Atelier Playa Mujeres Resort Review
Our very own Lori Harbin is the guest blogger today and is sharing her experience at the Atelier Playa Mujeres. Enjoy!
In February 2025, I joined 10 new friends and traveled to Cancun for a week at the Atelier Playa Mujeres. The resort is located about 40 minutes north of the Cancun airport. It is an adult only all-inclusive resort.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Like many other resorts in the area, this resort had a gated entry onto the property. Our driver confirmed our information with security and we continued up the drive until we arrived at the front entry. The bellman greeted us immediately, helped remove our luggage from the car, and had it tagged in an instant. We were then greeted by a member of the reception staff and led inside. Once we went through the main doors, the view was a wall of windows behind the lobby bar which showed an amazing view of the lush mangroves and the crystal blue waters of the gulf in the distance.
We had upgraded to the INSPIRA level, so we were guided into the lounge to check-in. Unfortunately our room was not ready, but we were able to enjoy everything the resort had to offer immediately.
ACCOMODATIONS
The majority of the rooms at the Atelier are junior suites. Ours had two double beds, a small table with two chairs, a loveseat with a coffee table, flat screen TV, and plenty of closet and drawer storage. The bathroom has sliding doors so you can choose if you want to close it off (if you do this, there is also a standard door for entry to it) or you can slide them open which makes the room feel much larger. We mostly kept the doors open, except at night.
The bath featured a stand alone tub with a handheld shower wand, two sinks, a large shower with a rainfall and handheld shower heads, and a separate toilet room (which had a little table and a plug so you can easily charge devices while using the facilities, lol).
Our INSPIRA upgrade was the swim out. Instead of a balcony with 2 chairs, the patio featured a circular sun bed and two loungers that were in the swim out pool. The pool was shared with our neighbors, yet still felt very private. If desired, you could swim to the end and step out onto a path that led to the Life & Vibe pool. Other INSPIRA room upgrades included an upgraded bar cart and snack basket, which were replenished as needed throughout the week.
FOOD AND BARS
Hands down, the Atelier Playa Mujeres had the best food of any all-inclusive I have visited, which is backed up by Forbes giving it the 2025 honor of Best All-Inclusive for Foodies in Mexico. Reviewing the food is a blog post in itself, but here are some of the highlights from the 13 restaurants and 12 bars:
Takeshi: This Asian restaurant features sushi, Indian, Thai, and Chinese cuisines, so there was something for everyone. We had them make us an assorted sushi platter to start and then enjoyed individual entrees. My favorite part was the Apple Harumaki dessert!
Maria Dolores: As INSPIRA guests staying at least 7 nights, we received a free dinner at this Michelin restaurant. For everyone else, the menu is a paid a la carte experience. The entire experience was amazing, from the custom cocktails while we waited for our reservation (complimentary for everyone in our party) to the beef wellington special that I enjoyed for dinner and even the special birthday dessert they brought me (which was by far the best of the FOUR I received during our stay). I highly recommend this experience for anyone staying at the resort - it's totally worth the extra cost!
Beef Wellington
Birthday dessert
Taco Cart: The taco cart was my favorite for a quick bite. It moved around the resort. Sometimes it was centrally located near the lobby for a later lunch or early dinner. On Super Bowl Sunday, it was at the party by the pool. And one day it was between the pool and the beach and featured seafood tacos. I loved how they took the selected meat and heated it up on the griddle in the middle and then explained what toppings complimented your selection.
La Calle: This bar, located near the main lobby, was open in the evening and featured craft cocktails and was a favorite for many in our group. My go to was the lavender martini.
FUN
It's easy to create your perfect day at this resort. For me, that meant sleeping in, having a leisurely brunch, and then lounging by a pool or on the beach. For others in our group, it meant participating in the morning bike ride, participating in various water sports, attending craft and cooking classes, or dancing the night away in the club. As a Philadelphia Eagles fan, of course my favorite event of the week was the Super Bowl party! My second favorite was the live music at the rooftop bar each night.
While I did not book any spa experiences this trip, I did schedule the hydrotherapy at the NUUP Spa. It started with 10 minutes in the steam room. They gave me a body scrub to apply. Next was a cold bucket shower, followed by cold body jets. Then 10 minutes in the sauna. After that, it was a to the shoulders submersion in the cold plunge tub. Next, we moved to the whirlpool, where they applied some collagen eye patches and a clay mask. After it was rinsed off, we moved to the main pool with the jets. Stations included neck and shoulders, full back, lower back, and lower body. It was incredibly relaxing and a great way to start the day!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Would I stay here again?Absolutely! I can also say without a doubt that while it is not necessary to upgrade to the INSPIRA level to have a fabulous trip, it definitely was worth the additional cost. Beyond everything we received at the resort, we also were given passes to the Mera lounge at the airport AND we were able to skip the wait (which was an hour when we checked in)! That perk alone made the upgrade worthwhile for me.
Does Atelier Playa Mujeres sound like the right place for your next vacation? Contact Lori to book your next trip!
