Ennea Hotel on Mexico’s Oaxaca coast pays homage to the region’s artisanal legacy

Ten years ago, when three friends and Oaxaca natives purchased a plot of land in Puerto Escondido, a small town on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, it was hardly a tourist hotspot, popular mostly with intrepid surfers and avid fishermen.

Today, the area is quickly transforming into one of Mexico’s most in-demand destinations – threatening both the environment and the locals’ way of life. With this in mind, the trio set out to create Ennea – a tranquil boutique hotel that embraces and respects the region, commissioning Jaque Studio, from Tulum, to lead the architecture, and Mexico City-based firm Comité de Proyectos to craft the hotel’s warm interiors.

‘We can’t halt the area’s expansion. However, we can conscientiously choose the projects we embrace,’ says Andrea Flores, Comité de Proyectos co-founder, of the practice's decision to embrace the concept.

Ennea Hotel, Brisas de Zicatela

Located 300m from Punta Zicatela, a protected natural preserve and popular beginner surf spot, the intimate Ennea Hotel comprises a series of volumes surrounding a verdant pool. The pavilions, which are crafted from Tzalam wood, contain nine guest rooms, a rooftop restaurant, and a spa.

The lush landscape, created by Polen Paisaje, is as much a part of the design as the buildings, invigorating the natural palette of exposed concrete, stone, woven textiles, tropical woods, and earthen hues.

Guests enter a double-height, open-air lobby, where a striking helicoidal staircase is complemented by the maze-like form of a concrete bridge. Inside, the furniture – much of it custom-designed by Comité – is crafted from Macuil and Parota wood. The guest rooms, which include two tree-house-like suites, are simple. Here, luxury means the chance to slow down and connect, rather than fancy TVs and sleek mini-bars.

At Enna, the hotel’s palapa-topped restaurant, guests enjoy a sophisticated menu filled with local seafood and creative takes on Oaxaca’s culinary tradition by chef Rodolfo Castellanos. Comité topped the wood tables with Cantera Verde – a pale, pistachio-hued stone used for many of the historic buildings throughout Oaxaca City.

Ennea’s design emphasises collaboration with local artisans, with over 95 per cent of the hotel’s materials originating in Mexico. To curate the ephemera placed throughout the property, the designers embarked on a craft odyssey throughout Oaxaca. They spent a week exploring pottery workshops in Atzompa, discovering reed artisans in San Bartolo Coyotepec, and culling through ceramic studios in Oaxaca City.

The objects they sourced create the hotel’s lived-in atmosphere, whether it’s the small animal sculptures interspersed on tabletops, the clay planters perched in corners, or the mezcal glasses in each room. The owners, who are avid regional art collectors, helped curate artwork exclusively by Oaxacan artists, including Raul Herrera, Guillermo Olguin, and Alberto ‘El Negro’ Ibañez.

Ennea Hotel is located at Guanajuato, La punta Zicatela, Brisas de Zicatela, enneahotel.com.mx