While I had to put a lot of thought into answering the question, “should I travel during a pandemic”, I finally decided to go for several reasons:  I already had the virus back in February which hopefully would have reduced the risk of catching it again; also, potential travelers to Cancun and the Riviera Maya may benefit from knowing what the experience was like–info here may therefore answer any remaining questions about traveling to Cancun such as “should I go or shouldn’t I given how resorts are handling the pandemic”.  Let’s face it, most individuals are going stir crazy because of COVID–homes have probably been spring cleaned multiple times, working from home has long since lost its novelty, kids are driving parents crazy, and people are angry or disheartened about being denied their old way of life. I hope that readers of this blog post will consider the stated motivations for this trip and use the information to reinforce why you have decided to stay home for now and not travel to this area of Mexico, or encourage you to think further about such a trip.

I already posted a separate blog article about the flight portion of this trip, so I won’t repeat that information here (if you want to know more about that part, read the post by following this link).  Since I travel quite a ways to visit Cancun (I live in CA), it’s always more advantageous for me to visit at least two separate resorts to make the most of my travel time.  On this trip I decided to visit the adults-only (age 16+) Atelier Playa Mujeres,  and the family-friendly Riu Palace Peninsula.  Both resorts are located in Cancun; Riu Palace Peninsula is about a 20-25 min. shuttle ride from the airport, while getting to Atelier from the airport takes about 40 minutes.  (Driving time from Atelier to this Riu resort was about 20 min.).  This resort review will only cover Atelier, while the Riu resort will be covered in a separate blog post.

Just a few words about shuttle transportation to/from the airport and resort-to-resort.  I always use USA Transfers–I began using them in 2013 and continue to do so; they’ve only been late on one occasion and that was by two minutes.  They’ve never left me stranded at a resort, I’ve never had to call them to ask where my driver was, I’ve never been late to catch a plane; in short, I would highly recommend them.  All shuttle company reps were still where they normally have been–standing outside of the airport terminal with their company signs.  Reps and drivers all wore masks and required all shuttle passengers to wear masks during their ride to the resort.  Prior to entering the shuttle, luggage was disinfected with a chemical spray and hand sanitizer was given to all passengers.  The rep was effusive in his thanks for our patronage given the fact that many workers had been out of a job since March (Cancun survives primarily on tourism).  We were on our way to Atelier shortly thereafter.  Resort-to-resort transportation was a bit different in that our luggage was not disinfected, but again we had to wear masks and use hand sanitizer prior to entering the shuttle.  Shuttle vans have extra masks in case you forget yours.

Atelier is located within the gated community of Playa Mujeres which is north of downtown Cancun and well outside of the Hotel Zone.  Many lovely and exclusive all-inclusive resorts are located here including Excellence PM, The Beloved, Finest PM, Dreams PM, and Secrets PM.  Atelier can certainly provide some stiff competition in this area; it is one of the more visually stunning all-inclusive resorts I have ever visited (Hotel Xcaret Mexico continues to hold that #1 spot for me, however).  Pictures do not do Atelier justice, you have to be there to fully appreciate it’s luxurious appeal.  The general architecture, decor, color scheme, and details of the resort all combine to provide guests with an immediate feeling of relaxation and indulgence–those who appreciate a 5* resort experience will not be disappointed.

Upon departing the shuttle at Atelier, a bellman took our bags to be disinfected, offered us hand sanitizer, and directed us to a shoe disinfecting mat which all guests must step onto prior to entering the lobby area. (We were still wearing our masks at the time, and all hotel staff everywhere wore masks the entire time of our visit).  The lobby is a large area with no identifiable check-in counter; instead, there are desks off to the sides (which I imagine are where non-upgraded guests check-in), and multiple seating arrangements in the center which were very comfy.  I had booked an upgraded Inspira Jr. Swimout Suite and was led to the enclosed Inspira Lounge complete with more comfy seating arrangements, small bar area, and arrangement of snacks and hors d’oeuvres.  I was led through the check-in process by a very cordial employee who made sure we had our welcome drinks, copied passports, answered questions we had, made sure the Atelier app was on our smart phones, and had us complete an online health questionnaire (there is a QR code you scan during check-in).  We were then escorted to our suite which was conveniently located just one floor below the lobby area; the elevator to Inspira suites was conveniently nearby.  Just a quick note about the elevators–since Atelier is spread out with amenities located all over the resort, there was fairly good signage located both outside as well as inside all elevators which made it easier to at least know what floor button should be pushed.  There were stickers on elevator floors encouraging social distancing, and hand sanitizing stations were located nearby elevators as well as at other common areas throughout the resort.

Room decor and colors continued from the lobby area into our suite–there was almost a high-end loft suite feel to the room.  The most impressive aspect of the suite was the bathroom; I was so enamored I actually thought about how to renovate my bathroom at home in order to replicate its finer points.  Since bathroom privacy appears to be such a big factor in vacationing these days, Atelier has mastered the concept by providing sliding barn-type doors which can totally enclose the bathroom or leave it partially/totally open to the rest of the room.  Problem solved.  The bathroom had a soaking tub, double sinks, a lighted makeup mirror, strong hair dryer, a separate door leading out to the closets near the suite entrance just in case you want the barn-type doors to remain closed, and extra amenities like masks, hand sanitizing gel, bug repellent, a razor and shaving gel, toothbrush, and miscellaneous personal items.  Other included bathroom amenities were Molton Brown shower gel and shampoo.

The remainder of the suite was also nicely appointed–lots of plugins for charging devices, his ‘n hers closets, large space for storing luggage, digital safe, beach bag (with beach towel included), robes and slippers, phone which also looked like a mini-tablet, mini-fridge with what looked like mood lighting (Coke products included), snacks (Pringles, cookies, and candy bars), and in-room liquor–two types of Mezcals, tequila, rum, and Jack Daniels.  This came in very handy when using the swimup pool in the late afternoons; just call or use the app to contact the concierge and ask him/her to bring a bucket of ice since resort ice machines are not operational during COVID.  There was also a bottle of red wine and very nice wine glasses included in the room; make sure you bring your own wine bottle opener if you don’t want to wait for the concierge to bring one.  Also included in our room was a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine and daily sweets brought every afternoon, also a nice touch.

Anyone who regularly reads my blog posts knows that I love a good swimup room and terrace.  The suite exceeded my expectations; what also exceeded my expectations was how the terrace was equipped–round day bed with two towels, two full loungers, small table and chair, and a hand railing for those who need aid going down the steps into the swimup pool. Since Inspira swimups are located by the lobby and therefore back a ways from the pool and beach, the only view we got from our room was massive amounts of flora.  While it’s nice that the property was built with the intent of leaving much of the natural flora intact, it doesn’t make for much of a view from these suites.  For those of you who want a swimup suite with a view, try booking an Inspira Jr. Suite Swim Out Ocean View–you can see the swimup terrace of these rooms from the edge of the Inspira rooftop pool.

While in-room liquor is always a nice amenity, upgrading to an Inspira suite also gave us day access to the Inspira rooftop pool and El Cielo Sky Bar located on the 5th floor.  There are snacks served during the day, and guests have the option of choosing from several different types of seating including shaded in-pool sunken areas to day beds to groups of sofas.  The rooftop pool area has excellent resort and golf course views and is a cool, quiet place to hang out with great service.  Even the bar here has the newest fad–a lengthy mirror atop the liquor selections which allows those seated at the bar to see the great view behind them.  Very nice feature which I have only seen at the new Barcelo Maya Riviera.  FYI:  non-upgraded guests do not have daytime access to this area of the resort; while the bar becomes available to all guests after 6 p.m., the pool itself is not available at night.

For those interested in what else the Inspira upgrade has to offer, check this out:

• While check-in is supposed to include a complimentary hand massage, during COVID this can be obtained by contacting the spa and arranging to have it done at another time.
• Dine Around Pass Plus which allows you to dine in the evenings at the adjoining family-friendly Estudio Playa Mujeres’ restaurants (access to a total of 26 restaurants and bars with both resorts).
• complimentary dining at Maria Dolores (on-site restaurant for which non-upgraded guests have to pay extra).
• Access to rooftop pool and bar during the day (as previously noted).
• Private Lounge with access to bar, snacks, and private concierge services including dinner reservations.
• Tablet on Demand (ask if there are any available).
• Free phone calls to US, Canada, and Mexico.
• Gourmet To Go–have an early excursion?  Just request ahead of time that the resort pack a lunch to tide you over.
• If you are staying a minimum of five nights, you can get two golf rounds for free (I imagine that means greens fees, it’s typical for guests to still pay for club and cart rental).
• Thinking of bringing your dog?  You can bring your “family member” if it’s under 20 lbs.–advance approval required.
• Water Fun–I’m not sure what this really means, but I’m down the next time I stay here.  Guests are supposed to have access to a FlowRider, Aquabounce, and Aquatwister located at the local marina.

More about the rest of the resort.  Unless you have very specific tastes, foodies will love it here.  Generally speaking, the food at Atelier is the best I’ve had at any all-inclusive resort.  If you enjoy Japanese/Asian dining, you cannot miss Takeshi restaurant.  My daughter regularly eats sushi and sashimi and she was very impressed with the freshness and taste of dishes we tried here (no forks given so be prepared to eat with chopsticks–a hilarity of the evenings my daughter and I went to dinner at this restaurant since I don’t have much practice eating with chopsticks).  Don’t miss the steakhouse, Los Abrazos (definitely try the crab cake appetizer), and don’t miss Maria Dolores the gourmet restaurant.  I loved the street pork tacos for lunch at the poolside restaurant El Trompo (you can order food from your pool lounger as well), and check out the gelato ice cream at Cafecito Coffee Shop.  Don’t miss the breakfast buffet at Mercado 19, so many choices it’s ridiculous, but in a good way.   In regards to restaurants and COVID, guests are required to wear masks entering restaurants and until they are seated.  Masks can then be removed.  If at the buffet, guests must also wear masks when going up to buffet sections and choosing their food.  Also, at all restaurants you will be expected to order from the menus accessible via QR codes on every table.  While paper menus are still available, they are not the resort’s first choice during COVID.  FYI:  Staff are no longer serving buffet food to guests, guests are responsible for filling their own plates.  While I can see the practicality of this, I don’t see this as necessarily a good idea with COVID on the loose.  Bring your own bottle of hand sanitizer to every restaurant at this resort and use it religiously.  You will definitely need it at the buffet and the steakhouse (there is a separate buffet section for starters and side dishes at the steakhouse).

If you must have your workouts while on vacation, the gym is open at Atelier.  It is one of the better equipped gyms I’ve seen at an all-inclusive resort with all kinds of equipment (Technogym is the specific brand).  No one was using the equipment while I was there so I’m not sure of the safety protocols practiced here during COVID, but there was a shoe disinfectant mat outside the gym entrance.  I did not check out the spa since I am typically not a spa person, so I cannot comment on that resort amenity.  Nor can I comment on the theater; since I was vacationing with my daughter we ate dinner late and generally spent our evening chatting and relaxing back in the room.

One amenity I did use quite a bit was the main pool at Atelier.  It is L-shaped with a swim-up bar at each end (yes, swim-up bars here are open).  For those wary of COVID, it’s best to avoid the El Trompo swim-up bar in the afternoons–no one wears masks in or out of the pool, even when ordering drinks, and it gets VERY crowded at this swim-up bar in the p.m.  We took one look at all the people shoulder-to-shoulder with no masks and said “no thanks” and promptly headed to the El Suspiro swim-up bar, much less crowded.  If you’re in the pool a lot, there was a bridge which you could stand under and chat or drink out of the sun.  There were lots of complimentary poolside Bali beds, but these go very early–standard practice at most resorts with amenities like this is to get up very early, place a personal item and towel on the bed, then go back to sleep and claim it later.  Unfair, but unfortunately common practice.  Near the main pool was a huge Jacuzzi (the resort called it a “Hydro Pool”) which is not heated but the jets were strong.

If you are going from the pool area to the beach, please be aware that the wooden walkway gets hotter than blazes in the p.m.  So hot, in fact, that it may burn your feet.  Always wear some sort of shoe from the pool to the beach if traveling this route.  The actual beach is great at this resort (soft white sand, stays cool with the heat); there were more beach Bali beds than I’ve ever seen at one resort location.  Inspira guests have their own separate section on the south end of the beach with their own beach concierge, while some hammocks can be found in the back of the beach for all guests. These beds are all complimentary with servers coming around regularly to take drink orders.  There were two sets of swings located in the water and no water hammocks as seen on resort photos; the swings seemed to be primarily used for photo ops while we were there.  There was a problem with sargassum while staying at this resort, but there is no knowing when this tidal event will happen.  It did take away from some of the beauty of the resort, but it certainly is no fault of the resort itself, just Mother Nature (as a result of climate change/rising ocean temperature and fertilizer runoff in other countries).

Just a last note about Atelier and COVID.  This resort is for those wanting to get back to their old way of life while on vacation with minimal disruption due to COVID.  Outside of initially entering the resort and checking in, no guests wore masks here (that we could see) outside of entering restaurants and going up for food at the buffet.  Bringing your own hand sanitizer and carrying it with you wherever you go at this resort, particularly to restaurants, may be of help in avoiding contagion.  While guests were mostly mask-less here, the Atelier staff we saw ALWAYS wore masks and could be seen cleaning throughout the resort.  Would I return here?  I would come back in a heartbeat.  It’s a beautiful resort with a relaxed yet elegant ambiance.  I would love to come back when COVID is not an issue to see in totality what the resort has to offer.

Take a moment or two and and enjoy the photo gallery below–just click on any of the thumbnails to get a larger view of the picture.  There are several pics of the adjacent family-friendly resort, Estudio Playa Mujeres; these pics are located at the end of the picture gallery.

The comments in this review are those of the author/reviewer.  This trip was paid for in its entirety by the author; at no time were any monies or services exchanged for this review.

Location:  40 min. north of the Cancun airport.

Telephone:  52-998-500-4800

email:  reservations@adh.com