Basico
Playa del Carmen, Yucatan, Mexico
Industrial-chic design hotel on Playa Del Carmen's main party street, perfect for socialites and supermodels
Picture a pair of recycled petroleum tanks transformed into
swimming pools with the most spectacular view of the Caribbean Sea,
cabanas fabricated from old trucks to lounge in whilst sipping a
cocktail, 106sqm of tyre cleverly fashioned as flooring and blinds,
uncovered piping in the rooms and elevated beds - and you start to
grasp the raw concept behind this hip hotel. Básico is not
for the reserved or faint-hearted; quite the opposite.
Bedrooms flaunt floor-to-ceiling windows and the
incredibly sociable staff mingle with guests on the terrace, where
the party resounds every night until the early hours.
The hotel is themed around 1950s Mexico, a time when the oil
industry was growing rapidly. Architect Hectar Galvan has made 70%
of the building out of recycled materials drawn from oil tankers.
It's a remarkable edifice, the antithesis of a run-of-the-mill
hotel. So if you're looking for highly individual and quirky
design, coupled with one of the best party scenes in Playa Del
Carmen, then look no further.
Reviewed by Emilie Witham
Last updated 16 September 2011
Highs
- The design is fun, unique and playful
- The fantastic fish restaurant serves fresh catch from the Gulf coast at modest prices
- The large terrace has 2 circular swimming pools gazing out to the Caribbean
- The young staff, all gorgeous, are there to keep the atmosphere alive
- There's an abundance of restaurants, bars and clubs to choose from within a stone's throw of the hotel
Lows
- It can get quite noisy in the evenings; expect to hear sounds from the terrace and the street below until about 1am
- The rooms aren't to everyone's taste and are a case of form over function, with limited storage space, high-rise beds and semi-open-plan bathrooms; but this is all part of the fun (if you want more spacious rooms stay at sister hotel Deseo)
- The sun streams in through the windows in the morning; you might wake to the smell of burning rubber as it heats up the blinds, and if you want to sleep in it's worth coming armed with an eye mask
- We've heard recent reports of rotting doors, blocked plugs and sporadic hot water
As clean, sparse and simple as its name implies, Basico elegantly captures the down-to-earth aspects of Mexican culture without sacrificing its glamour...
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