Maison Couturier

Mexico’s a big place, with more geographic and cultural diversity than the travel industry might have you believe. The stereotypical picture of sun and surf is accurate, to a point, but it certainly doesn’t include this little French enclave in the Caribbean coastal state of Veracruz, home to a nineteenth-century estate, fringed with lush vegetation, surrounded by banana plantations, and today operating as a nine-room boutique hotel called Maison Couturier.

The style is broadly historical, but it’s immediately apparent that it was assembled with a designer’s eye. Maison Couturier, however unrepresentative, is a Grupo Habita production, which means it shares an ownership and a philosophy, if not a style, with Mexico’s hippest boutique chain. The Maison’s rustic atmosphere is all the more impressive given that fact — and it should inspire some confidence, thanks to Habita’s accumulated expertise.

Eight bungalows make up the bulk of the accommodation, augmented by an Owner’s Suite in the estate’s main house. They’re only just as modern as they need to be — a/c, internet, plasma screens — but there’s nothing to break the spell of the Maison’s countrified elegance. It’s a genteel atmosphere out by the pool, as it is in the hotel’s French restaurant; the Mexico of the big seaside resorts is nowhere to be found.

How to get there:
Maison Couturier is located two and a half hours’ drive up the coast from the port of Veracruz. Transfer can be arranged for MXN 2.600 in an Eco Sport or MXN 5.200 in a Suburban, for up to 4 guests, round trip.