Casa Malca

Secluded in low jungle and set behind a gorgeous stretch of palm-shaded white sand, this opulent, eccentric retreat was once drug baron Pablo Escobar’s Yucatan beach house.

Rooms are housed in sugar-cube villas dotted hidden by trees and they stand in arty contrast to Tulum’s standard sandals-and-yoga chic architecture: with glass walls, polished concrete and comfortable furnishings (woven carpets, velvet bed boards, neo-rococo chairs and sofas you can sink into…).

Public areas are crammed with startling abstract and figurative modernist art (collected by art empresario owner Lio Malca). And there’s a sumptuous pool and spa.