Welcome to Playa Azul

For my latest assignment I was hired to shoot Playa Azul Hotel in Tulum, Mexico. It happens to be one of my long-time favorite establishments in the area, so I was thrilled about the opportunity to play freely on its beach turf. Playa Azul has all the trappings of what Tulum has become famous for – pristine white-sand beach lined with lush tropical gardens, hammocks swaying under palm trees, and accommodations of rooms and free-standing cabañas with a perfect balance of rustic and modern comfort. Conveniently, there’s a great beachside bar and restaurant to quench your cravings for local flavors and even a sports club for the hyperactive guest in search of a kitesurfing lesson or a kayak adventure. To top things off, Playa Azul frequently hosts live dj sessions, acoustic musical events and destination dream-weddings.

All the beloved Caribbean details aside, what’s truly unique about Playa Azul for me, is the undeniably Catalan influence in its ambience. Manifested into life by one of the hotel owners hailing from Barcelona, it feels as if Miró and Picasso reincarnated in Mexico and put together a perfectly laid-back Caribbean beach hotel. Exploring Playa Azul’s humorous and unrestrained collection of discarded objects repurposed for new use as furniture, lamps and chandeliers crafted out of otherwise useless glass bottles, and other curiosities hauled to Tulum from markets in Oaxaca, I often felt like I was on a photographic treasure hunt. Here are some of my favorite finds from the shoot.