Chocolate body sauce and satin sheets are on the menu at Banyan Tree Mayakoba Banyan, sauce, satin, Chocolate, Tree

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Chocolate body sauce and satin sheets are on the menu at Banyan Tree Mayakoba

At most of the sandy resorts down south, giant buildings are parked right on the beach. But Banyan Tree Mayakoba, just south of Cancun, is a series of small structures integrated into lush jungle, with secluded freshwater canals that wind down to a beautiful strip of soft, white sand and calm turquoise waves. It combines the best of a wooded hideaway with a beach resort, and guests can make their way around the sizable property with bicycles, boats and a golf-cart shuttle service.
Sleeping in the jungle right near a perfect strip of beach is indeed a trip for anyone, but Banyan Tree is making an effort to draw a particular crowd: couples in need of a little boost in the romance department. The resort is trying to bill itself as one of the most romantic spots in the world and has taken romance-rekindling services (increasingly popular in the hospitality world) to the next level.
Banyan Tree has a full-time "Romance Manager" and offers an extensive range of services, from tame to racy. The property itself, a mix of dramatic public spaces and intimate nooks, is extremely conducive to romance, integrating Asian, soothing esthetics with Mayan touches.
The spacious, very private villas -- garden, courtyard, spa or multi-bedroom villas -- with their hot tubs and oversize plunge pools, offer the perfect staging ground for romance. I stayed in a courtyard villa, which was divided into two separate buildings, with the living and dining room (featuring an enormous lounge bed, flat-screen TV, wine fridge and espresso maker) on one side and the bedroom and giant bathroom (complete with oversize outdoor sunken tub surrounded by candles) on the other.
Banyan Tree is fully stocked with romantic aids, including chocolate body sauce, black satin sheets, blindfolds, belly dancer and mariachi costumes (if role playing is your thing), aphrodisiac cocktails and a library full of sex books, including Tantra guides. At your behest, the staff will sneak in while you're at dinner and fill your room with candles and rose petals. You can also screen a film, under the stars on your own private patio, complete with popcorn. And you can even book a session with a portraitist (photographer or painter) to immortalize your sensuous visit.

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Or, if you want to leave your villa -- which is tough, I can assure you -- you can plant a tree together in a traditional Mayan ceremony. You can also rent a private dining boat to cruise through the property's glorious mangroves, filled with dozens of species of lizards and birds.

You know what I think is romantic? Eating. Fortunately, there are four excellent restaurants to choose from at Banyan Tree Mayakoba. Oriente offers an amazing breakfast buffet with a wide range of Mexican and continental options, including the best granola I've ever had. Saffron is a Banyan Tree's signature elegant Thai restaurant on stilts over the water. Sands offers casual beachside dining and the food is impeccable; I particularly recommend the grouper ceviche and shrimp tacos. And Tamarind is the open-air contemporary international restaurant that overlooks a beautiful water-filled courtyard with a magnificent, floodlit Banyan tree.

When guests aren't gazing lovingly at one another while hanging out in their own hammock, swimming in the ocean, or sipping passionfruit martinis in the bar, there are also couples' activities in Banyan Tree's outstanding Sanctuary for the Senses Spa. You can rent out the 60-minute hydrotherapy circuit -- the "Rainforest Experience" -- for just the two of you.

At the end of your stay, after you've massaged and serenaded the romance back into your relationship, the resort sends couples home with a list of suggestions for how to keep that romance alive once you arrive home. (Examples? Tape a note over the television remote that says "Turn me on instead," or leave a red rose on your partner's car seat before he or she leaves for work in the morning.)

Of course, you can also do most of the resort activities by yourself. Banyan Tree Mayakoba's luxurious amenities can satisfy any number or configuration of guests. But bringing someone special will ensure that you'll have a little help when it comes to spreading that chocolate sauce on those hard to reach places.

Sarah Treleaven is a Toronto writer.

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If you go

Where: Banyan Tree Mayakoba is in Mexico's Riviera Maya area, just south of Cancun

Cost: From $605 U.S. a night for a Garden Pool Villa to $3,765 U.S. a night for a Three-Bedroom Beachfront Villa

tiffiant

Banyan Tree Mayakoba bills itself as one of the most romantic spots in the world and has taken romance-rekinkdling services to the next level.

In the resort spa, you can rent out the 60-minute hydrotherapy circuit-- the "Rainforest Experience" for just the two of you.

Some of the spacious, veru private villas come complete with oversize outdoor sunken tub surrounded by candles

cremedelacreme

nice!! Looks really comfortable and relaxing