Fast on the rise, Costa Mujeres provides a tranquil alternative to the bustling hotel zone.
Some people go onvacationseeking an escape : fromstress , from noise , from crew . Others go wanting the kick of being with others — eager for night club andtour busesandbeachespacked with sunblock - slick bodies . Of the 21 million citizenry who visited Cancún last year , I would bet almost all are in the latter refugee camp . It ’s not a destination know for its tranquility . front just a few statute mile north , however , and there ’s a all different experience on offer .
This class marks 50 years since the first hotel was make there . In 1968 , encouraged by the increase number of visitors to the Caribbean , theMexican governmentand Infratur ( Fund for the Promotion of Tourism Infrastructure ) fed informationinto a computerto decide the best area to anchor a resort development to attract tourer from the United States . finally they settled on a nine - mile flight strip of hobo camp in the Yucatán Peninsula , previously occupied by coco groves . Chosen for its location , yr - pear-shaped ripe weather , and economical benefit — the region was skin at the sentence — they take those coconut groves and willed them into a multimillion dollar resort playground now known as Cancún ’s Hotel Zone .
Today the Cancún Project has spur 35,000 hotel room and counting ( MarriottInternational just open up their first all - inclusive there this yr , among others ) . It ’s revolutionize resort developments all over Mexico , includingPlaya del Carmenand Puerto Vallarta . A visit to these boisterous resort towns means engaging in militant relaxation behavior : Fail to reserve your pond chair in the break of day and you ’ll miss out for the twenty-four hour period . reach the beach too late and you ’ll be chivy by crowds .
Courtesy of Hotel Mousai
But here on my rooftop of the grownup - onlyHotel Mousaiin Costa Mujeres , just northerly of the hotel zona , I feel no such pressure . I ’m literally the only one here — if I wanted , I could claim all the syndicate chair as mine . Costa Mujeres is the in vogue Quintana Roo region marked for growth . There are already plenty of hotel selection , but in the next few eld the expanse will seeall - inclusivesand residences come fromAlmare(late 2024),JW Marriott(2026 ) , and the W ( 2026 ) . ASt . Regisresort and hall is also slate to open up in 2025 .
While the average hotel in Cancún might have 400 to 500 rooms , the raw arrival to Costa Mujeres are focalise on upscale jab and concealment . The Hotel Mousai , the second in the Mousai sword from the Mexican - ownedTafer Hotels & Resorts , has just 88 suites . The St. Regis will have 160 rooms , the Almare will have 105 . The recently - openedSHA Wellness Resortalso has just 100 rooms . The goal of this Cancún alternative will not be to retroflex it , but declare oneself a respite from the bustle . But if you want fervour , it ’s just a unforesightful cab twit aside . Heck , you may see it from your rooftop .
You may be more familiarwith the island directly across from Costa Mujeres : Isla Mujeres , a flyspeck five - mi sliver with white sand beach , a town built around a cenote , and salsa dance that make foran incredible island holiday . It ’s usually billed as a daylight misstep from Cancún . Both the island and Costa Mujeres were once a sacred region for the Mayans and were named in honour of Ixchel , Mayan deity of natality and healing .
The Hotel Zone in Cancún|Matteo Colombo/Moment/Getty Images
In addition to Hotel Mousai , Tafer Hotels & Resorts also ownsVilla del PalmarandGarza Blanca Resort & Spain Costa Mujeres ( guests of Mousai can hop over to both of the other locations ) . Like Cancún , this area started as a blank slate , with beaches backing up to the jungle . When Liliana Vanessa Goñi Jimenez , Mousai ’s general coach , first confabulate the strip three years ago , there was not much to do outdoors of the handful of resort . “ It was n’t deserted , but there were n’t traffic jams , or citizenry around , ” she tells me . “ Now there are more overhaul , facilities , some minor gadget entrepot , pharmacies , and natural action on the beach . ”
Rates at Hotel Mousai ( beginning at $ 522 ) include kayaking and snorkel gear . Each room has a plunge pool . There ’s also a pool on the roof , and another one on the ground flooring . Rooms have destitute mini bars . The place is design like an artistic creation harbor , with local creative person featured on the walls and visual arousal all around . Food melds tradition and gastronomy , cocktails do with smoky theatrics , and with so few room , service is individualise . Really , like most resorts , there ’s no reason to leave the belongings . But should you desire to , a dock within walking distance offers you gravy holder service to Isla Mujeres , or opportunities for parasailing . A stone ’s cam stroke away is theMuseo Subacuático de Arte ( MUSA ) underwater carving museumfor snorkel diving and diving . And mightily at the bottom of the Costa Mujeres cartoon strip are theEl MecoMayan architectural ruin .
“ I think the great unwashed who are staying in the hotel areas in Cancún are look to take the air around and have everything close and desire to have more activities outside , instead of spending metre at the hotel , ” says Jimenez . “ People in Costa Mujeres are look for luxury , and privacy . ” Cancún will surely remain a popular destination for college kids on saltation break , but if you need an outflow from the focus of grown - up spirit , and you ’re making a very grown - up salary , it might be deserving sharing a flight of stairs with the party people .
It’s nice to be the lone swimmer.|Courtesy of Hotel Mousai
Why The Next Museum You Visit Should Be Underwater
These breathtaking sculptures also benefit the environment.
Blessings by Elier Amado Gil, a sculpture at the MUSA underwater sculpture museum.|Ben Girardi / Aurora Photos/Cavan/Getty Images
