of what we weigh, and what disqualifies a resort outright, live in how we score. Lists are re-reviewed as ratings and policies change; this one was last checked September 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Which part of the Riviera Maya is best for a luxury resort?

Maroma and Puerto Morelos for the best sand and calmest water on the mainland, a short transfer from the airport. The cove belt around Akumal for seclusion and cenote country, at sixty to ninety minutes from Cancún. Playacar, beside Playa del Carmen, if you want Quinta Avenida's restaurants within a walk of a five-star resort.

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