TomTravel2

Welcome home to Amresorts’ most unique and luxurious property. Zoëtry is a wellness resort concept and Paraiso de la Bonita is the first property under this exciting new luxury included brand. This resort is all about the Feng Shui. From a “director of wellness” offering numerology readings (I was told I think outside the box which seems pretty accurate to me) to yoga classes to a certified Thalassotherapy Spa offering anti-aging treatments and Mayan Temezcal ceremonies, a stay at this little paradise spells stress relief.

Paraiso de la Bonita translates into English as “paradise of the beautiful.” The resort was originally built and designed by an architect as a homage to his lovely wife. I found the look of this charming boutique resort striking throughout. Very bold colors accent eclectic art and furnishings. This is the only Amresorts property that is in the Virtuoso hotels program, and is rated five diamonds by AAA. The accolades are well deserved.

The minute one steps out of the private airport transfer one is greeted by breezes from the Caribbean Sea moving through the open air lobby. The soft sounds of new-age music and the many water features are your welcome. The helpful staff will soon know you by name which is one of the things I love about luxury boutiques. The lobby opens on to this water feature with the infinity pool and the blue sea beyond.

This Paraiso comes with a lush garden setting. The grounds are meticulously maintained and have a wonderful tropical paradise feeling. It is not a large property, and there are some other hotels not far down the coast, but it feels very private due to the clever layout and all of the greenery. All of the 90 large suites face the ocean with either a balcony or patio with plunge pool.

The welcome amenity is a bottle of Jose Cuervo 1795 Traditional. I am not a big fan of the low-end Jose Cuervo products, and I am a bit of a tequila snob (I live in a border state and have done much tasting of the agave products). I was so curious I had to look it up on the internet. It turns out that Jose was the first grantee of a license to distill mescal into tequila back in 1795. This is a special bottling of the best to commemorate that event which was the birth of the tequila industry. I opened the bottle. It was one of the best aged tequilas I have ever tasted. There was sea salt layed out in a spiral and a sliced lime to go with it. I have a new respect for the Jose Cuervo company.

This is the family room of my multi room suite named “Malindi.” There are no room numbers at this resort, as each room is named for a place that the designer had traveled to and loved. The design elements in each room are influenced by the country it is named for. Notice the leopard prints on the pillows?

The suites are very large and very well appointed. This is looking back at the desk area. There is a balcony with a sliding glass door to the right of the picture. There was another balcony in the bedroom area and both overlooked green landscaping and the blue Caribbean Sea beyond.

I told you the suites are large! The bed was very comfortable with high quality linens. Notice the African inspired accents which included spears, masks, and elephants. Not what I expected in Mexico but very cool. I saw another room with Asian accents and it all seemed to work very nicely in each suite. The decor throughout is eclectic with tropical, African and Asian elements mixing with local Mexican and Mayan touches. I thought it made for a colorful and interesting property. A design purist may find it off-putting.

The bathrooms were large and inviting. The tub was so big it seemed to be inviting a party. The ground floor suites had a private outdoor garden shower in addition to the large one inside. Modern glass double vanity with ample space to unpack made it a very usable bath experience.

Here is the sea view from one of the two balconies my suite included. The open doors carried a delicious breeze into the room that was a great accompaniment to the room amenity. I love an ocean view suite, and at Zoëtry Paraiso de la Bonita every single suite has something for me to love!

Seating or a hammock for however you want to enjoy palm trees swaying in a tropical breeze as the blue Caribbean Sea murmurs in the background. Crack a book, order a cocktail or snack and enjoy!

I liked almost everything about this resort. The food and service were superb. The setting was lovely. The look of the place was what I liked best. This is one of two statues that greet guests entering the open air lobby. I loved the way this photo came out with the contrasting colors.

Arty water feature just off the main lobby is a cool accent that adds to the tranquil spirit of this wellness resort.

Waiters walked on water to provide drinks and food poolside.

Frog statues livened things up in the infinity pool with a playful spray of water. It is not a large pool, but it did not feel crowded at all as the resort has a limited number of suites (it was near capacity on my stay).

Despite a rather hectic pace, I found reason to smile frequently. I was quite happy to be setting sail on the private catamaran at Paraiso de la Bonita when this photo was taken.

We enjoyed a relaxing sail along the coast as the sunset over the shore and the waters of the Caribbean. The resort in this photo is Secrets Silversands which we had visited earlier on the trip. The director of entertainment was a delight and he particularly was found entertaining by the ladies in our group. All of the crew were friendly relaxed and helpful on the sailing. It was a highlight of the trip and I will suggest it to my clients who go and enjoy the water.

This was the colorful hallway that led to my suite. Notice the privacy gate which was keyed to my room key if I wanted to be left alone. Being the gregarious sort that I am, i left it open.

Natural wooden columns and wood beam “vigas” on the ceiling. This photo doesn’t do it justice, but the floor is a very detailed mosaic of stone and tile.

This is the outdoor section of one of the two formal dining rooms. “La Canoa” features “cuisine de los soles” or food of the suns. It was a somewhat spicy blend of Caribbean, Asian and Mexican cooking styles. I enjoyed the meal we ate here very much. Ingredients seemed fresh and herbs and vegetables featured prominently.

This is one of the many mural covering the walls of “Kaax” which serves authentic Mexican food. I did not have the opportunity to eat here, but I loved the artwork. There are also a sushi and ceviche bar (I enjoyed some of each poolside and it was very good), and a grill for your dining pleasure.

This is the beautiful spa pool. Out schedule included “free time” the morning of our departure day. I got in a cab so I could do site inspections at two luxury resorts I had not visited before. While I was gone the other agents were treated to a surprise free treatment in the spa. Judging from the relaxed and smiling faces a saw upon my return, and the many favorable reports I was regaled with, I think I can safely say that the spa at Zoëtry is excellent.

High touch service, “endless privileges”tm, excellent cuisine, huge rooms, ocean views for all makes this a very desirable boutique resort. I plan to return as soon as I can fit it into my schedule. My only very minor complaint is sea grass. The beach is fine white sand, and it is easy to swim out all along the property, but off the beach a few yards there is mostly a sea grass bottom. It did not interfere with my use of the beach, but made the water appear somewhat dark from above. Those expecting that bright turquoise one thinks of when pondering the Caribbean. As this was to me a minor annoyance, it would not keep me from choosing to stay here again.

For some travelers who have a certain sensibility for style, architecture and design the very colorful and eclectic approach taken at Paraiso de la Bonita may not be to their liking. It is in places very busy. The use of elements from different cultures could be found distasteful to some eyes. It would be easy to see if this would apply in your case by looking at my photos. I thought it was a very attractive and unique property.

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