Casablanca: Escape to Paradise

  Nestled within the palm trees and just metres from the persistent roil and ebb of the Pacific coastline of Guerrero, Mexico, sits Casablanca. A villa hewn from a colonial past and further developed into a modern-day classic by designer and property entrepreneur Paul Boyle —whose structural designs and eccentric interiors bring humour, elegance, and a personal candescence to both the building and its garden.

Casablanca is truly one of a kind. Its open-plan, wall-less façades allow the Mexican light and sea air to become one with the architecture. A swimming pool shares space with the open dining and kitchen areas, while birds and insects reclaim the house as life intertwines.

 Hummingbirds dart in and out of hibiscus flowers that blossom continually in the Mexican breeze, framing the living space. A din of Cicadas and Kingbirds, and the cheeky call of the Grackle, mask the stealthier patter of Iguanas and Lizards that make their home among the driftwood and climbing plants of the palatial garden. To one side, the Sierra Madre mountain range, where eagles and vultures circle above; to the other, the sea — untouched, wild-strewn, and dotted with an ancient fleet of diving pelicans.

    Casablanca is fluid by nature and design —a hybrid of private home and boutique hideaway. Its layout sprawls across multiple dwellings, with a Casita and Cabana nestled in front of and behind the main house, and a self-contained apartment below. All are available to rent individually or as a whole, depending on party size and inclination.

Its façades shift from classic to modern depending on your vantage, the white walls acting as a canvas for Mexico’s changing light. At night, Casablanca glows in hues of electric pink and blue, with light filtering through the palms —exuding a humorous elegance that verges on the self-effacing. This riot of colour echoes its daytime persona, when those plain white façades become a frame for nature’s exuberant expression.

If paradise is a state of mind, then Casablanca —poised on this ancient coastline —invites a joyous calm and unfiltered beauty, making it the perfect place to practice inhabiting bliss.

  Grant Barbe & Paul Boyle 2025