The various buildings containing the 98 suites are a maximum two storeys high, and can each be accessed privately. You would be pushed to find better, with their simple combination of comfort, originality and luxury. They all enjoy superb sea views, and each is named after a place visited by the couple who own the hotel during their many travels around the world. Make yourself at home, whether it be in Monaco, Dadra or Jaipur. The decor in the 98 suites differs depending on the destinations they represent, and features items that have been picked up over the years. Everything you will find here is of extremely high quality, from the furniture to the marble and fabrics, etc. The large bed, which feels both soft and firm at the same time, is set upon a very high stone base. On top of it, you will find some very comfortable feather pillows. This same feature of stone topped with cushions can also be seen throughout the three separate parts of the suites: the lounge, bedroom and balcony. Facilities include two televisions and a DVD player, a ceiling fan, a direct phone line, a mini-bar with tea and coffee-making facilities, and a free safe. Internet access is also available free of charge in the guest rooms, the bar and the lounge (which also has a television). The bathroom/dressing room also shows the benefit of great attention to detail. It is lined with marble throughout and provided with a coloured glass wash basin, a stone bathtub built into the floor, a separate shower and toilet, lion-shaped taps made from stone, sculptures, shells, a hair-dryer, soft bathrobes made of fine material, slippers, a beach bag and lots of Bulgari hospitality products. Room service is, of course, available 24 hours a day, and a butler is automatically assigned to guests staying in the three presidential suites.

The Paraiso de la Bonita displays beautifully modern designer architecture, but also manages to retain a connection with Mexican culture. It all started with the owner's desire to pay tribute to his wife, which he decided to do by creating this place and naming it 'Paradise of beauty'. Paraiso de la Bonita was built in 2002 by a Mexican architect and renovated after Hurricane Wilma. At first, it was no more than a beautiful place great for entertaining friends, but little by little it was transformed into the crimson coloured hotel we see before us today. In this haven of peace right next to the beach and concealed by the mangrove, the communal areas are very stylish geometric and display symbols from Mayan culture. The columns are made from zapote wood, in which the cuts made to collect the rubbery sap can still be seen. On entering the lobby, with its well spaced tables and chairs, guests will already be able to see the uncluttered lines of the swimming pool, the peaceful surroundings, and the sea. The hotel's facilities and its 98 suites are built right next to the turquoise waters. In order to reach your room, you can take a golf buggy along a path next to a small ornamental lake. Over the course of the holiday, you will get to know the other residents: Lacoste, the crocodile, and the peacocks, geese, parakeets, coypus, and racoons, among others. The thalassotherapy centre is designed like a temple and dotted with candles. Its facilities include large changing rooms, saunas for men and women, and a superb salt water swimming pool. Another hit with guests is the brand new anti-ageing centre, which employs three doctors and two nurses. There is a helicopter landing pad at the hotel, so you can arrive and leave in complete discretion.

The style of cuisine prepared here might be termed 'sunshine cooking', because it offers a combination of Asian and Mediterranean cuisine with a hint of Mexican inspiration, of course. The three à la carte restaurants are overseen by a French chef, Marc Dobbels, who learned his trade under Marc Verrat. He has total creative freedom to let his imagination run wild. There is also a fantastic wine cellar with a collection of around 2,500 bottles that can be admired through the glass windows next to the restaurant. Wines from all over the world line the wall, right up to the ceiling. During your stay here, something you really have to try at the open air restaurant next to the sea is the food prepared in a special oven heated with zapote wood (from the tree from which chewing gum is made). It infuses the dishes here with a truly distinctive flavour. Romantic dinners can also be organised on a boat or on pontoons that stretch out over the water.

The stretch of fine, white sand is long and wide (but not excessively so), and is bordered by a reasonable amount of vegetation and a few palm trees that provide some welcome shade to this peaceful setting. Cushioned mattresses are provided, screened off by curtains for maximum comfort. It is a pity that seaweed litters the foreshore. Motorised water sports are not allowed at this beach because of the coral reef under the water. However, a waters sports club does offer a lot of other activities. The beach also has a stone temazcal, which can hold between 8 and 10 people at a time, where rituals lasting an hour and a half are organised with shamans. The Paraiso de la Bonita also has a busy marina.

The Paraiso de la Bonita belongs to both the Leading Small Hotels of the World and the Leading Spas of the World. Many celebrities stay here, as it is the most expensive hotel on the Mayan Riviera. The paparazzi find themselves thwarted on several fronts in their attempts to snap away at famous guests, owing to the location of the premises and the hotel's policy. As though you are at the Ritz in Paris, there is a French master of ceremonies, who actually used to work as the master of protocol at the official residence of the French president. The guests who stay here are very well travelled, and are very demanding. The services must therefore match up to the excellent standard they have come to expect. In total, the hotel has a staff of 227 people. Children under the age of 12 are not allowed to stay at the hotel. Guests can go horse riding in a hacienda 10 minutes from the Paraiso de la Bonita.