I recently returned home from a one week stay at Palmaia – The House of Aia. This luxury wellness resort on Mexico’s Riviera Maya is best known for being mostly vegan, with nearly all of the food being plant-based by default, and also for having a comprehensive schedule of included daily activities like yoga, meditation and breathwork. However, five-star holistic health comes at a cost, and before my stay I spent a lot of time wondering if the all-inclusive experience at Palmaia would be worth the cost.
In this review I’ll walk you through my entire stay at Palmaïa – The House of AïA, from arriving at reception and heading straight for the beachfront vegan taco truck to taking my last sunrise meditation class and grabbing a green smoothie for the ride back to the airport. I’ll show you my room, the food and drink, the pools and the beach, lots of different activities and the resort’s stunning setting in a jungle on the beach.
If you’ve been considering a stay at Palmaia but aren’t sure if it’s the right resort for you, you’ll definitely want to read this guide!
Disclosure: I paid in full for my trip to Palmaia – The House of AiA and did not disclose that I was a blogger. This is an unbiased review.
All About Palmaïa – The House of AïA
Palmaïa – The House of AïA opened in 2020 as a bit of a passion project for the CEO of Sandos Resorts, which was founded in Spain but later moved its headquarters to the Riviera Maya in Mexico. Apparently the CEO is really into holistic health, natural living, plant-based food and sustainability, so he created this resort to reflect those values.
The resort bills itself as an “eco-hotel”, delivering a “holistic offering of wellness experiences” across four categories: food and drink, activities, sound and spa experiences. Guests can opt in and out of the offerings that work with their lifestyle and vacation goals, so no two trips to Palmaia will look the same.
Palmaia is located in Playacar, which is a gated resort community adjacent to Playa del Carmen. The resort is located at the very southern edge of the developed land, surrounded by hundreds of hectares of Yucatan jungle. Playacar is about one hour south of the Cancun International Airport, or ninety minutes north of the new Tulum International Airport.
Why I Booked Palmaia – The House of AiA
A couple of factors led me to book a trip to Palmaia – The House of AiA. I had planned to do something to celebrate my twenty-year vegetarian anniversary two years earlier, but it slipped through the cracks as I’d been focusing on building my blog. Taking a trip to a vegan wellness resort seemed like the perfect way to combine my interest in meatless cuisine with an opportunity to take a trip that was mostly focused on rest, relaxation and rejuvenation, rather than getting 25,000 steps a day while researching and writing articles.
As well, on my most recent two trips to the Riviera Maya I felt the resorts I’d visited had over-promised and under-delivered in terms of luxury, and I wanted to know if spending more money would actually make for a noticeably better stay in terms of the food quality, room maintenance and customer service. Was it worth it? Read through the end for my overall thoughts on the experience!
Arrival at Palmaia – The House of AiA
When I booked my room at Palmaia – The House of AiA, I knew that my flight arrived in Cancun at 10:00 but check-in opened at 15:00. I hoped that since it wasn’t peak season, the hotel would be able to accommodate an early check-in. By the time I claimed my luggage in Cancun (which always seems to take forever), found my driver and took my private transfer to the resort, it was approaching noon when I arrived at reception (shown above).
When I walked into the reception building I got my first surprise: a sign indicating that Palmaia had received two Michelin keys from the renowned Michelin Guides just weeks before my arrival in autumn 2026. Two Michelin keys places Palmaia among the world’s best hotels, promising an “exceptional stay” with unique and memorable details. For context, there are only three hotels in all of Mexico with a higher Michelin rating.
My room was not ready when I arrived, so the reception staff invited me to change out of my travel clothes in the washroom (which I will admit could be better-designed for changing clothes) and then to leave my bags with them. I would be reconnected with my luggage a few hours later, when my room was ready. I was also given a beaded bracelet which would act as my room key during my stay; I much preferred this over the plastic key card that many resorts still use.
Once I was changed, I was then whisked away to a golf cart that drove me from reception through the adjacent Sandos Playacar resort, to the Palmaia property. We drove along the length of the resort and the driver pointed out the different restaurants, yoga studios, natural features and amenities along the way.
I asked to be dropped off at Charly’s Vegan Tacos, the hotel’s beachfront vegan taco truck, for my first meal. Within an hour my nomadic guide had sent me a message on WhatsApp to let me know that my room was ready and I could meet him there any time.
My Room at Palmaia – The House of AiA
I booked a King Suite Ocean View room, which you can see above. Entrance was through a hallway lined with ample closet space, and it then opened into the sleeping area. The king-sized bed had a power outlet on one side (for charging your phone at night) and the in-room Bluetooth speaker controls on the other side. The air conditioner was strong and quiet, but I also liked having an overhead ceiling fan.
One of the closets in the hall had a safe (which could be controlled using your room key bracelet or a combination of your choice) and a minibar. Other amenities in the room included robes, slippers, a large umbrella and a scale. I’m not sure if the idea is that you’d see how much weight you lost after a week at a vegan resort, or how much weight you gained after a week at a resort where as a vegetarian or vegan you could literally eat everything!
Beyond the bedroom area there was a seating area with a sofa, two armchairs and a coffee table. There was also a credenza with a kettle, coffee machine, Nespresso pods, chamomile tea bags, agave syrup, dried fruit and mixed nuts. You can see the in-room snacks in my guide to the food and drink at Palmaia.
My room had a television but I typically don’t even bother turning on TVs in hotels, so I can’t speak to what might have been showing.
The bathroom in my suite at Palmaia featured a double-sink layout. On one side there was a separate water closet with a toilet, while the other had two walk-in showers. I only used one shower in hopes it would save housekeeping from having to do any extra cleaning.
Amenities in the bathroom included natural hand soap, body lotion, after-sun gel and insect repellent. The showers had shampoo, conditioner and body wash. If you’re not overly picky about what products you use, you could get away with only packing face wash, deodorant and sunscreen for your trip.
Swim Up Rooms
Palmaia also has some swim-up rooms. These ground-floor rooms have terraces that open directly onto the resort’s largest swimming pools, some of which have swim-up pool bars. While I can see the appeal of these rooms, it’s important to note that the pools are not private. This means that you can swim right up to your room, but so can other people. If you’re looking for privacy, I would choose an upper-floor ocean view room over a ground-floor room that opens onto a pool.
The Layout of Palmaia – The House of AiA
Palmaïa – The House of AïA spans a length of about 500 meters, running parallel to the Riviera Maya coastline. Entrance is via the north end of the resort, which borders Sandos Playacar, while the land to the south of the resort is currently undeveloped natural jungle.
After passing through the resort’s gates, the first building you’ll encounter is the two-story space that houses three restaurants (Lek, Ume and Plantissa), the Aisuru yoga and meditation room, and the resort’s boutique. There’s also a pathway here that leads you through the jungle to Mar de Olivo restaurant.
Beyond this point, the guest rooms are arranged in a series of four- and five-story buildings running parallel to the beach. If you’re walking on the paved pedestrian pathway through the resort, the guestrooms and beach are on your left, while the jungle is on your right. The jungle is also home to the resort’s bonsai garden, the spa, some outdoor yoga studios, a mangrove forest and several natural cenotes.
Midway through the resort, you can cut between Building #4 and Building #5 to reach Charly’s Vegan Tacos, the beachfront taco truck. Just beyond the taco truck there are hidden hot and cold plunge pools, and if you backtrack on the beach towards the entrance you’ll also find two large plunge pools that are kept at a comfortable temperature.
The far end of the resort is home to two more yoga and meditation spaces, the open-air Su Casa Restaurant, and the gym. If you follow the pathway beyond the gym you’ll eventually reach the unmarked “Secret Cenote”, which is so secret that it’s not even shown on the resort map!
You can walk the entire length of the resort in about ten minutes (if you take the paved footpath) or fifteen minutes (on the beach). However, if you’re not into walking, there are also bicycles located around the resort and you can hop on one at any time to cycle along the pathway between buildings and pools.
Pools at Palmaia – The House of AiA
I was really impressed by the number of pools at Palmaïa – The House of AïA. The first pools that I found were the large pools behind Buildings #4, 5, 6 and 7. Shown above, these large pools were lined with trees and different types of cabanas and Bali beds (available for use without reservation and at no extra charge, unlike some resorts).
Two of these pools also had swim-up bars, with one being served by the Eolo Beach Bar and the other by Su Casa restaurant. I would often grab a mocktail from the swim-up bar and the move to a shady spot under a tree to sip my drink and read my book in the cool pool water.
My favorite pools at the resort were definitely the hot and cold plunge pools, hidden down a sandy pathway behind Charly’s Vegan Tacos. They operated on an automated system from 9:00 to 5:00 each day, and I would try to start all of my mornings with a healthy breakfast followed by two rounds of hot and cold plunging, which always makes me feel energized and reinvigorated.
The hot and cold plunge pools only have room for one or two people (max), but over the course of my one-week stay there were only two occasions where I encountered someone else there. Both times we asked one another if it was okay to join, and we ended up having nice conversations in the water.
It wasn’t until my second day at Palmaïa – The House of AïA that I discovered two more plunge pools, behind Building #2. These pools are kept at a comfortable temperature all day, and are quite shady in the afternoon. I loved bringing my book to the pools here and reading quietly, occasionally chatting with one of the iguanas that enjoyed basking on the rocks around the pool.
All of the pools at Palmaïa are equipped with baskets of pool towels that you can take at any time. There’s no limit on towels and you don’t have to sign them in or out, as some other less luxurious resorts require. I had brought a pool towel from home, which turned out to be totally unnecessary.
The Beach at Palmaia – The House of AiA
The beach runs along the entire length of the resort at Palmaïa, and you’ll find lots of sun chairs available for guests to use. There are a few different styles of beach chairs and sun beds, so if you don’t like the first ones that you come across, keep walking until you find something that suits your lounging style.
I was at Palmaïa in mid-October, and there was some sargassum but not enough to keep me out of the water. The sand gets swept each morning to remove any seaweed that washed up the night before, and during my stay the sargassum levels in the water ebbed and flowed with the winds.
There were days where the water was calm and quiet, and other days where the beach was red-flagged and swimming was not recommended. There was supposed to be a lifeguard on duty from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (according to the signs) but I often didn’t see them at their post.
Palmaia – The House of AiA Cenotes
There are several cenotes, or natural swimming holes, across the Palmaia resort. Unfortunately I did a terrible job of remembering to take photos of them, so I can only show you the one inside the spa!
There was one cenote in the jungle just behind Building #4, which was small but seemed to have good flow of water. The larger, “secret” cenote could be reached by following the path behind the gym, through the mangroves. There, you could also take a shower before getting into the natural swimming pool.
All of the cenotes have signs saying “Swim at Your Own Risk”, as they’re quite isolated and don’t have lifeguards nearby. My personal recommendation is to avoid swimming in any Mexican cenotes immediately after heavy rainfall, as that is when runoff from areas outside the resort can impact water quality.
Food and Drink at Palmaia – The House of AiA
As you know, Palmaia – The House of Aia is a vegan resort. This means that plant-based food and drink are the default, and through creative switches and swaps you can sometimes add on a vegetarian, seafood or meat option to some of the dishes.
In the lead-up to my trip I realized that nearly all of the questions I had about the resort were related to food. I was curious about which restaurants were the best, which dishes were worth ordering, when I would need to make reservations and, most importantly, would a health-focused all-inclusive still be able to make me a good piña colada?
So, rather than share one million food photos and write two thousand extra words about the food and drink at Palmaia, I created a separate guide specifically focused on the resort’s food, which you can read at the link below.
🥗 Food and Drink at Palmaia – The House of Aia • Everything You Need to Know 🍹
The guide above covers all seven of the resort’s plant-based restaurants and includes photos of many of the dishes that are available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I share which dishes and restaurants were my favorites, which dishes I skipped, and what I’d order again on a return visit. I’ll also show you the three dishes (all from the same restaurant!) where I couldn’t resist accepting the offer of a vegetarian modification to an otherwise-vegan dish!
Activities at Palmaia – The House of AiA
One of the major reasons that I chose to splurge on a stay at Palmaia – The House of Aia was that so many different activities are included in your room rate. I’d previously stayed at a yoga resort in India (link at the end of this post) that included daily yoga, meditation, Ayurvedic treatments and excursions, and I knew that I enjoyed a vacation that combined wellness, relaxation and interesting activities.
Within an hour of arriving my Nomadic Guide had sent me a WhatsApp message with the activity schedule for each day of the week (Monday to Sunday). On Sunday, I reached out and asked if I could peek at the upcoming week’s schedule early, so I could book my spa experience around the activity schedule, and it was sent over right away.
My only complaint about the activity schedule at Palmaia is that it appears to be made with AI, which has known devastating environmental and intellectual impacts that go against the resort’s philosophy. I would rather get a plain text message than a fancy AI graphic, personally.
Yoga & Meditation
Palmaïa – The House of AïA has about seven different yoga and meditation spaces around the property. Some are on the beach, some are in the jungle, and Aisuru (the first photo above) is located indoors.
During my stay I did a sunrise breathwork class on the beach, numerous sound healing sessions in Aisuru, and several other metaphysical sessions based on (what I would call) New Age spirituality. My favorites were definitely the sound baths, which offered a chance to disconnect and relax each day.
Palmaïa – The House of AïA usually has two or three yoga classes each day, with options including Hatha, Vinyasa and gentle yoga sessions. For the outdoor classes, I recommend wearing loose clothing with long sleeves and pants, and applying the resort’s organic insect repellent.
Art Classes
I took two of the included art classes at Palmaïa – The House of AïA. First, I attended a beachfront watercolor painting class at the Eolo Beach Bar, where we learned the basic techniques of watercolor painting and then painted something from the resort’s natural landscape.
A few days later I signed up for the Prehispanic art class, held inside Plantissa Cafe. I was the only attendee, so the instructor showed me how to use tempera paints to recreate the Mayan symbol of my choice. I enjoyed working with tempera paints more than watercolors, and the style of the Mayan illustrations was more to my liking, so I hope other guests at Palmaia will sign up for this one in the future!
Other Activities
The first activity that I attended at Palmaia was a Sacred Cacao Ceremony, where cacao beans were used in different formats, and different ways, to reconnect with ourselves and nature.
On my last full day I also had the chance to participate in a smudge stick activity, where we learned about the different medicinal powers of herbs and combined them into our own smudge stick. However, I knew that (legally) bringing it back to Canada would require some paperwork at the border, so I chose to leave my smudge stick in a secret spot on the resort (don’t worry, I didn’t litter!).
There were many other activities on the agenda each day and you’d probably have to stay for a month to have enough time to try everything. Rest assured, though, that you won’t get bored!
The Spa at Palmaia – The House of Aia
To be honest, most of the spa treatments at Palmaia were outside of my budget, with most treatments starting about $5,500 MXN (which is about $420 Canadian dollars, or $300 USD).
Purely for blogging purposes I decided to book the cheapest experience on the menu, called the Ancestral Water Circuit. I started by sitting in a room with a pseudoscientific machine called a Biocharger, which drew enough energy to power my hometown for a month as it hummed and flashed red lights (I was actually a bit worried about my phone being in the room, but it seems to have survived), then moved to one of their outdoor spaces.
The description of the experience said that I would get to ” choose and prepare your own body scrub with earth elements such as chamomile, sage, honey, and aloe vera”, however that did not happen. Instead, I was given a pre-mixed body scrub and invited to apply it myself, before going inside a dark stone hut where spa staff poured water over fire-heated stones to create a traditional steam room.
After fifteen minutes in the steam room I came outside, and warm water was poured over my body to remove the scrub. This was not what I had expected from the description, which advertised “a warm body bath with rosemary and roses”. I was then given time to cool off in the spa’s private cenote, a natural limestone swimming hole.
Aside from the Biocharger I thought the experience was fine, but I have a hard time justifying the price ($2900 MXN, which is $215 CAD or $155 USD) for the experience that I received. I’d been looking forward to making my own body scrub, and I don’t feel that having warm water poured over me from a bowl is really equivalent to “a warm body bath”. I spoke to other guests who enjoyed the massages they booked, so if that’s in your budget then it might be a better option.
Atlantis Spa at Palmaïa – The House of AïA also does a weekly temescal experience, which incorporates traditional Mayan practices including music, herbs and steam to cleanse and heal. It didn’t align well with the days of my visit, but if I were to return I would definitely sign up for this experience.
Wildlife at Palmaïa – The House of AïA
The photos above certainly won’t win any wildlife photography awards, but they should show you the types of photos you can take with an iPhone camera as you’re walking around the resort!
If you’re an animal lover like me, you will be impressed by the diversity of the wildlife that you can see at Palmaia – The House of Aia. During my one-week stay at the resort I saw:
- Spider monkeys (there is one resident family with about six monkeys)
- Many iguanas
- Coati (kind of like a hybrid between a monkey and a raccoon)
- Agouti (a large, long-legged rodent that looks a bit like a small capybara)
- Raccoons
- A boa constrictor (nestled in one of the thatched rooftops, pointed out to me by a security guard)
- Small snakes
- A small basilisk lizard (unique because they run upright, on their hind legs)
- Pelicans, eagles and vultures (at one point in time I saw seven vultures on a top-floor balcony in Building #7!)
- Colorful songbirds
Please don’t feed or touch the wild animals at Palmaia or any other resorts on the Riviera Maya!
Access to Partner Resorts
Guests of Palmaia – The House of AiA also have access to Sandos Playacar, the adjacent resort owned by the same parent company. Sandos has (by my count) ten restaurants and eleven bars, ten swimming pools, and activities like beach volleyball, tennis and live musical performances in the evening. With more than 800 rooms, Sandos Playacar lacks the intimate and relaxing vibe of Palmaia – The House of AiA, but could offer a welcome break for someone looking to play beer pong at the swim-up bar.
I popped over to Sandos Playacar purely for research purposes (not to play beer pong, I swear!) and saw a few families from Palmaia. I got the impression that vegan families with kids will often stay at Palmaia, but then take the little ones over to Sandos’ waterparks and beach activities throughout the day.
Customer Service at Palmaia – The House of AiA
Overall, customer service at Palmaia – The House of Aia is excellent. You will be assigned a Nomadic Guide, who is a member of the resort’s customer service team that you can reach via WhatsApp from 7:00 am until 11:00 pm. They can assist with pretty much anything, from confirming the location of daily activities to answering questions about spa services. They also handle nightly dinner reservations, which are mandatory.
Personally, I didn’t need much support during my visit and only reached out to my guide a couple of times. However, it was nice to know that someone who actually knew me, as an individual person, was available throughout my stay. I was chatting with another guide who mentioned she’d been receiving non-stop messages and requests for support all morning, so I think some travelers use the service more than I did.
I will also say that I had one concern on the first and second night of my stay, which related to the behavior of a large group of American women who were quite disruptive at dinner (and unhygienic in the yoga studios, but that’s another story that I didn’t actually mention to the resort staff). The resort did their best to address my concerns and followed up with me twice, in person, to make sure I felt that the situation was as resolved as possible.
Is Palmaia – The House of AiA worth it?
Yes, I am comfortable saying that a stay at Palmaia – The House of Aia is worth it. The resort is quite expensive by Riviera Maya standards, but the quality of food, drinks, activities, accommodation, grounds and customer service are significantly higher than what you’d find at less-expensive resorts. Yes, you pay more, but you also get much more.
If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, the food alone makes this resort worth moving to the top of your list. Being able to eat everything, at every restaurant, without worrying about if it contains meat or other animal products takes away a huge mental load and allows you to relax and enjoy your meal experiences.
If you’re interested in yoga, meditation, wellness and personal development, you’ll get a lot of value from the 50+ weekly activities offered at Palmaia. Personally, I didn’t see the need to sign up for any expensive excursions outside of the resort, as there were enough things to do to keep me busy all week.
Finally, if you’re looking for a quiet vacation, then Palmaia is absolutely perfect. With a focus on holistic health, Palmaia attracts a pretty quiet crowd (ages ten and up) who don’t tend to over-consume alcohol or become rowdy. If you’re looking for a nervous system reset, I can’t imagine a better resort.
I have also reviewed several other resorts on Mexico’s Rivera Maya:
🌊 Akumal Bay Beach & Spa Resort Review
🍋🟩 Bahia Principe Escape Tequila Resort Review
⭐ Bahia Principe Explore Sian Ka’an Resort Review
And I have a few other articles that you might find interesting:
🧘🏻♀️ What It’s Like to Stay at a Yoga Retreat in Goa, India
🐢 The Ethical Way to Swim with Turtles in Akumal, Mexico
🩵 How to Visit Cenotes on the Riviera Maya with a Community Tourism Organization
🇨🇦 How to Find the Air Canada Vacations Reps at the Cancun Airport
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