The Most Magical All-Inclusive Honeymoon in Mexico: A Wellness Focused, Vegan Paradise

The best of getting married? THE HONEYMOON!

There were many places we wanted to honeymoon, like Europe, but we knew it would have to be relaxing after all the physical and emotional energy we put into planning our wedding weekend. So when I came across Palmaïa, The House of AïA in Riviera Maya, Mexico, I instantly knew it was where we needed to go for the most magical all-inclusive vegan honeymoon! Palmaia is a secluded wellness resort with multiple room types like oceanfront swim-up suites, a luxury jungle spa, infinity pools with swim-up bars, and gourmet restaurants featuring mostly locally sourced plant-based cuisine. This all-inclusive vegan-friendly resort offers guests the perfect opportunity to re-establish the connection between mind and body with guided meditation sessions, yoga classes, sound baths, energy healing, and more. Keep in mind, that there are kids allowed at the resort. And if you're traveling with kids, they have a Waldorf-inspired children's center that's included in the price, so you can still get some quality time with your partner!

Are you ready to book yet? If not, continue reading because you will be.

We knew we had made the right choice from the moment we arrived at the friendly front desk and received our welcome mocktail and room key in the form of a cute wooden bracelet. After checking in a driver loaded our bags onto a cart and drove us to the Palmaia property which you access by going through the sister property, Sandos. (You have access to activities on the Sandos property, however, they are not allowed on the Palmaia property). Our driver took us to our adults-only building at the very end of the property. He unloaded our luggage for us and we met our nomadic guide who showed us our room and created a WhatsApp chat to assist us during our stay. You use this chat to make dinner reservations, ask questions, and make any requests. They also send you the daily activities the day before. We loved this personalized touch!

The room was amazing. So many eco-friendly, vegan products, snacks, a fully stocked fridge (no alcohol, but it can be requested), a cute coffee bar, lots of closet space to store clothes, shoes, and suitcases, and built-in speakers that you can connect to via Bluetooth. They also give guests reusable tumblers to use/take home! It was dark when we arrived, but I still captured a video tour... don't mind my husband immediately eating the gold chocolate-covered strawberries 🤣

Restaurants

You can read more about the cuisine and nourishing biome here. The resort is about 95% plant-based. A few dishes on most menus aren't vegan, and there is an option to add animal proteins for guests who wish to do so. Everything was labeled (I did find a mistake or two) and everyone was very knowledgeable and helpful. It's worth noting that while we were there in March 2024 only 2 restaurants were open for dinner each night, and then the next night it would switch to the other 2 (the 4 being Su Casa, Lek, Mar, Ume). On our last night there we did notice 3 restaurants open for dinner, which I'm guessing is because more guests were checking in.

Plantissa - All Vegan Daytime Health Cafe

We went here every day, multiple times per day. Sometimes we walked, and sometimes we biked (there are free bikes all over the property). It's upstairs, filled with lots of light and beautiful ocean views, and the decor is perfect. They have tarot cards too! It's also next to the Aisuru Studio where many classes are held, making it super convenient. They have coffee, matcha, chia pudding, fresh juice, smoothies, toasts, salads, soup, and SO MANY delicious baked goods! I can't even tell you how many vegan + gluten-free donuts and cookies I ate. They use quality ingredients which makes me feel a little better about it. I would get one to eat there and one to save for the evening. The only thing I did not like here was the quiche. It was a mushroom quiche and I'm not sure what the base was, but it was really, really bad. Everything else we tried was great!

Su Casa - Comforting Beachside Dining

We ate breakfast here most mornings. They also have a really good lunch. It's on the beach and we were lucky enough to get a beachside table almost every time we went. The chilaquiles were a favorite and you can add eggs to them if you wish. My husband also liked the matcha waffles. They can make a gluten-free pancake although it's not on the menu. The Papalmon bagel is made with sous vide smoked papaya and it was so tasty, I've never had anything like it. I do not recommend the gluten-free bagel option though. The lunch menu here was amazing. All the bowls we tried were great, the hummus was unique, and my husband loved the wood-fired options. His favorite was the Dal which came with wood-fired bread. We had dinner here once and it was ok, breakfast and lunch are the best.

Lek - Elevated Mexican

We had dinner here twice, once being the first night we got in. Everything we had was really good. Some of the standouts were the tacos al pastor made with watermelon (they're tiny so get a few orders!), grilled organic lettuce (we got it without the barley and it was still amazing, I can't even describe the flavor!), and the huarache.

Mar de Olivo - Modern Mediterranean

This restaurant was hard to find at first. It was a long, beautiful stone walkway to get there and then it was on the second floor with beautiful views of the ocean. We loved the grilled broccoli, cured beets, risotto, and piemontaise dessert. This restaurant didn't have gluten-free items labeled, but they do have options. I got the Agli Spinaci made gluten-free and didn't care for it, the risotto was a much better GF entree!

Ume - Asian Fusion

We only went to Ume once. It was our least favorite out of all the restaurants, but there were still some good items. I think my husband liked it a little better since he's not gluten-free and had more options. The plant-based Omakase was fun and my husband loved the Thai Red Curry. The Rock dessert was very unique, I've never seen anything like it, so I say get that to experience it!

Charly's Vegan Tacos - Taco Truck on the Beach!

This was the thing that sealed the deal for us to book this resort. I had always wanted to try Charly's Truck when it was in Tulum but never did. Now the truck has a permanent spot in the sand at Palmaia. We ate here a few times and it was amazing! Gluten-free options are not labeled, so be sure to ask. The chipotle leek cheese on the nachos wasn't gluten-free which made me so sad! But the nachos were still yummy without it. The menu is small so I say try it all! Check out this TikTok video I created of our Charly's visits.

In-Room Dining

Palmaia has 24-hour in-room dining. We were always full from the restaurants so we only ordered room service once. It works in a pinch if you need it, but we preferred the food from the restaurants! The hummus was really good though.

Beach/Pool Dining

We didn't see it advertised anywhere, but we texted our nomadic guide and asked if there was food we could order while lounging on the beach and they sent us the menu. Most chairs/beds in the pool and beach area have buttons you could push for service. We had yummy hummus, and had to get guac and chips which is a beachside staple. And a coconut!

Atlantis Spa

Another amazing feature of the property is its spa. It is so incredibly magical and worth every penny in my opinion. Jesse and I each booked different massages and a whole experience was included. When we entered they showed us to a beautiful changing room to change into our bathing suits and gave us a locker for our things. They then showed us to a freestanding building where we received a biocharger session for 10 minutes. We didn't know what this is, but according to biocharger.com "By producing magnetic, luminous, and electric pulses, the BioCharger NG acts as a “jump-start” of dysfunctional biological systems suffering energy blockages. Basically, it stimulates proper signal flow and system function by serving as an exogenous source of energetic fields." After that, they came back to get us and took us to the temazcal sweat dome. They gave us the option of a few products we could apply to our body and we chose the honey exfoliant. We entered the dome and they made a fire while we covered ourselves in the honey. The man then poured water over the fire to create steam and left the dome, covering the door so it was pitch black and very steamy. After a while, we were taken out and sat on wooden stumps, where they poured rosemary water over us to wash off the honey and sweat. Next, we got to swim in the cenote, which was only for spa guests. When we got back, we changed into comfy kaftans and were then escorted outside by the cenote where they offered us a ceremonial blessing for our marriage with song and instruments, and burned an herb bundle while we set intentions. It was really special. Finally, we went to separate freestanding buildings for our massages. The rooms have one wall that's a window and faces into the jungle, it was very unique and just a cool experience all around.

Activities

As mentioned above, the nomadic guides will send you the daily activities one day in advance via WhatsApp. They offer a variety of classes and activities and no reservation is needed. The first class we did was a Forgiveness Ceremony which was emotional for most people in attendance. We also did 2 different Sound Baths, a Spring Equinox Ceremony on the beach at 7 am one morning, and a painting class on the beach. We wanted to do the Cacao Ceremony, but they only offered it the one day we weren't there. I definitely recommend taking part in the activities, they were all great!

Eolo Beach Bar + Pools

Palmaia has a few main pools; 2 have a swim-up bar (one is adults only), and one has a small kids' play area. They do have a couple of other small pools around the property and we never saw anyone in them. They were so cool though! Eolo Beach Bar is beautiful and has a DJ playing a different music theme each night. They also have a full bar and snacks. Since we eat dinner early, we would often go sit at Eolo after dinner and listen to music.

Cenotes + Green House

There are two swimmable cenotes on the property; one of them in the spa area and only available to those who book spa services. The other one is open to everyone and was great! There is also another cenote called Cueva de Aluxes that you access by walking down stairs, and once down there you can leave an offering. It was beautiful. The greenhouse was open all day for anyone to walk through as they please.

Ready for your own magical all-inclusive vegan honeymoon or vacation in Mexico?

Palmaia was the perfect place for a relaxing honeymoon and I cannot recommend it enough. We felt so special and loved being surrounded by the beauty. Believe it or not, there are still little treasures around the property that I haven't even mentioned. You'll just have to book a trip and go explore it for yourself! You won't regret it.

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