Discover Hotel Esencia on Mexico's Riviera Maya

Holbox is the new Tulum, while the latter is a new wellness hub to rival Ibiza.

Playa del Carmen is still in desperate need of an image makeover — and Cancun? Well, the never-ending stream of party buses and bachelor parties say it all. Much noise has been made over the years about Mexico’s Riviera Maya but recently one hotel has cut through it all: Hotel Esencia, once the party palace of the Italian Duchess of Ferrari and only an hour away from Cancun airport.

After being bought by hip hotelier (and sometime Hollywood producer) Kevin Wendle, it has had a multi-million dollar facelift that’s made it one of the coast’s most fabulous boutique hideaways. The bones were always there, as Wendle explains to me: ‘stunning classic Mediterranean architecture, bungalows housing ample bedrooms and bathrooms, a sublime palm forest immersed in nature, and the most spectacular whitewashed beach I had even seen with no big neighbouring hotels. I always say, “Start with the best beach, everything else can be fixed.”’

Ah yes, the beach — nearly 400 metres of it, all private; a ribbon of white snaking down the Caribbean coast. It’s unsurprising that Esencia is a hit with the New York fashion crowd looking for a little winter sun and wind-down (Jason Wu, Ashley Graham and Gwen Stefani are fans).

The sheer scale of the property and unfailingly sunny service left us feeling we had total run of the place when we checked in. Or perhaps that was the midday mezcal; the hotel’s outdoor bar boasts an impressive local selection, each shot served with a dish of bright sliced oranges to take the edge off.