Narcos fans can now stay in one of Pablo Escobar’s mansions

The drug lord’s Mexican property has been transformed into a luxury hotel

Helen Coffey
Thursday 20 July 2017 09:56 BST
Comments
Casa Malca used to belong to Colombia's notorious drug lord
Casa Malca used to belong to Colombia's notorious drug lord (Casa Malca)

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Narcos fans can now stay at one of Pablo Escobar’s houses, which has been turned into a 35-room luxury hotel.

The mansion in the Mexican beach resort of Tulum sat empty for 14 years before being renovated by Lio Lamca, an art dealer based in New York who has transformed it into Casa Malca (casamalca.com).

"I purchased the property because I thought it was insane," he told Cool Hunter. "I could not believe that in this world, a property like this still exists and hasn't been taken over by a corporation."

For €450 (£395) a night, guests can stay in a property that once belonged to Colombia’s most notorious druglord.

Escobar was a controversial figure at the forefront of the Colombian cocaine scene in the 1980s and early 1990s. He headed up the Medellín Cartel which, at the height of its operations, brought in more than $70m (£54m) per day.

The property has been turned into a luxury hotel
The property has been turned into a luxury hotel (Casa Malca)

The “King of Cocaine"’s story rose to prominence again in 2015, when Netflix Original series Narcos depicted Escobar’s rise to power and fall from grace – he was killed in a shoot-out in 1993.

Casa Malca is a world away from the property’s former owner. Filled with paintings, sculptures and furniture by a range of contemporary artists from Lamca’s personal collection, the hotel’s facilities include a steam room, pool and rooftop deck. It’s set right on the beach in Tulum, on the furthest corner of the Yucatan peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico.

Casa Malca is filled with contemporary artwork
Casa Malca is filled with contemporary artwork (Casa Malca)

The hotel’s kitchen uses locally-sourced produce wherever possible from small businesses in the area to produce traditional Yucatan cuisine, as well as more contemporary dishes from around the world.

Those looking for a touch of Pablo-esque danger on their getaway might just be disappointed…

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in