The Adult Playpen

by Ella Anderson

It was to be a mother-daughter trip, something we hadn’t done since my college days. Back in April, my parents visited and were set to stay for almost two whole weeks. I could see the wheels turning in Dad’s head as he contemplated being dragged hiking, and shopping, and dining, and and and. So the plan was hatched to send my mom and I somewhere else, together, for a few days. I immediately thought of the newly opened W Retreat & Spa in Vieques. Open only a few weeks at the time of our visit, I crossed my fingers that the resort would be smoothly running
by our arrival.
The W experience starts as soon as you exit the tarmac: the private W Lounge is where you hang till you’re driven to the resort. Smart. My mom and I gave each other a look that meant, “This is going to be awesome, isn’t it.” My mom had never been to a W, so the whole vibe was new to her. Stateside
W’s have a reputation for being the coolest kid on the block, a winning combination of friendly employees, excellent
service, and of-the-moment design and entertainment. I wondered if that combination was even possible in the Caribbean,
our Caribbean, but I was anxious to explore the only hip hotel in our vicinity.
We arrived to smiling faces and a room upgrade. The W Retreat sprawls across 30 acres on the north side of the island, and is simply stunning. Everything sways, from the long sea grass to the billowing outdoor curtains, to the palm trees, and the effect is mesmerizing.

Superstar designer Patricia Urquiola conceptualized the buildings with help from superstar architecture firm the Rockwell Group. British Colonial it ain’t. And the guest rooms? Huge! Ours was 650 square feet, and even the smallest configuration is 550. My mom immediately nestled herself into the room’s signature Chill Chair, and I grabbed my camera to capture all the clever design details (the rope drawer pulls, the texture of the curtains, the freestanding metal tub, the massive concrete tiles). And can I tell you about the pool? Or more specifically the pool loungers? They float in about six inches of water, and why every pool isn’t designed like this, I don’t know, because it’s beyond perfect. The resort also has two sides—basically the party
(pool) side and the quiet side. On the quiet side they do yoga on the lawn in the early morning, and there’s no music, just rocking chairs. On the party side you are in close proximity to the pool, the ambient music and the Living Room/Bar areas.
Later I spoke to General Manager Jonathan Heath about the differences between a W Hotel and a W Retreat. He related a story about a recent guest who was crazy angry that there was no casino in the hotel. “It’s more a Robinson Crusoe feel here,” he mused, as he went on to describe future plans to obtain a boat for the resort, and his and Room Director Oscar Fontana’s search for a deserted island they can decamp to for guest excursions. (Clearly, this man loves his job.) “And, once more of these open [Retreats], I think people will know what to expect,” Heath finished.
Vieques is only the second Retreat opened by the Starwood
group, with Indonesia and Thailand next.
Throughout our brief stay there (just 3 days) I watched my mom getting more and more relaxed. “I think this is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been,” she said quietly one morning at breakfast, as she gazed out beyond the bluff to the sea. Indeed,
another guest, a Manhattanite, who said he’s stayed at nearly all of the W Hotels told me, “This one is the best.”
Certainly there are things to do outside of the W--we took a moonlight tour of the bioluminescent bay, and had dinner in Esperanza (the concierge recco’ed El Quenepo, so good)—but for a short trip I was content to stay at the resort and enjoy my mom’s company. We had a spa day, we drank too many tropical drinks, we laughed so much.
After my return home, I shot friends some of the photos from our little vacation and one emailed back, “Hey is that an adult playpen you’re sitting in?” And I thought, yes, it was, and I was happy as a bebé.

Vieques, PR
W Retreat & Spa, Vieques, (787) 741-4100. Pet friendly and very handicapped accessible. Check the website for specials! www.wvieques.com