Coqui Coqui Perfumery, From the Yucatán to the Light of Menton

Jun 17

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One of the first things we did on arriving in Menton was to climb the Escaliers du Midi. Halfway up, to our surprise, we found a small fragrance boutique set into the landing, one we knew well from our travels in Mexico, where we stayed at their very special boutique hotels. After chatting with the woman tending the shop, it made sense that a brand so committed to sensual craftsmanship and the poetry of the senses would find a home here. Their tropical scents mingled with Menton’s citrus, stone and the hush of sea air. After all, this stretch of coast is renowned for its perfume industry. Just up the coast is Grasse, the historic capital of perfumery, while Menton carries a legacy of artisanal citrus and floral scent-making.

A little backstory:

In 2003, Argentine model Nicolás Malleville started a small artisanal perfumery in Valladolid, Yucatán, inspired by the fragrance traditions of Franciscan monks and old colonial formulas. Since then, it has evolved into a unique lifestyle universe. Drawing on the region’s lush flora, including tobacco, vanilla, avocado, tropical woods, flowers, and palms, Malleville created delicate and evocative fragrances. The perfumery also makes what remains, without question, the most effective natural mosquito repellent we have ever used.

Together with Francesca Bonato, his creative and life partner, Coqui Coqui expanded beyond perfume into a broader expression of understated luxury. Textiles, candles, homewares, honey, and a collection of distinctive perfumeries and residences followed, spanning the Yucatán Peninsula, including Valladolid, Izamal, Cobá, and Mérida, and later Monte Carlo, Menton, and Bora Bora.

Malleville’s first hotel venture was in Tulum. Later openings in Izamal, Cobá, and Mérida offered guests an elemental kind of indulgence, minimal, sensual, and always shaped by their surroundings. We were lucky enough to experience the original beach hotel in Tulum several times, beginning around 2005, when the area still felt remote and largely untouched. It quickly became a favourite escape, and its closure in 2016 felt like the end of an era. We later stayed at the Cobá outpost, equally charming in its wilder, jungle-immersed setting.

The Coqui Coqui hotels continue to stand out as unique, alluring, and hard to replicate. Discovering the perfumerie in Menton felt like a destined moment. We still look forward to the day they expand with more hotels in new locations.