Review: TRS Yucatan Hotel

_Location: The TRS Yucatan Hotel is an adults-only all-inclusiveproperty which forms part of the Grand Palladium Resorts complex on the MayanRiviera around an hour south of Cancun and 20 minutes south of Playa delCarmen. The resort – part of the Spanish Palladium Hotel Group - re-opened inDecember 2017 after a $35 million dollar revamp involving the integration ofthe previous The Royal Suites Yucatan property and the neighbouring GrandPalladium Riviera Resort & Spa.

_{First impressions:} The wider complex is vast, with a five-minutedrive through mangrove jungle between the main entrance and the hotelreception. Once inside TRS Yucatan itself, the feeling of size continues, witha huge vaulted lobby area, but the scale of the property is immediatelybalanced by a relaxed and private check-in and attentive service. There areeffectively two resorts within the resort, with the inland suites surrounded bylush vegetation, and the beachfront blocks benefiting from the sea breeze witheasy access to the sizeable triple-tiered infinity pool.

_{The facts:} The expanded all-suite resort features 454 suites and bungalows,the latter situated on a man-made waterway with a canoe moored outside each foreasy transportation. Some suites feature private plunge pools and hot tubs,while the spectacular Ambassador Suites boast incredible rooftop views acrossthe jungle in one direction and the Caribbean Sea in the other. Guests at TRSYucatan can avail themselves of the facilities in the other resorts on-site, sothere’s no shortage of activities to try, and the free-to-use Zentropia spa isa haven of peace with a well-equipped gym to boot. Inside the suites, the décoris funky and open-plan, and guests have the option to personalise multipleelements, from the colour of their cushions to the choice of their preferredbottles of spirits which will be topped up throughout their stay. Weddings arebig business, and there’s even a consecrated Catholic chapel if a gazebo on thebeach isn’t your clients’ thing.

_{The food:} Guests at TRS Yucatan are spoilt for choice when it comesto dining, with four a la carte restaurants and a buffet restaurant in additionto the multitude of options available in the sister resorts. If dinner and ashow are your customers’ bag, then the spectacular Chic Cabaret and Restaurantis a delightfully kitsch way to spend an evening, but my personal highlight wasthe Helios Beach Club, a concept inspired by Palladium’s Ibizan roots combiningbeachfront dining, laidback beats from the resident DJ and a great cocktaillist.

_Explore: TRS Yucatan is a great base to explore the ancient Mayancivilisations of Tulum and Coba, or cool down in the beautiful freshwatercaves, or cenotes, for which the Yucatan peninsula is rightly famed. Even withinthe resort there is scope to marvel at the local flora and fauna, with themangrove home to coatis and opossums, huge iguanas lounging in the sun outsideyour suite, pelicans flying overhead, and even a rare chance to see (but definitely not touch) hatching turtles.

_Wow: While the natural backdrop of TRS Yucatan is spectacular,conversely it is the hotel’s approach to technology that is perhaps itsgreatest standout. Palladium Hotel Group has long been renowned for embracingtech – think biometric scanners to pay for drinks at its Ushuaia property inIbiza – but the balance struck at TRS Yucatan firmly leans towards enhancingthe experience rather than gimmickry. Guests can download an app on theirsmartphone or tablet to contact their butler directly, order a golf-cart taxior make a dinner reservation, and also link their devices to their in-room TVsto mirror their social networks or access their personal Netflix accounts. Roomkeys come in the form of a discreet wristband, and other nice techie touches includein-room sensors which tell staff whether the room is occupied without the needto knock.

_{Recommend to:} Clients who like to feel special and also wantexclusivity without foregoing a choice of facilities. The butler service meansyou can be waited on hand and foot if you like – but if you’re happy to waittill you’re back from dinner to fill your own bath or eschew the taxi serviceoccasionally to explore the mangrove walkways, then the service can also bedelightfully low-key.