Chablé Resort & Spa, Chochola

A luxury hideaway inspired by ancient Mayan culture opens in the depths of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Chablé Resort & Spa, CHOCHOLA. Words: Emma Love | Photography: © Kenny Viese (unless otherwise stated)

Before building could get under way at Chablé – a 25-minute drive from Merida in Mexico’s Yucatán province – a shaman was asked to come in and cleanse the 750-acre grounds. Abandoned for the past 70 years or so, the property was previously a working hacienda where henequen, a native plant processed as a textile, was grown. It was purchased 12 years ago by a Mexican family who spent much of that time creating the concept for the luxury resort, now managed by Hamak Hotels and a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. The story of the shaman is symbolic of just how integral the Mayan culture is to the overall approach. “The aim of the hotel is to continue telling the story of this ancient hacienda and the Mayan traditions through its unique architecture and design elements but move it into the 21st-century,” explains General Manager Rocco Bova. The original main house of the 19th-century hacienda, known as the Casa Principal, remains – it’s now split into a reception area, library and bar – as do many other partly crumbling walls that punctuate the landscape. These have been incorporated into several of the 40 standalone casitas by Mexican architect Jorge Borja of Grupo BV, mostly as entrance archways.

Low-level, white and modernist, from the outside the casitas – each named after animals, trees and gods – wouldn’t look out of place in Palm Springs. Jungle-framed pathways lead to a private outdoor area with a hammock that hangs over a pool and a pair of loungers, while shade from the midday sun comes courtesy of Tuuci’s parasols, finished in the manufacturer’s own aluma-teak material. For the interiors, the owners enlisted Mexico City designer Paulina Moran, who based her colour palette on the cenote at the centre of the spa. “The green in the casitas represents the cenote but also the jungle that gives each room privacy,” she explains of the waterfilled cave formations. “With that as the starting point, we have used hues such as aqua and turquoise that can be matched together. You won’t find any red, for instance, because it just doesn’t belong in this natural world.”

A simple yet effective combination of sandstone walls, marble floors and floor-to-ceiling glass on three sides – including bathroom doors which open onto a hard wood-decked outdoor shower – gives the feeling of sleeping right in the middle of the jungle. All materials are sourced locally, from the round ceramic sinks made by Taller Experimental de Ceramica, to the embroidered cushions on the sofas by Hilando Mexico, a social project that combines cultural heritage with the work of Mexican artisans. Specially commissioned tonal paintings here and throughout the property are by Mexican artists including Carlos Clausal, Fernando M. Diaz and Alejandro von Zeschau.

The largest of the casitas, the Presidential and Royal Suites, each sleep six. The latter has an open-plan living and dining room with a wood and white onyx bar, a cosy cinema with double blue velvet day beds, and a master bedroom with a headboard fashioned from a tree root found in the hacienda. “We respect nature so no trees were cut down; we only used what had already fallen,” recalls Moran of the piece. “We worked closely with Kanda Group, a furniture manufacturer in Merida, on the bark sculptures and handcrafted custom-made wooden furniture. Everything was sanded, treated and softly waxed.” In the ensuite bathroom a freestanding bath, handcarved in the nearby town of Dzitya, complements distressed apple green wooden doors that open directly to the outdoor L-shaped pool. At signature restaurant Ix’im – overseen by chef Jorge Vellejo of Quintonil, Mexico City, and boasting the largest tequila collection in the world – historical and cultural references are subtly interwoven into the design. The industrial machinery once used to farm the henequen has been fashioned into a feature in the bar; the lek fruit shells that are often used to keep tortillas warm have been lacquered in black and hang in clusters over the tables; and there are monochrome patterned tiles on the floor. In fact, Instagram-worthy ‘pasta’ tiled floors, typically found in the colonial houses of the region, are one of the highlights of the hotel. Eye-catching tiles also decorate the poolside restaurant Ki’ol, as well as the original hacienda. “We have taken the old designs but re-coloured them in a more contemporary way,’ says Moran of the tiles, which were made by several factories including Mosaicos La Peninsular in Merida.

spa, one of the main draws for booking a stay. At its heart is the cenote, which Mayans believe to be sacred; a dip is said to heal all manner of ailments. For those seeking a more conventional experience, there’s a sauna, steam room, whirlpool and hot and cold plunge pools. Treatments, which take place in wood cabins dotted around the cenote, use plants, herbs and protocols specific to the area and to Mayan traditions. “The aim was to simplify the Mayan culture in a modern spa,” says Moran. In one corner there is a white structure, shaped like a conch shell, where copal cleansing takes place; a room has been dedicated to the herbs grown on-site, which are mixed together for the treatments; and the pool is made from a green Brazilian marble with flecks of petrified wood. “We wanted to translate the colour of the cenote to the pool so guests can have the sensation of swimming in there,” she confirms. For those looking for a deeper connection with nature, Chablé offers three Temazcal Rituals, one of which is performed by a Mayan Shaman. Completing the offer, a swimming pool curves through the tropical gardens, which were triumphant in the Landscaping & Outdoor Spaces category at the recent AHEAD Americas awards. 

The approach to design, which acknowledges and celebrates the Mayan culture and beliefs, and the level of detail throughout is what makes this hotel stand out. “We have tried to pull out all the Mexican design elements from Yucatan and show them off in a beautiful way,” concludes Moran. It might be hidden down a long bumpy track, just past the sleepy village of Chochola, but it’s doubtful that this hotel will remain a secret for long.

sources: Sleeper, 9-10, 2017

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