Week No. 281

Mexico’s next big hot spot; TV dinner but make it chic; mossy, but midcentury

Stay of the Week

Mexico’s next big hot spot

Mexico was once best known for its massive resorts and all-inclusives for Spring Break trips and other excuses to drink tequila, eat too many chips, and bake in the sun. But (thankfully) in the past decade or so, travel trends in Mexico have shifted towards smaller, more intimate, design-focused hotels with exceptional architecture that leverage nature to help guests experience what the country really has to offer. One spot we’ve had our eye on lately is La Valise Mazunte in Mazunte, Oaxaca. Not only is it located in a region expected to be the country’s next biggest thing, the six-suite (+1 villa) property is perched on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean with unobstructed views of crashing waves against rocky cliffs. The town of Mazunte itself is known for its laid-back surf culture as well as being a nesting ground for sea turtles (say less). The hotel’s design invites you to connect with the area, featuring open-air spaces, natural materials, and terraces that blur the line between indoors and out. Let’s book a trip before the town is an official hot spot.

Launch of the Week

TV dinner but make it chic

There’s something so nostalgic about a TV tray. Whether it brings back memories of being allowed to eat dinner in front of the TV as a special treat when you were a kid, or you remember seeing them at your grandparents’ house, TV trays were a thing. And today, people probably eat dinner in front of the TV more than at any other time (for several reasons, be it DoorDash or small apartments where the couch is also a dining chair). We digress, but this all brings us to the 5–9 TV Tray Table from Lazy Jamie, a new launch that is now at the top of our wishlist. It makes me want to not just have dinner in front of the TV, but make it chic: put the takeout on your favorite plate, light a candle, pour a glass of wine, use cloth napkins. Today’s rain might just be what we need to hit the checkout button.

Space of the Week

Mossy, but midcentury?

Manitoga, Russel Wright’s “house in nature,” is proof that good design doesn’t have to choose between wild and refined. Only 1.5 hrs from NYC, tucked into 75 acres of Hudson Highlands forest, this National Historic Landmark was once an abandoned quarry, until Wright spent decades transforming it into a living, breathing collaboration between architecture and landscape. The result? Glass walls built into boulders, green roofs that blur into mossy hillsides, and trails that wind past waterfalls and swimming holes like something out of a fairytale (if fairytales had midcentury furniture). Today, the site hosts artist residencies, tours, and exhibitions that carry forward Wright’s philosophy: that design should live in harmony with nature, not on top of it. Consider this your sign to trade your office view for the forest canopy, at least for an afternoon.