Tien came to the U.S. at the end of March to travel and meet friends. After having fun in Miami, Florida, she went to Mexico for a long vacation and visited beautiful places there like Cancun and Tulum.
The fashionista spent a lot of time at amusement parks and resorts in Tulum, an ancient Mayan city located on 12-meter-high cliffs along the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. The place is known for its ancient ruins, beautiful beaches and Sian Ka'an, a biosphere reserve that became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
As with her previous trips, Tien always chose luxury resorts with beautiful designs that match her taste, to have the best experience and take great photos to post on her Instagram account which has 251,000 followers.
During this trip, Tien booked a room at Casa Malca, a boutique hotel nestled in the farthest corner of the Yucatan Peninsula. Casa Malca is located on a fine white sand beach, next to the emerald green ocean, on the edge of the Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve.
Casa Malca is famous for its history. It was originally the mansion of the world-famous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1980s. This was used as Escobar’s private retreat but was later abandoned when he died in 1993.
Decades later, the mansion was purchased and rebuilt by famous New York art dealer Lio Malca. He opened the hotel in 2015, with only nine rooms for his friends and family. After that, Malca brought many contemporary works, including sculptures, paintings, and photos here to display, gradually expanding the reputation of the hotel.
Currently, the hotel has 42 rooms, all featuring a rustic style with elegant white hues and views overlooking the surrounding dense garden or the Caribbean Sea.
Casa Malca is compared to an art gallery because many famous works are displayed in the hotel. This place is also very famous on Instagram and has attracted many travel bloggers from around the world.
Tien loves taking photos in different corners of the hotel. She brought along many outfits to match the backgrounds.
Malca decorated the hotel with modern art pieces from his personal collection, including works by Kaws, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kieth Haring. In addition, there are also colorful rugs, wooden frames and even sofas from the iconic Titanic ship displayed in the main lobby.
The price for one night at the Casa Malca is around VND12 million ($511.84), not too high compared to other luxury hotels.
Tien Nguyen's vacation in Mexico. Video by Tien Nguyen
