Hot List Hotels 2008
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Boulevard Kukulkán, Km 12.5
Zona Hotelera
Cancún
Mexico
77500
Tel: 800 343 7821
Tel: 52 998 881 7600
A handful of style-conscious resorts have popped up in Cancún since the rebuilding fervor following Hurricane Wilma in late 2005. But the reopening of the 371-room Aqua (after being destroyed by the storm) sets the bar higher. Yes, it has the now-obligatory aromatherapy menus, iPod docks, and sharp staff uniforms (black-and-white caftans, in this case), and check-in is done on sumptuous sofas, overlooking the eight pools that fill the space between the building's two angular white wings. But what really sets this resort apart is its food. Mexico City's queen of alta cocina, Martha Ortiz, elevates tacos to high art at Siete, as mosaics of pop icons like Frida Kahlo look down from pillars. At MB, hot Miami chef Michelle Bernstein favors gutsy dishes with Latin and Asian influences. Even drinks get the celebrity treatment: "wine geek" Steve Olson has concocted mezcal cocktails, plus a solid wine program—a treat in Mexico, where vino is expensive and not always well cared for. In the two hip lounges, one a library with photography and design books lining its walls, the other a red-lit glass box that faces the pools and the sea, a DJ spins electronica and house—this is one place you definitely won't hear "YMCA."
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