Anyone who has visited Acapulco knows that is absolutely one of a kind; its fresh breeze, the sun that illuminates the spectacular bay every day of the year and its incomparable energy make this city one of the most beautiful and special in the whole world. As if visiting this fascinating beach was not enough, now we can have the opportunity to stay at the recently opened Casa Piedra Acapulco, a project created by the renowned and multi-award-winning Architect Gabriela Carrillo, who along with the owners, put all their effort, knowledge and specially all their passion to give life to a destination that will undoubtedly leave you breathless. We had the opportunity to talk with one of them, so that he could tell us in his own words what Casa Piedra Acapulco is all about.
What can we expect from Casa Piedra?
Casa Piedra Acapulco arises from the idea of creating a space that encourages union and coexistence among families and friends. We wanted to create a place where our guests, regardless of their age or their different tastes, could enjoy their stay thanks to the different spots in the house, offering a complete and unique experience. Also, due to its distribution and the environment created by the nature that surrounds it, the house becomes an ideal destination to pause and breathe from our daily lives, being able to enjoy the view and the countless species of flora and fauna in an environment of comfort, well-being and tranquility. We seek to provoke a unique experience that transcends the beauty of the building and is complemented by the excellent attention and service that we provide during the stay.
Who was Casa Piedra created for?
Casa Piedra Acapulco was born as a family project, so our main driver in the entire design and construction process was the concept of “FAMILY”, taking into account the needs and tastes of the different generations involved in the project, which without a doubt was quite a challenge, but today we can say that it helped to nourish the project from different perspectives.
The house is designed to be constantly inhabited, and considering that it is a beach destination, we had to find the perfect mix between design and functionality, so we wanted to think about every detail. An example of this is the selection of the artisan floors on our ground floor, where we did more than twenty tests to find a floor that would not burn or be slippery, especially for children, but that at the same time did not scratch or reflect much; we have many examples as this throughout the entire house.
What was the creative process?
Architect Gabriela Carrillo was in charge of the design and creative process; nowadays she is one of the best Mexican architects. In addition to having an extraordinary vision of the environment and spaces she has a great passion for her projects, which is why we were very fortunate to be able to count with her participation.
In the words of Architect Carrillo, part of her creative process consisted of observing the place, visiting it, stopping, walking and analyzing the topography, the stones, the wind, the views, ¨unfold a program at different levels to scale the house and disappear the boundaries between natural and artificial landscape through a main plaza, which mostly creates an outdoor feeling in the entire house, in order to scale the house into a portico¨.
Which elements make Casa Piedra so special?
Architecturally speaking Casa Piedra Acapulco has many peculiarities that makes it unique. It is the first apparent concrete house in Acapulco, for which local sands were used to match the tones of the stones on which it is built and particularly to the main stone of more than 3 meters high that is the axis of the house and from which its name derives. From a building point of view, we wanted to be extremely respectful of the environment, in such way that the house blends with the nature that surrounds it. Additionally, the house has solar panels, water collection and filtering systems and a small orchard, which makes it a sustainable project.
What do you consider to be the advantages of Casa Piedra being located in Acapulco?
In our opinion, Acapulco was, is, and will continue to be an international touristic destination, and for numerous reasons the favorite vacation spot of many Mexicans and foreigners.
Acapulco is undoubtedly the natural beach destination for the residents of Mexico City, being less than 4 hours away travelling by car and with privileged weather throughout the year; its vast offer in terms of sports, tourism, gastronomy and entertainment activities make it a unique destination. In addition to all the water activities that can be practiced at sea, just 15 minutes away from the house is Laguna de Tres Palos and 45 minutes away is Laguna de Coyuca, where you can go on boat rides with wonderful scenery and can also practice water sports.
As for the particular location of Casa Piedra Acapulco, we chose the property within one of the most exclusive developments on Acapulco, which is surrounded by a lot of lush vegetation. We achieved an interesting mix between jungle and beach that gives a feeling of being shrouded by nature while having all the comfort of a luxury accommodation.
Contact information and rental inquiries: @casapiedraacapulco
Photos by Rafael Gamo
