Meteora Hostel

Aside from the gardens in the courtyard, this aesthetic is perhaps best noticed by the thatched roof. It creates a softness to contrast with the metal exterior of the containers and provides a bit of a nod to the vernacular architecture of the area.

Interior porches wrap completely around the building and surround the courtyard, which provides a way to move between spaces, gives shade to the large sliding glass doors, and provide tranquil indoor/outdoor transition areas. These porches are completely made of wood, again contrasting well with the metal containers.

When you look inside the rooms, you see a mix of modern and traditional. The furniture is simple and sleek, with warm woods that balance against the glass, metal, and concrete. The bathrooms are predominantly made of concrete for simplicity and maintenance, but also have sinks that look like split rocks to give a bit of luxury.

The property also has a coffee shop built-in, so you don’t actually have to be a hostel guest to see and enjoy this container building. Regardless of where you’re staying in Tulum, you can easily check this place out.

Another feature worth noting is the second-floor conference area. It includes an enclosed conference room with TV, tables and chairs, plus an outdoor conference porch area that overlooks the courtyard. So if you want to get a bit of work done, you can do so in privacy (and air conditioning), or outside in the shade with a view.

We really appreciate the way this hostel was built and the eye for detail that its designers clearly had. Nothing here is glamourous or exorbitantly expensive, but the combined result is really captivating. It’s surely an interesting place to spend a few days if you find yourself visiting the Riviera Maya area of Mexico.

But it’s also a great example for potential container home owners that may never set foot here. Rather than combining all the containers into a monolithic structure to give larger rooms, they are spread around a courtyard to emphasize the idea of living both inside and outside.

The courtyard itself gives you the sun and fresh air of the outdoors while keeping you separated from the hustle and bustle of the outside world with complete privacy. Courtyards have been used in architecture for thousands of years, and this is a great, modern example.

Obviously, the more tropical elements may not fit in well for readers in locations further from the equator, but that doesn’t take away from the overall design. You could easily keep the same container configuration while using different cladding and roofing to make the building appear to fit into the typical designs of wherever you are located.

We want to really emphasize the importance of secondary materials and how much they affect the overall feel of a building. While there are some container buildings that lean into the industrial vibe that may feel almost mandatory with container architecture, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Balancing the metal out with wood construction, soft textiles and interior decorations, and even a variety of plants can completely transform a container into a warm, inviting space. Our hats are off the Meteora Hostel team who proved this to be true with their excellent building.