Hotels with seamless service and a strong sense of place earned T+L readers’ praise in our annual “World’s Best Awards” survey. for 2025.

As travelers continue to prize genuine hospitality and elevated experiences, they’re drawn to hotels that deliver elevated-yet-warm service and immersive programming, along with food and design firmly rooted in a sense of place. All of these qualities are reflected in T+L readers’ favorite resorts in Mexico for 2025. Though emerging destinations like Valle de Guadalupe, Puerto Escondido, and Costalegre have become more accessible thanks to new hotel openings and the completion of long-awaited infrastructure projects, major vacation hubs like Riviera Maya and Los Cabos continue to dominate in the World’s Best Awards.

How Voting Works

Every year for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe—to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Nearly 180,000 T+L readers completed the 2025 survey. A total of more than 657,000 votes were cast across over 8,700 properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).

Hotels were classified as either resort hotel, city hotel, inn, or safari lodge based on their location and amenities, and they were specifically rated on the criteria below:

Rooms/facilities
Location
Service
Food
Value

For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses.

What Readers Loved

Two tried-and-true resort areas along Mexico’s sun-soaked coasts once again have the most representation on this year’s list of T+L reader favorites. In fact, only one property—No. 12 Banyan Tree Puebla—sits inland.

Riviera Maya, just south of Cancún on the Yucatán Peninsula, came through with nine spots, including two hotels set amid the verdant mangroves and emerald canals of the Mayakoba complex. That striking setting was just one of the reasons Fairmont Mayakoba secured its No. 17 spot. “This is a magical place,” writes one reader of the 401-key property. “The lushness of the jungle there is incredible, and the hotel is laid out beautifully with excellent suites nestled along pathways through the vibrant greens of the plants. Water is everywhere in lagoons, canals, streams, and the ocean. Pools are huge with plenty of lounges and well-stocked cabanas around them. But the crowning glory of this hotel is the service. Everyone is eager to please and will go out of their way to help in any way.”

"...the crowning glory of this hotel is the service. Everyone is eager to please and will go out of their way to help in any way."

T+L Reader

Over on the west coast, the biggest cluster of resorts can be found in Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo in Baja California Sur. In this region, Las Ventanas al Paraíso, a Rosewood Resort (No. 6) typifies the superlative hospitality that distinguishes WBA-caliber hotels. “The service at Las Ventanas is so over the top, I can't imagine staying anywhere else,” gushed one WBA voter of the 84 suites and villas. Another T+L reader, who calls the hotel a “must,” had high praise for their experience: “The team is beyond attentive and welcoming. The rooms are stunning, and the food is amazing!”

Another notable trend? The continued popularity of all-inclusive resorts, which appeal to a growing number of travelers for the myriad ways they streamline costs and planning. And, as the six on this list demonstrate, they’ve increasingly infused their activities and culinary programs with regional influences. Take Hotel Xcaret Arte (No. 9), one of Grupo Xcaret’s three honorees. In addition to complimentary access to the company’s ecoparks, guests of the 900-suite property can participate in creative pursuits like pottery and weaving.

With the trend on such an upswing, perhaps it’s no surprise that T+L readers named one luxe option as their favorite resort in Mexico for 2025 for the second year in a row.

The Winner

La Casa de la Playa: Playa del Carmen, Mexico

With just 63 suites, this back-to-back No. 1 is the smallest all-inclusive to make this year’s list of T+L’s favorite resorts in Mexico. Each of the butler-attended accommodations measures more than 1,000 square feet and looks out to either the ocean or hotel gardens, allowing for plenty of privacy. The sense of refined luxury that won readers over also extends to activities such as a catamaran sail or a private dinner on the beach. Romance is also a draw at the adults-only escape, where couples can indulge in the wellness experiences at the Muluk Spa, including the rejuvenating hydrotherapy circuit.