A 26-foot-tall fountain at the entranceway, illuminated at night, resembles the nearby ruins of Chichen Itza. A grand hall leading from the fountain to the lobby is occupied by a eucalyptus wood sculpture of Kukulkan, a Mayan snake god, created by César López Negrete.

The inner chamber of the resort is an immense space through which a pathway falls gradually downhill to the Caribbean Sea. “The concept was to design a typical Mexican village street,” says Cajiga. “This paseo recreates the experience of walking down a pedestrian street.”

Hanging plants enliven the bar area at the oceanview Grill at 1-26 restaurant, one of two that sit at the end of the paseo walkway.

Wood and neutral tones dominate the bedroom in the 1,230-square-foot presidential suite, complete with a view of the sea from the large balcony.

The 314 guestrooms are finished in the same sandy hues of gray and tan in addition to touches of electric blue. Sliding doors open to terraces fitted with concrete tiles in black, white, and turquoise. Inside, beds rest against walls paneled in dark wood with peekaboo windows made of thick azure rope.

Cenote Spa—a maze of pathways past pebble-filled pools and fountains—is inspired by the freshwater sinkholes common in the region. Its centerpiece is a cone-shaped room covered in flagstone containing a crystalline hot tub and sunbeds.

The resort’s pool, set on platforms that overlook the ocean.