Every fall, Mexico’s Día de los Muertos honors loved ones who have died with marigolds, candlelight and family altars. This year’s celebration at Mayakoba draws on a local legend: Zunu, a hummingbird said to guide visitors between worlds. It all plays out Oct. 29 through Nov. 1 across the Riviera Maya resort’s four hotels.
Mayakoba sits behind lagoons, mangrove forest and a stretch of Caribbean beach, and its four hotels share one gated property. You can hop between them by boat or on foot, using each resort’s restaurants and spas no matter where you’re staying. That layout is exactly what makes a weekend like this possible, since all four hotels can throw one coordinated celebration instead of four separate parties.
The 4 Resorts Behind 1 Weekend-Long Celebration
Mayakoba’s grounds cover 595 acres on the Mexican Riviera, home to Banyan Tree Mayakoba, Fairmont Mayakoba, Rosewood Mayakoba and the newly opened Alila Mayakoba. Together, the four hotels expect close to 1,000 guests to take part in the weekend’s events, according to Mayakoba. That’s a big group to host in one weekend, especially with the two main events happening in different corners of the property.
A Michelin-Starred Cooking Class for 70 Guests
The weekend’s headline event is a hands-on cooking class at Mayakoba’s El Pueblito Cooking School. Fairmont Mayakoba’s Executive Chef Daniel Noguera will lead it, joined by two visiting Michelin-starred chefs. Roberto Alcocer runs Valle in Oceanside, California, and Steven Molnar runs Quetzal in Toronto.
Together, the three chefs will lead guests through a hands-on exploration of Mexican culinary traditions. Mayakoba expects around 70 people to attend, a mix of media, influencers and VIP guests from all four hotels.
A Bar, Live Music and a Boat Procession Through the Lagoons
Banyan Tree Mayakoba hosts the other big gathering: MK Blue, a bar and live-performance space that opens ahead of the resort’s Día de los Muertos boat procession. You can grab a drink and catch the entertainment there before the procession sets out across the property’s waterways, connecting all four hotels by boat. It’s the kind of event that only works because of how Mayakoba is laid out, with lagoons and canals linking every resort on the property.
If Día de los Muertos is already on your travel calendar, Mayakoba’s version runs Oct. 29 through Nov. 1, with all four resorts taking part instead of just one. It’s not every destination that pairs a Michelin-starred cooking class with a lagoon-wide boat procession in the same weekend. If you want the holiday to feel like more than a themed dinner, this one’s worth putting on your list.