Article originally featured in Forbes.

There are a lot of standout golf courses South of the Border—and a lot of luxury resorts—but when the PGA Tour decided to add a tournament in Mexico for the first time, they went to Mayakoba. When the rival LIV Tour decided to go to Mexico for the first time, they also went to Mayakoba. If you want to play golf in Mexico, you might want to join the best players in the world and choose Mayakoba.

But unlike many top golf resorts, this one is about more than golf. Much more.

Mayakoba is home to 28 Forbes Stars (four 5-Star and two 4-Star). I have been several times, and even got the unique chance to visit a couple of years before it opened. The developer held an event to outline what seemed like an outlandish vision—turning roughly 600-acres of challenging terrain into a forward thinking, environmentally sensitive, sustainably focused, luxury resort with four different hotels, each with a significant spa, plus multiple beaches and dozens of bars and restaurants. Shared amenities include 3-miles of nature trails, bike paths connecting it all, a stunning Greg Norman designed golf course, dedicated golf academy (with Jim McLean golf school), and El Pueblito, a village center modeled after the historic colonial plazas of Mexico. In addition to the many shops and eateries within each of the hotels, El Pueblito has a mix of sidewalk restaurants and shops surrounding a parklike Plaza. It hosts art exhibitions, craft markets, live entertainment and cultural activities throughout the year and has a family friendly arcade and dedicated cooking school.

The scope of Mayakoba is highly unusual in North America, most similar to the mega-resorts of Hawaii (Kapalua, Wailea, Waikoloa, etc.) which couple multiple hotels with golf courses and other amenities on a large parcel of land. But unlike Hawaiian resorts—or any resorts I know of anywhere—the hotels, beaches and facilities at Mayakoba are all linked by a series of navigable canals/lagoons. These in turn host a fleet of electric boats and greatly reduce the need for cars within the property. For guests who want to move about under their own power, all of the hotels have loaner bikes, and the path system allows for easy exploration. When you do need a four-wheel lift, such as to the golf course, shuttles are on demand and very responsive.

The minimization of vehicles is part of the ongoing effort to preserve the lush water and jungle ecosystem. There are more than 300 species of birds and native wildlife, plus mangrove forests, and among the first employees of Mayakoba were the team of naturalists who started mapping habitat and planning for sensitive development before ground was even broken. Biologists worked with the architects, and while each hotel has a beach and some have beachfront villas, the hotels were all intentionally set back to lessen waterfront density and minimize coastal environmental impact. Almost a third of the entire property is protected acreage, including the mangrove forests—which have grown and improved in health since the resort opened—and all four hotels hold notable environmental certifications. Mayakoba has won many awards for sustainability, including the Ulysses Prize from the United Nations World Tourism Organization.