La Copa, Banyan Tree Mayakoba, Mexico
The “Venice of Mexico,” Mayakoba is a large resort development in the heart of the Riviera Maya, the popular coastal tourism region between Cancun and Tulum. It contains a standout Greg Norman-designed golf course that has hosted both the PGA and LIV Tours, along with dozens of restaurants, a village-style town center, multiple beaches, and four major luxury resort hotels, all linked by a system of canals and eco-friendly electric boats, hence its nickname. Of the four resorts, the Banyan Tree, a luxury brand born in Thailand, is the most exclusive - and has the best cigar bar, La Copa.
La Copa sits on the upper level of the two-floor main hotel building, which also houses a couple of restaurants, shops and the reception desk, as all the lodging is in villas with private pools. The bar is much larger than it looks, with an attached outdoor patio big enough to hold most of the guests that could occupy the resort, and it wraps in a C-shape around the open central atrium, occupied by a lagoon. Even the “indoor” section is open air, with no walls on either side, and the interior leg of the C features comfortable white cushioned couches and easy chairs, with a living room feel. The bar itself is on one side of the central corridor, with about a dozen stools, and opposite it is a row of more white cushioned couches and chairs overlooking the lagoon. Beyond this lies the vast patio, broken into several areas and intimate nooks, featuring just about every seating option you can imagine: bar high tops, regular dining tables, rattan easy chairs with outdoor cushions, even tented cabana-style day beds. The patio is surrounded by dense mangrove forests, washed with sea breezes and is just a perfect spot to enjoy a smoke, a drink, and food, in any combination you like, with a menu featuring contemporary Mexican, raw bar and sushi.
The small humidor behind the bar is all Cubans, with half a dozen selections including several choices at about 40 U.S. dollars, including Montecristo Number Two and offerings from Romeo y Julieta, Partagas, and Hoyo de Monterrey. The top choice is a Cohiba Robusto at about $60. But the real highlight occurs every Thursday and Saturday (from 5-10PM), when a family of Cuban/Mexican cigar makers comes in, sets up a table and handrolls cigars in front of guests. The rolling is for demonstration, as the cigars they sell have been made previously, pressed and aged, using Ecuadorian filler and a mix of Cuban and Ecuadorian wrappers. They make four versions of their medium-mild flavor profile, the most popular of which is a Robusto (50 ring gauge), along with a Canoñazo (52), Torpedo (52) and Corona (42), and they also offer the Torpedo in a stronger maduro version. All go for 500 pesos, about $30, and they also usually bring a few additional boxes of different Cubans, such as Cohibas.
The rollers have been a fixture here since the moment the hotel opened 15 years ago, drawing a crowd, and interestingly, often initiating non-cigar smokers into the fun. “We get a lot of people who don’t normally smoke, but they are here on vacation, they see the open-air bar, see us, it’s something special and they try it, especially young people, and a lot of women,” said David, the second-generation roller who often works with his father here.
La Copa is just a fantastic spot, sophisticated but relaxed, with very different vibes depending on where you choose to sit, and you can smoke everywhere. On the nights without cigar rolling, there is often live music. It has a lengthy list of fine spirits, wines by the glass and craft beer, with plenty of top-shelf Tequilas (17 options), rums, Scotch and an impressive Cognac list, up to Louis XIII at close to $700 a glass. The resort is a celebratory kind of place, so they also serve plenty of champagne, including Dom Perignon brut and rose by the bottle, but the signature cocktail here is the La Copa Margarita, using mezcal infused with agave honey, lime and spicy black pepper. Like the bar itself, the drink is a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy, and a whole lot of fun.
Open Every Day: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
La Copa Bar
Banyan Tree Mayakoba
Mayakoba Resort
Carretera Federal Chetumal-Puerto Juárez KM 298
Riviera Maya, 77710 Playa del Carmen
+52 984 877 3688
https://www.banyantree.com/mexico/mayakoba/dining/la-copa
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