Here’s how to stay at Mayakoba (and play this week’s Tour stop, El Camaleon!) for $1,500

Though you might not know it by Thursday’s round-cancelling weather, the Mayakoba resort area in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, is usually an oasis of sunshine and luxury — the perfect destination for a weekend getaway if you’re craving some warmth and sunshine, with average high temperatures in the mid-80s through the winter months.

Oh yeah — and did I mention there’s a Tour course on property too? El Camaleon, host of the Mayakoba Golf Classic, is open to the public. Here’s how you can enjoy a long weekend south of the border — and play El Camaelon! — for only $1,500.

The Mayakoba resort area is located just over a half-hour south of the Cancun airport (CUN), on Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Direct flights are plentiful from all over the continental U.S., but unfortunately, they aren’t cheap this time of year, and range from $500-$600 (prices via Kayak) from airports like LAX, ORD, BOS and JFK. You can save a bit of money by including a layover in your itinerary, though, if you’re so inclined.

TOTAL AIRFARE: ~$550

Unless you’re feeling adventurous, there’s really no need to rent a car. Private airport transfers to the Maykoba family of resorts can be arranged through each hotel’s concierge. Van service that I found online starts at about $60 each way. Split in half, that’s only $60 apiece round-trip.

TOTAL SPEND: $550 + $60 = $610

The Mayakoba area offers four beautiful resort options: the Andaz, Banyan Tree, Fairmont and Rosewood, which was recently honored as one of GOLF’s Top 100 Resorts.

Each of the resorts offers a different level of luxury and amenities. For the Friday-Monday itinerary I selected in December, the Andaz was $279/night, the Banyan Tree was $852/night, the Fairmont was sold out, and the Rosewood was $765/night (all prices via Expedia).

For the purposes of this budget itinerary, I’ll go with the Andaz for obvious reasons, since each of the hotels is allowed the same access to the 500+ acres of Mayakoba resort grounds. Three nights in a room with two beds comes out to $837 after all taxes and fees, which equates to $418.50 each.

Buuuuuut … one of the most fun aspects of traveling to Mexico is the opportunity to book an all-inclusive itinerary, which the Andaz offers. That price is $1,355 for two people and three nights (including taxes and fees) — or $677.50 each. That’s only about $250 more per person, which seems like a great deal for unlimited food and drinks. In this case, I say, go for it!

TOTAL SPEND: $610 + $677.50 = $1,287.50

El Camaleon is the only course on the Mayakoba property, so even though this is a three-day trip, I think one golf day is enough. Gotta have some energy — and time left — for the sun and surf!

To maximize your stay, teeing off in the morning is ideal, and comes at a premium cost: Green fees are $229 for tee times before 10:20 a.m. After that, they drop to $209 until 11:50, and then a twilight rate of $159 between 12 and 4:00 p.m.. Let’s assume you’ll book a morning tee time so you can have the afternoon to explore other things.

TOTAL SPEND: $1,287.50 + $229 = 1,516.50

And there you have it! A fantastic, fun-filled weekend getaway to tropical Mayakoba for just about $1,500 per person. Ready to book? Happy travels!

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