Atelier Playa Mujeres

My husband and I stayed at Atelier for our 10 year anniversary and had a lovely time. The resort is beautiful, service at the bars and restaurants is amazing. The room is so clean and modern. There are a lot of details that make this hotel so awesome (breathtaking views, restaurants, coffee shop, juice bar, fully stocked big gym, bars everywhere, etc,.) BUT there are some major issues. Which is why I won’t give it a 5 star. We booked in June (7 months before travel) and did not get the room we booked due to “overbooking”. The front desk staff were absolutely AWFUL to deal with. They need some serious training in customer service! They Were rude and didn’t seem to care or be phased by the fact that what I was upset that what I had paid for and expected for my 10 year anniversary was not in fact a reality. When asking to speak to a manager or someone in charge, he/she was “not here right now”. In 5 days I was never able to get in touch with someone in a higher level role. After 2 days of complaining I decided to give up and enjoy what was left of my vacation. When letting them know I’d be writing a review, a lady behind the desk smiled and said “sure you can do that”. So obviously customer service is not a priority in the front doors of the hotel. Interesting though because it Seems to be important everywhere else on the resort. Maybe the restaurants and bar servers should train the front desk/check in people. Anyway, This place is amazing, but if you are picky about getting what you pay for, be prepared for trouble at check in. Read less

We had a wonderful experience at the resort. We tend to visit the beach but spend most of our time at the pool. The waitstaff was amazing. Bartenders were fun, and very accommodating. We had wonderful service at breakfast and dinner. We have every lunch by the pool. The buffet at breakfast is amazing. We loved that you could get a quesadilla made fresh. We loved the casual chic dress code for dinner, and that you didn't need a reservation. The food was the best we have found at a all inclusive resort. We did venture to estudio one night for Italian, and that was our only negative experience. One person in our group didn't receive food and when he asked about it the waiter argued that he didn't order. In fact 2 of the group weren't asked for their order, and we had to flag the waiter down to order. Overall I was impressed with the amenities that were offered. The rooms were amazing, and we didn't upgrade. The concierge on the phone ap was quick to reply to any questions we had! We have been to a different resort every year for the last 12 years. After visiting with the group this is the first everyone wants to go back to. We will be booking again. Read less

I spent two weeks at the Atelier Playa Mujeres with husband and my 3 adult children over Christmas and New Years. My husband and I had a swim-out room. I would only recommend a swim-out if they can guarantee the sunny side. We were first put on the shaded/golf side and it was FREEZING! We were moved on our second day and greatly appreciated the concierge for obliging our request. The other rooms were on second and 3rd floor. We ate at all the restaurants and really liked the Japanese at both adult side and family side. The Italian was also very good. I have no complaints about the food except they didn't really have any Mexican food like burritos or fajitas. They had tacos at the poolside bar/restaurant and on the room service- which we did the room service a few times as well. Everything on the property is so well kept. The coffee shops and made to order smoothies were amazing! The resort has a nice spa and a very nice work-out/gym program area. We did not swim in the rooftop pool but we did go to the rooftop bar a few times. My two cents for improvement: 1) Be more strict on the beach about adult side and family/kid side. 2) Do not spray for mosquitoes when people are around. I would recommend this resort for adults who like things laid back with luxury. Read less

This hotel is beautiful. The view is breathtaking. We had a swim out room with ocean view, amazing. Restaurants are amazing. My only complaint is that there was a day I opened the curtains to enjoy the view and there were people on my patio! Maintenance guys with a ladder. At one point it seemed like they were just sitting on the side wall, hanging out. We didn’t get a heads up from the lobby. I called and was told they were going to leave shortly. They ended up staying for more than half the day so my husband and I didn’t get to enjoy the view from our own room. Curtains had to stay closed cause I felt so uncomfortable. Read less

Before you read the review, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE bring along a stack of dollar bills when you go ($10-$15 a day or so) and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tip the servers and housekeepers and baristas and other staffers that you interact with a buck or two or three. They work SO HARD here to make your stay a delight, and we were absolutely appalled to see so few people acknowledge them with kind words and tips. Don't be an ugly tourist. OK, on to the review.... Lots of pluses here: --Nicely appointed room w great amenities. We booked the junior king suite w ocean view; opt for something on fourth floor if you go that route, tho you will get some ambient pool noise 10 am-6 pm or rooftop bar noise 9-11 pm, depending on your location. --Very good to occasionally excellent dining. Servers and maitre d's are mostly on-point. We tried all the restaurants, liked them all. Breakfast at Mercado 19 every day is expansive, savory, sweet, and has something (many somethings!) for everyone. Cilento's mushroom risotto for lunch hit the spot, but if you go for the brick-oven pizza, ask them to cook it a little longer than normal if you like your crust a bit charred. Takeshi's Asian menu (all of Asia, not just Japan which the name might suggest) was better than the steakhouse for dinner, tho both were good. Also for dinner, El Suspiro just switched to an authentic Mexican menu that was top-notch, as was the wait staff and management. Also had lunch here, a whole grouper that was perfectly done. The BBQ dinner on the lawn was good, too, tho it needs a bit more lighting! Salads and buffets everywhere were fine, as was the one time we tried room service. Cafecito is a big plus; get your cappuccino here before breakfast, or a late-night gelato, or some carrot cake. All good! We didn't feel the need to go to the eStudio side and hang out at the non-adult resort, tho it is available, and we did not dine at the one paid restaurant, Maria Dolores. --Drinks are readily available because there are SO MANY BARS!!! No joke, there is a bar outside the sports bar, and guy who makes specialty drinks from a cart next to that bar! Top-shelf booze everywhere. --The staff. Really, 99 percent of the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. (Yeah, there were a couple of sourpusses, but they were far, far outnumbered by quality across the board.) I wish I could name the standouts, but I don't remember all their names, so just feel confident that nearly everyone will take good care of you. --The gym is loaded with great equipment, nice layout. Used it once, very pleased. --The resort is kept impeccably clean. --No mosquitoes, but we also traveled in mid-January outside the rainy season. --Entertainment was better than expected. Karaoke was a blast, casino night was fun, as were the water zumba and yoga classes. There's also volleyball, bocce ball, you'll find something to do if that's your thing, and all the instructors were very good and talented. --Your wristband includes a chip that opens the door, so you never have to worry about having your key. A couple of things on the minus side that kept this from being five-star: --The app is garbage, and I can't understand why the resort fails to acknowledge it and keeps pushing it. IT DOES NOT WORK ON iPHONES--period. And if you're the sort that needs a map or info or wants room service, you'll struggle a bit because the app is where they've pushed a lot of that content. You would think they'd've hired an IT expert to come in and fix it by now. Maybe some day... --Some staff still seems to be working out kinks and learning the ins and outs. Some conflicting info from time to time (one person said we could make dinner reservations, another said we couldn't), and some (just a few really) staffers struggle with English and had a bit of time communicating with guests who could not speak/understand Spanish. There was also one diminutive fey concierge (I did not get his name) who really should move to another department. He seemed to go out of his way to be unhelpful in a position that demands being helpful. (Meanwhile, another concierge tracked down duct tape that I needed one night to make an emergency suitcase repair and delivered it to my room, so again, the 99 percent are the ones who will make your stay special. Ignore the 1 percent.) --No idea who sells time shares, and we were put off by reviews that mentioned it, but we were never approached. Recommended! Book here without hesitation. Read less