Kris Fuchs [left] with her longtime best friend, Jennifer Miller, owner of Jennifer Miller Jewelry

One of KDHamptons favorite Hamptonites is Water Mill resident and SUITE New York, founder, Kris Fuchs. Known as Manhattan’s leading modern and contemporary furniture and design showroom, SUITE New York has worked on projects such as the New York Public Library, Lincoln Center, Alain Ducasse’s Benoit, and the apartments at the Gramercy, to name a few. One of Kris’ many charms is her passion to live a “work hard/play well” lifestyle. She shares with KDHamptons, “After a busy fall at SUITE, I was really looking forward to my annual trip to Zihuatanejo, a small Mexican beach town near Ixtapa. We stay at the oceanfront hotel Casa Que Canta in the owner’s home which is called El Murmullo or “The Whisper,” but everyone calls it “The Mushroom House” because the mushroom-like thatch rooflines.” Hit the beach with Kris in this NEW KDHamptons Travel Diary, below:

The “Mushroom House” at Casa Que Canta

KDHamptons: How long have you been traveling to Zihuatanejo and why do you love it so much?

Kris Fuchs: I have spent every New Years there with my daughters and best friends for ten years. It’s always the same group: My boyfriend of 9 years, George, my two daughters Sage (21) and Laura (18), and my best friends of over 30 years Jennifer Miller and Maria Sepulveda and their husbands, Mark and Peter.  It’s become quite a tradition. We love to stay there over and over because it is truly a hidden gem. The weather is always sunny and hot. It rarely rains that time of year. Those who know me well know I am definitely a sun worshipper — It’s sand over snow for me.

Kris [far right] with her New Years crew.

[image via Casa Que Canta]

KDHamptons:  What is a typical day like in Zihuatanejo?

Kris: A typical day at El Murmullo goes like this: We all get up and have breakfast together and have an hour long yoga class by the pool with a local instructor named Pilar who has been teaching us for years. Recently, we’ve had a water aerobics teacher come on some days too to teach us a fun class in the infinity pool. The house is set on the tranquil horseshoe beach, La Ropa, where we all run and swim throughout the day.  We lay by the pool and read. Everyone is outside all day. After a big family dinner we turn in to watch movies before bed. Throughout the year we each compile a list of classic movies or TV series we want to watch and everyone votes. Lights are usually out by 11pm.

KDHamptons: Any fun “off-campus” activities?

Kris: Yes, the guys always play golf at a local course one day during the trip, and that day the girls all go on a boat ride to an Ixtapa beach where the locals hang out. On New Years Eve there is a tradition at sunset to release baby sea turtles into the ocean. On New Year’s night, Zijuatanejo puts on the most incredible fireworks display and we have a front row seat from the house.

Kris and Jennifer Miller’s husband, Mark Ehret

KDHamptons: Did you bump into any Hamptonites in Mexico?

Kris: We did not, but we did run into a few Californians that were staying at the hotel and had them over for cocktails. As luck would have it, one of them turned out to be a client of ours, San Francisco interior designer Jay Jeffers! What a small world.

[image via Casa Que Canta]

KDHamptons: How is the local food in Zihuat? What was your favorite restaurant, or meal?

Kris: The house comes with a wonderful staff who have been the same people more or less for the last ten years. Our favorite chef, Marvel, cooks the most incredible Mexican dishes from fine cuisine to mama’s comfort food. He makes yucatan pork, homemade pasta, quesadillas, fresh chips, salsa and obviously to-die-for guacamole. He sources the freshest fruits, vegetables and seafood. We eat lunch and dinner family-style, and you can order whatever you want for breakfast from pancakes to fresh fruit smoothies to huevos rancheros. There are so many great restaurants in town, but when you have Marvel – why go out?  A few nights during the week we’ll go up to the hotel after dinner to do tequila tasting and let the guys smoke their Cubans.

KDHamptons: Any great fashion or accessory finds on the beach?

Kris: Unlike other Mexican resort cities, Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa aren’t big shopping destinations. We are fine with that since the trip is more about sun, surf and delicious food. The town has mostly T-shirt, surf and souvenir shops, but there are few hidden gems. I know of a small jewelry store called Alberto’s for great silver cuffs and a daily artisan market on Calle Cinco de Mayo where you can find handmade goods like tablecloths, hammocks and baskets.

KDHamptons: Will you be traveling anywhere else this winter?

Kris: I will be going for a long weekend to my favorite hideaway outside the city, The Mayflower Inn. As you can gather, I’m a creature of habit, and have been going to the Mayflower religiously for 25 years. I even celebrated my 50th birthday there last year with a group of friends. It’s only two hours away by car and the healthy, relaxing environment they offer is so rejuvenating. Plus, they have the fluffiest, most comfortable beds that I always look forward to. There are still some staff members there from my first trip in 1990 who make every visit extra special for me.

The Mayflower Inn

I will also be heading to Parrot Cay in Turks & Caicos during Presidents Day for a short getaway with my daughters – another place we have been going for years. We go for sun and sand and keep going back for the outstanding service. Their COMO Shambhala spa is, by my ranking, one of the best in the world.

*For more information  about SUITE New York, click HERE