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umor has it that the late Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar, set up shop in Tulum sometime during the 1980s. Notorious for cocaine trafficking and countless private properties around the world, Escobar's Mexican megamansion was said to have bulletproof walls and a secret tunnel in the event "Don Pablo" needed to make a timely escape. e former hideout was le vacant following his death in 1993, when Escobar was gunned down during a shootout with security forces. Over two decades later, the beach property now stands as an art- centric boutique hotel owned by famed New York gallerist, Lio Malca. During a trip to Tulum in 2012, Malca, who was looking to buy real estate, stumbled upon the Escobar compound which had since been abandoned. It was to his surprise that no person nor corporation had tried to obtain the property prior to him, as it was seemingly untouched by time. Aer numerous failed attempts at purchasing the property, Malca came to learn that it had actually belonged to the original owner before Escobar, due to the fact that the house was seized by the Mexican government aer Escobar's passing. With a little legwork, Malca managed to acquire the land and begin the restoration. While maintaining the feel of the landscape, Malca incorporated additional structural elements that give the home its architectural feel. With help from Alejandro Bahamón and Fernando Clamo of Latinta—the interior, while minimalist, is characterized by broad proportions, high ceilings, wide walls and polished cement flooring. Initially, Malca planned to use the space as his personal vacation home but aer word got out, more and more people wanted to visit. Today, the original nine-room main house has expanded into a 41-room luxury hotel known as Casa Malca. Sitting on the coast of Caribbean waters, Casa Malca is not just another resort. As the first art-inspired accomodation in Tulum, it is just as much a design destination as it is a five-star getaway. e site rests just beyond the the Sian Ka'an reserve, which translates to "heaven's gate" in Mayan. It consists of tropical forests, mangroves and marshes which give Casa Malca its remote, dreamlike illusion. e hotel is burrowed between a dense, verdant jungle and azure seas—filled top to bottom, inside and out, with Malca's own art collection. Consider it an extension of his personal galleries, but one that 2 0 1 - 8 6 9 - 2 2 7 2 7 2 01 R i ve r R d , N o r t h B e rg e n , N J 0 7 0 4 7 For a seriously clean car. VUE ON ART

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