by Bridgette Meinhold,

Hotel Endemico a gorgeous little eco retreat with 20 mini cabins located just about an hour south of the San Diego/Tijuana border. The project is Grupo Habita’s newest hotel, and it’s just a hop, skip and a jump to being your next winter vacation. Designed by Gracia Studio, the hotel sits on a hillside above a Mexican mountain winery in the Valle de Guadalupe in Baja, Mexico. The EcoLoft rooms are set up like deluxe camping suites, and they sit above the ground to minimize impact on the surrounding landscape.

The eco hotel is located on roughly 100 hectares of the Encuentro Guadalupe development outside of Ensenada, which also includes a residential area and a winery. The hotel is made up of 20 EcoLofts, which are made from steel and set up on stilts. Each luxurious 20-sq ft room features a bathroom, a terrace, a clay fire pit and views of the valley below. A communal pool and hot tub are sunken into the hillside and enjoy panoramic vistas or the hills.

The project sought to minimize its impact upon the land and to respect nature in every possible way. As such, the designers decided to build the cabins up on stilts to minimize their impact on the land. Steel and wood were used to build the cabins, and as these materials weather they will blend in with the landscape over time. From the hotel, guests have access to slow food events, the Culinary Arts School of Tijuana, wine tours, and a variety of other activities.

(Source: www.inhabitat.com )