Be Playa

The bold color palette here is a deliberate rebuke to the all-white boutique hotel playbook that dominates this stretch of coast. With 23 suites drawing from Far Eastern villa design as much as Mayan influence, the architecture plays clever games with tropical light: opening rooms to the breeze while cutting the brutal midday glare. Junior suites have whirlpool tubs that spill onto the balcony. The pool deck does double duty, a sunning spot by day and the social center by night.