A Micro Hospitality Experience: Nico Sayulita Hotel in Mexico by Hybrid and Palma.

Photos by Luis Diaz Diaz.

Immersed in the jungle-lined coast of Sayulita, Mexico—a bohemian surf town an hour north of Puerto Vallarta—is Nico, a micro hospitality experience with elevated suites, open-air common spaces and boutique hotel-style comforts.

A collaboration between Seattle-based architecture and development firm, Hybrid, and Mexico City architects at Palma, the project draws on local building traditions to reimagine fundamental architectural concepts and give rise to this unique and modern space.

Indoor and outdoor spaces combine throughout the building in a concrete grid structure, exploring thresholds and making the most of the local climate with a fully open level that welcomes the ocean breeze and immerses guests in nature. Each space has been thoughtfully designed to experience distinct surroundings with areas connected through a varied gradient of privacy and openness.

A Hybrid Typology: Chiripa Building by Palma.

Familiar forms and geometric volumes come together in this mixed-used space at the intersection of a ‘house, apartments, hotel...

Photos by Luis Diaz Diaz.

Once inside, unexpected views of the ocean and jungle can be discovered in both the private and social areas. Views vary from airy and open on the rooftop to surrounding lush tree-tops on the middle level and then descending to a more terrestrial level where the ‘Jungle Suite’ is located—a room encircled by native foliage that features a concrete built-in tub for a spa-like experience.

Calming and tranquil, Nico’s five guest suites embrace the outdoors with floor-to-ceiling windows and private terraces accompanied by custom furniture by local artisans. The main social level is accompanied by a lap pool detailed with artisanal turquoise-coloured tiles and surrounded by native greenery. On the rooftop find a plunge pool with spectacular views of the bay, the ocean, and the open sky framed with concrete beams reminiscent of tropical modernism.

A Concrete Vision: Casa TO Boutique Hotel in Mexico by Ludwig Godefroy.

A beautiful interpretation of Mexico’s Oaxacan Temple, this hotel offers visitors a heightened sensory experience with voluminous voids and grand cut-outs...

Photos by Photo Alex Herbig.

Suites can be used and rented in different configurations, constantly modifying how the building is inhabited and allowing either an extended family or group of friends to rent the entire complex, or for the suites to be individually occupied by separate groups. This same flexibility is reflected in the structural reasoning behind the project. The grid-like structure not only allows for an efficient structural system—in coherence with local building customs—but also permits a possible programmatic mutation if needed.

For Nico, Hybrid and Palma have created a fresh and autonomous architectural expression made even better by one-of-a-kind and custom furniture by emerging Mexican designers for a hospitality project that brings the wow factor.

Casa Areca Tulum by CO-LAB Design Office.

Surrounded by a secret garden of Areca Palms and draped in accents of creamy chai and cashmere-like colours, this holiday home aims to relax...

[Images courtesy of Palma and Hybrid Architecture. Photography by Luis Diaz Diaz and Alex Herbig.]