Obscuring the line between horizon and land, cliffs have the ability to make us feel both small and large all at once. On the edge of craggy rocks, burrowed between peaks, or floating just above a juniper-colored ocean, soaring hotel properties that claim their place in elevated terrain serve as a seamless extension into the immediate surroundings, blurring the lines between natural wonders and structure.
For architects aplenty, hotels on top of cliffs have proved an opportunity to create buildings that appear to hover between worlds, casting a soulful spell. For travelers seeking repose, these bluff-hugging retreats run the gamut from volcanic basalt structures suspended over the sea and a network of walking trails, to ocean castles that glow in bright tones of yellow and pink on Mexico’s jungly Pacific coastline. One property descends from a Colorado peak, while a fortress-like vision overlooks Mallorca’s Prussian-blue Port Soller. Others around the globe, like a Dominican hideaway tucked atop a verge that peers across the Caribbean, are havens that lure us to the brink for fashionable, life-changing getaways. Below, AD visits 10 striking hotels on cliffs.
Photo: Courtesy of One&Only Mandarina.
Just one and a half hours south of Puerto Vallarta, One&Only Mandarina sits above a collection of sandy coves in Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit. Completely immersed into the surrounding rainforest, 105 freestanding ground-level villas and 40-foot treehouse accommodations are spread about the 80-acre property. Designed by Tucson-based Studio Rick Joy, rooms include earthy tones, stone accents from local artisanal makers, kimonos handmade by expert Mexican artisans in Pátzcuaro, and walls and floors made from the indigenous Cumaru wood. Treehouses feature private plunge pools and an aesthetic reminiscent of rustic Mexican haciendas, including teak rocking chairs. Villa One, the property’s largest offering, is a home away from home, with its own wine cellar, spa, and gym. A main plunge pool spills into the blanketed mountainside surrounding it, and the Treetop Bar is best experienced at sunset.
Photo: Courtesy of Cayeres
