Vibe: A very social atmosphere is promoted at the UNICO, with guests are encouraged to mix, not for anything as mundane as volleyball or aquafitness, but at live music events, mixology classes and cool off-property excursions that take you into the real Mexico.

Rooms: The 448 rooms have a glamorous but low-key hacienda feel, all rustic and homey, with natural materials, handmade décor elements and local art. Main-floor rooms feature a semi-private swim-up pool, while those on the floor above sport massive spa tubs right on the patio. (Wear your swimsuit!) The resort even offers hypoallergenic rooms put through a multitude of air-purifying paces, going so far as to employ a type of shock-treatment method to kill bacteria.

F&B: When the breakfast buffet has a carpaccio station—beef, salmon, tomato, cucumber, octopus!—you know you’re in for a fancy week of good eating. Lavish culinary offerings from UNICO’s five restaurants are culturally varied, each with its own spin, from simple to splendiferous. At Cueva Siete restaurant, one of four on the property, traditional Mexican dishes are given a modern twist by a rotating lineup of award-winning Mexican chefs.

ALSO EXPLORE: PLAYA DEL CARMEN

Extras: Traditional butler service has been replaced at UNICO by a local host, available 24/7 via smartphone app, where you can also find the daily schedule and connect with resort services. I’m simply too Canadian to ring someone to come over and draw my bath. I can manage the plug and the tap and a squirt of soap. At the Esencia Spa, I worked the water circuit like a pro, moving from the sauna to the cold room, where a large pipe from the ceiling spat fresh crushed ice into a bowl all day long. From there, I donned those funny paper underpants before being scrubbed down and wrapped in chocolate. Yes, chocolate.

Off-Site: UNICO has also joined the ranks of resorts taking guests off the property on local excursions to meet the people. My morning spent cliff-diving into the deep, fresh-water cenotes was followed by a barbecue lunch in an indigenous village, where I practically inhaled the best chicken I’ve ever tasted.

Rate: $$$

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Now that every single hotel in the world has a rainfall shower head, the folly of a quick dunk in an al fresco tub on the terrace really ups the game. Here are a few of the newer favourites on our radar.

RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO: UNICO 20°N 87°W Hotel. Second-floor rooms in the Alcoba Ocean View category of this all-exclusive, all-inclusive, adults-only resort come with an outdoor spa tub right on the patio, looking out onto the whole resort and the ocean beyond. The upscale hacienda-style rooms are so beautifully designed, you won’t want to leave. As the tubs are on the balcony, you’ll have to dress appropriately for this hydra-therapy experience—unless the lights are out. $$$
UnicoHotelRivieraMaya.com

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: Rambutan Hotel & Resort. This quaint gem on the quieter side of Siem Reap comes in three parts: a main hotel with 16 rooms, a 10-room resort wing, and a few luxury apartments. On the resort side of things, the Deluxe Terrace and Deluxe Rooftop Terrace rooms have their own private patio with an outdoor bathtub and splash shower. When you tire of traipsing through the nearby temple ruins, you can relax in a cool bath after a nice massage at the lobby spa. $
RambutanSiemReap.com

LONDON, UK: The Zetter Hotel. This Clerkenwell mainstay has been wowing the hip and happening crowd with its 59 boutique hotel rooms since 2004, with the nearby Zetter Townhouse joining the party in 2011. The art and design, the attention to detail, and the state-of-the art tech amenities keep people coming back. But the hotel’s recent refurbishment of its Deluxe Rooftop rooms on the fifth floor will garner even more fans thanks to private al fresco tubs on the terrace. A gin in the bathtub, anyone? $$$
TheZetter.com

BIG SUR, CALIFORNIA: Glen Oaks. Things are big in Big Sur, Al Fresco tub included. At the Big Sur Cabin at the magnificent Glen Oaks lodge, you and your significant other can embark on a romantic double-soak adventure in the outdoor tubs, witnessed only by the nearby redwoods and the cozy wood fire pit. $$$
GlenOaksBigSur.com

The post Al Fresco Tubs appeared first on TravelRight.Today.