The Digest | New Jersey Magazine
Issue link: https://magazines.vuenj.com/i/925836
ever laid eyes on). Below, the forecourt is lined with large-scale Persian rugs and a double-helix staircase leads guests up to the panoramic roof deck. e hotel acts as a canvas, and Malca is its curator. Inside, rooms are both sparse and abundant at the same time. Raw, rustic- looking materials give Casa Malca its sustainable status while leaving guests no other option than to focus on the hotel's simple pleasures—its art. Every corner boasts some sort of work whether train traffic lights, old dental chairs, shoe lasts or heirloom dolls, to name a few, and the pieces on display are regularly rotated in and out. at way, no matter when you visit, you're guaranteed a different viewing experience every time. Part of Malca's personal success has been bringing emerging artists into the spotlight and with his hotel, it's an opportunity to dictate who deserves recognition. e property offers usual hotel-like amenities, but in a way that speaks to its unique personality. e steam room, for example, has a James Turrell-inspired installation which lights up with alternating colors. Did we also mention that it's located underground? e Keith Haring-themed bar area, while totally Instagrammable, was also exclusively designed for Casa Malca, and features a custom black and white patterned wallpaper head-to-toe. e "Malca Suite" which can be considered the hotel's crème de la crème boarding option, is located on the second floor and wishful thinking will have you believe that this is the room in which Escobar himself slept. is is also where Malca's personal art collection is displayed most prominently. Tulum, while a tropical paradise, bares no resemblance to its resort-driven neighbors. It is full of myth, magical realism and now, Malca's home-turned- hotel which is worthy of a museum. Not only is it filled with art, but Casa Malca is a work of art. Resurrected from its glory days as Escobar's elaborate villa, it has redeemed itself in fairytale-like fashion—born out of discovery, where beach meets jungle and art meets nature. VUE ON ART V U E N J . C O M 81