’SUP, PLAYA
JUST NORTH OF CANCÚN, gated resorts line the coast of a curved strip of land that extends into the Caribbean Sea. Here, the community of Playa Mujeres is packed with all-inclusives, which typically carry grandiose names like Excellence, Beloved, and Finest. We pass each before we arrive at ATELIER Playa Mujeres—which is, per marketing literature, “inspired by the Art and Design of Contemporary Mexico.” The 36-acre resort delivers on that promise, with murals throughout, a full-sized gallery, pop-up art projects, and luxury suites adorned with canvases. Even the bathrooms are Instagrammable: a freestanding tub is steps away from a rain shower with marble accents. My previous resort experience, in the Dominican Republic, was excursion-heavy and family-friendly. This
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CHARLOTTEMAGAZINE.COM // MARCH 2022
is the inverse. My wife and I, joined by two other couples with kids back home, planned an excursion-free stay with close proximity to the primary pool bar. The result? Well, “glorious” isn’t the word. “Paradisiacal,” maybe? We’re parents of young kids during a pandemic: The absence of tasks is unthinkable. To actually meander around the site, striking up cocktail conversations with Yucatán spinytailed iguanas, has value beyond the tempting list of area activities at the front desk. Maybe you’re more of the explorer type. When you go on vacation, you’ve got a list of ruins, zip-line trips, and hidden locales unknown to the average tourist. I’ve had a few trips like that, but sometimes it’s OK to let an allinclusive be all-inclusive.
COURTESY ATELIER DE HOTELES
A Mexican resort alive with art, personal service, and (hiccup) many, many drinks
