When entrepreneur Tara Medina and architect Andrés Saavedra began dreaming up MUSA (Modern Utopian Society of Adventurers), a hotel-meets-real-estate project in the Mexican state of Guerrero, they knew that they wanted it to feel, above all, like a community. It’s an approach that’s driven a lot of hospitality developments throughout Mexico lately, from Mérida to Todos Santos. The business partners, who started Loot, a surf and lifestyle brand in Zihuatanejo, have always been on the cusp of the next cool thing. Having lived and worked on various real estate developments in the area, they asked themselves: What does an ideal community look like? It didn’t matter if the master plan took months or even years to realize (which it did). They were determined to make sure that the slice of virgin land they’d purchased in 2020, on Mexico’s Pacific coast 30 miles south of Zihuatanejo, would honor their vision.
Now, the first stage of the 177-acre jungled plot is nearing completion. Around 6,500 trees have been planted; some homeowners—including creatives from Mexico and tech entrepreneurs from the United States—have moved into their modular wood-and-glass second homes; and the anticipated Hotelito, set in a slick cement building designed by Saavedra, opened its doors last spring. There’s a swimming pool and a coral reef restoration project, but one of the biggest draws is access to MUSA’s programming, from sound baths to DJ sessions and evenings with visiting chefs. Fully underway is the artists-in-residence program, in which artists, as well as sommeliers and mixologists, work on-site.
More collaboration is coming. In early 2024, MUSA will welcome Los Angeles–based multisensory artist Lachlan Turczan, who is creating an immersive sound and light show. The team will also unveil a number of art pavilions, which will be scattered around the property. Pieces have been commissioned from the English musician and visual artist Brian Eno and the Peruvian sculptor Aldo Chaparro. It’s meant to be like a sculpture garden, which will grow as MUSA does. Also in the pipeline: soil regeneration, more tree planting, and their own clean water supply. Medina and Saavedra aren’t just building a community—they’re trying to create a better way of life.
This article appeared in the January/February 2024 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.
