Belmond Maroma Resort and Spa is a hotel on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, 30 miles south of Cancún. It was built by Mexico City architect Jose Luis Moreno a specialist in designing restaurants and small hotels, and opened in 1995. Moreno had first visited the area in 1976, when Cancún had few hotels and an airport terminal with a thatched roof. He first built a home for himself and then another which he planned to sell. In 1988 a hurricane destroyed the second house and he decided to rebuild it as a hotel.