Casa Malca

Inside Pablo Escobar's Tulum Mansion Turned Luxury Hotel, Casa Malca

"Once the vacation home of Pablo Escobar and long abandoned with rumors of bulletproof walls and a hidden escape tunnel, this grand mansion was reinvented in 2014 by a prominent Colombian art collector into a 71-key luxury boutique hotel set in the tangled Caribbean jungle of the Riviera Maya on the white-sand shores of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Rooms and suites are eclectic and art-forward, featuring plush king beds, colorful Persian rugs, velvet curtains, massive headboards and artwork from the owner’s private collection; many rooms face the Caribbean while others sit tucked in the jungle. Dining options span three restaurants and an atmospheric bar: a main gourmet restaurant that blends local ingredients with international techniques (noted for seafood, meats and fresh vegetables), a contemporary Asian spot led by Chef Jonathan Carbajal offering sushi-grade salmon, bluefin tuna and crispy rice, and a casual beachfront venue for light bites and drinks, plus a sophisticated cocktail bar with opulent décor and original Keith Haring wallpaper. The property offers three pools (two surrounded by palms and sea sounds and one set in an underground cave), comfortable daybeds, hammocks, shaded cabanas and a picture-ready beach tunnel linking pool and ocean. A rooftop spa provides treatments that blend modern wellness with ancient Mayan techniques and includes a hydrotherapy circuit with sauna, steam room, cold plunge and hydromassage jacuzzi."