Hotel Escondido

Faster and faster you paddle, your body pressed against the waxy polyurethane of your board. You sense the wave before you feel it, swelling up from the ocean’s depths. You give it everything you've got.

Then it’s under you. It’s rising. You pop up on the edge of an instant, catch the crest, and just like that, you’re in flight. Water, wind, gravity, balance—it’s all come together in this suspended gossamer moment. The wave crashes you back to earth. You fall onto wet sand and lie there in contentment, listening to the tide, as the crackling Oaxacan sun burns away the hazy morning.

A creation of the duo behind Grupo Habita, Hotel Escondido is the ideal private paradise for beach bums, thrill-seekers, and other discerning travelers who flock to this tiny, laid-back coastal town nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Madre mountain range. Individual palapa bungalows are spread along a pristine stretch of Oaxacan coastline in Puerto Escondido, a world-class surfing and fishing destination. Private plunge pools and sundecks offer outdoor sanctuary, while inside, the bungalows feature tropical wooden floors, stucco walls, and polished concrete bathrooms.

“Into the deep wild where the next wave can sweep us higher, show us what else is possible in this marvelous place.”
Jacob Nordby

For Carlos Couturier and Moisés Micha, building hotels that reflect their surroundings is more than just a job—it’s a passion that drove these two Mexican entrepreneurs from citrus farming and investment banking to boutique hospitality. Avid art collectors who are active in the Mexican art community, Couturier and Micha are passionately committed to investing in the regions in which they build their hotels, from Mexico to the United States. “We use a local team every time we build a hotel, and we read the surroundings and their traditions to integrate the local culture into our project,” explains Couturier. Their Grupo Habita collection has grown to include 12 diverse properties, from Acapulco to downtown Manhattan.