http://www.RealAdventures.com/vacations/3084_mexico-quintana-roo-bacalar.htm Check out some of the recently updated travel & vacation listings on RealAdventures. Be inspired, go explore! en-us Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:27:28 GMT Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:27:28 GMT http://www.RealAdventures.com http://www.RealAdventures.com/vacations/3084_mexico-quintana-roo-bacalar.htm 100 100 http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1184770_Casa-Estrella-de-Bacalar http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1184770_Casa-Estrella-de-Bacalar Vacation Rentals Mexico Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:11:17 Private 2 Bdrm 2 Bath architect designed home on the shores of Laguna Bacalar, hidden treasure in the southernmost part of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Private gardens, extensive landscaping, walled courtyard, terraza, just yards from the water - US $1,500 Week
Private 2 Bdrm 2 Bath architect designed home on the shores of Laguna Bacalar, hidden treasure in the southernmost part of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Private gardens, extensive landscaping, walled courtyard, terraza, just yards from the water



Details & Reservations: Casa Estrella de Bacalar
RealAdventures | Mexico Vacation Rentals

]]> http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1021343_Rancho-Encantado-Eco-Resort-Retreat-Center-Spa http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1021343_Rancho-Encantado-Eco-Resort-Retreat-Center-Spa Hotels & Resorts Mexico Sun, 10 Aug 2008 22:08:20 On beautiful Laguna Bacalar An alternative to huge resort hotels. We provide a tropical haven for ecotravelers with archaeological excursions, birding, lakeside tranquillity and beautiful private cabins Individuals, couples, families and groups. - US $85 Night
On beautiful Laguna Bacalar An alternative to huge resort hotels. We provide a tropical haven for ecotravelers with archaeological excursions, birding, lakeside tranquillity and beautiful private cabins Individuals, couples, families and groups.


In and Around Laguna Bacalar
Just a little more than half an hour away from the capital city of Chetumal and it"s airport, and about the same distance to the border with the country of Belize, Rancho Encantado is situated on the shores of the pristine waters of Laguna Bacalar, outside the small 16th century village of Bacalar. Villa Encantada is located on the lakefront at the north edge of the village.

This area, in the southernmost part of the Yucatan Peninsula, is just at the point of developing as a tourist destination for the ecominded traveler who seeks escape from the larger, often overdeveloped areas of the northern part of the Peninsula. Just an hour away from the nearest seaport of Mahahual, on the Caribbean coast, which is now a stopping point for cruise ships, the laguna is virtually undiscovered by tourism. It has always been known for the spectacular colors, much as the waters of the Caribbean, with its range of hues from emerald greens to azure blues and the famous brilliant arrays of turquoise and aqua.

Being sheltered from the ocean"s winds and salt sprays, the fresh waters of Laguna Bacalar provide a gentler, more nurturing feeling, making it ideal for swimming, kayaking, snorkeling and other water sports. Fishing, too, is more of a relaxing sport than the challenge of deep ocean water. For deepsea fishing, the Caribbean coast is only an hour away, as is the famed nature reserve of Siank"an.

In the other direction, south of Rancho Encantado, is the capitol of the state, Chetumal located on the bay leading out to the Caribbean ocean. Long a major water route for the Maya, it was also used by the marauding pirates active in the area during their heyday. It wasn"t until the late 1970"s that Quintana Roo became a state, with Chetumal as it"s capitol. Now a beautiful, tropical city with a broad boulevard along the Bahia, it is home to the Museum of Mayan Culture, providing a superb introduction to this ancient civilization. This museum has stunning reproductions of ancient Mayan sites in the area as well as a complete representation of the Mayan Tree of Life extending three levels from the underworld to the topmost branches reaching toward the heavens.

Just across from the Museum is the Mercado, selling everything from fresh fruits and vegetables, to souvenirs, to modern electronic equipment. Also available throughout the city are numerous Internet access as well as dentists, doctors and hospitals. The restaurants along the Bahia provide cool outdoor dining. There is also a zoo and the close proximity to the border with Belize, Central America, now provides a new, Las Vegas style casino and world class, taxfree shopping in the Free Zone, connecting the two countries. The country of Belize, with its various cultures and diversity of terrain is often included in vacation plans for this area of the Yucatan Peninsula.

The drive from Bacalar to Chetumal gives the traveler the feeling for the small, traditional villages that dot the highway, most of which are populated by contemporary Mayans. This is made much easier since the Mexican government has recently spent millions of dollars in improving and expanding the roads in the area.

The Fort, located in the center of the village of Bacalar, was built by Mayan Indian labor when the Spanish first landed in the late 1500"s. Like the charming zocolo, or central plaza, the Fort has undergone extensive restoration in the past year, making it a major attraction. The village of Bacalar has retained its feeling of authenticity, with no attempt toward tourist oriented activities, but rather remains a place where real people carry on their everyday lives. Many of the Mayan women can be seen in their traditional colorfully embroidered huipiles, especially on market day.

Activities around the village include Mayan language classes, mountain bike rental and tours, jungle walks, sailing and boat tours. At the far end of the village is the lovely Cenote Azul, located on the edge of a beautiful, palmfringed cenote, whose depth is seemingly bottomless. The large, semioutdoor restaurant is housed in a spacious palapa and serves primarily fresh seafood from the area as well as venison when available. The swimming is wonderful and many people take their bathing suits when going there for lunch.

Because of the close proximity to some of the most major Mayan archaeological sites in the region, the city of Chetumal, the border with the country of Belize, the location of Rancho Encantado and Villa Encantada on the shores of one of the hidden jewels of Mexico, Laguna Bacalar, a stay at the Rancho or the Villa provides opportunities for exploration of one of the last areas in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico to develop.

At the Rancho one can lie around in the sunshine, reading in a hammock, or take the fiveminute drive into the village to work on the Internet. From an adventurous tour of the Mayan sites in the region, arriving at your casita at the Rancho for a swim, a massage, or just getting ready for dinner in the waterfront palapa restaurant is like coming home. From the jungle to the Jacuzzi, Rancho Encantado provides the perfect place for a private, tropical getaway.

Details & Reservations: Rancho Encantado, EcoResort, Retreat Center & Spa
RealAdventures | Mexico Hotels & Resorts

]]> http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1023747_Amigo-s-B-B-Bacalar http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1023747_Amigo-s-B-B-Bacalar Bed & Breakfasts Mexico Wed, 25 Jan 2006 00:01:00 Lake front B&B each room with private bath, private palapa terrace with hammock.Nearby mayan ruins of Kohunlich,Cenote Azul Peaceful, quiet. Kayaks available to enjoy the lake.families welcome.Wireless internet now available - US $44 Night
Lake front B&B each room with private bath, private palapa terrace with hammock.Nearby mayan ruins of Kohunlich,Cenote Azul Peaceful, quiet. Kayaks available to enjoy the lake.families welcome.Wireless internet now available


Located on the shores of the Laguna Bacalar, the lake of seven colors, a quiet relaxing area. The town of Bacalar is shadowed by the Fort of San Felipe where you can learn the history of this small ,but important fort.. The Cenote Azul, the world's largest fresh water well, is here for your refeshing enjoyment. Only 45 minutes away by car are the impressive Stucco Masks of the Maya found at the major ruin of Kohunlich.. Many more areas to explore, or enjoy on the lake or off..
Details & Reservations: Amigo's B&B Bacalar
RealAdventures | Mexico Bed & Breakfasts

]]> http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1023045_Villas-Xaguar http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1023045_Villas-Xaguar Vacation Rentals Mexico Tue, 13 Jul 2004 00:07:00 Villas Xaguar, a group of five Mediterranean style villas surrounded by large trees. There is a pool and a cenote with a deck in the middle. They are located 10 min away walking from the town and 45 Mts. away from the beach, walk to everything! -
Villas Xaguar, a group of five Mediterranean style villas surrounded by large trees. There is a pool and a cenote with a deck in the middle. They are located 10 min away walking from the town and 45 Mts. away from the beach, walk to everything!


Villas Xaguar is 45 mts away from the beach, you can swim in this beach, it is very safe and it has white sand, it is beautiful.
Playa del Carmen is a very small town, full of samll deliciuos restaurants, coffees and stores. You can walk to eveything inside Playa del Carmen, the villas, are 10 min away from the town.

Details & Reservations: Villas Xaguar
RealAdventures | Mexico Vacation Rentals

]]> http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1024433_Surprise-of-a-Lifetime http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1024433_Surprise-of-a-Lifetime Articles Mexico Thu, 08 Jan 2004 00:01:00 How personal travel experience can lead to the highs and lows of owning a hotel in Mexico. -
How personal travel experience can lead to the highs and lows of owning a hotel in Mexico.


by Michael O'Brien

Nearly 30 years ago, I was appointed headmaster of a private boarding school for boys aged seven to 13 in the peaceful countryside of Southern England. At the same time, I began to feel that I also needed to experience another side of the world where life was not so (comparatively) easy and where the culture and language were completely different. So, I travelled to Mexico five times over three years, stayed with modest Mexican families, and learned to speak Spanish.

Somehow, with the pressure of work and other responsibilities, my interest in Latin America faded. I bought a very nice timeshare on Longboat Key, Florida, where I went with my family over 10 years. Then, suddenly and without explanation, I felt I needed to return to Mexico. I had sold my three weeks of timeshare and had a little money to spend on something wild. So, when I walked down a little street in Puerto Morelos just south of Cancun on the Yucatan Peninsula and found a plot of land just 150 meters from the main downtown square and 100 meters from the beach, the temptation proved irresistible. I bargained, set deadlines for replies and bought two little houses 5,000 miles away from home.

But that was just the start. I hadn&8217t bargained with Fernando! He had given me some help during the purchase of the plot, and when he realised that the deed was done, he decided it was time for him to play his part in the drama. What! Just refurbish the two houses? Was I a man or was I a mouse? Instead, he suggested, there, just three minutes&8217 walk from the Caribbean, in the heart of a real Mexican pueblo, he would demolish the houses and build a HOTEL for me, become the manager and assure me of the adventure of a lifetime.

How could I say no? And the money to build? No problem, he assured me. He was sure that I could find enough to finance a little hotel in the real Mexican style where people would come from all over the world to stay a day, a week or a month and enjoy the best that Mexico had to offer at a reasonable price. Anyway, he wanted to be the manager, we had become amigos, and that was more than enough reason.

And that is what has happened. We started building four years ago, and the building has taken up to now (October 2000). We organised the project in three phases. The first phase finished two years ago, and we opened 10 rooms. We were in business, and that first Christmas an extended Mexican family booked the whole hotel. And it worked! Not a single problem with the plumbing!!

The following year we built the restaurant and four more spacious rooms on the second floor with airconditioning and bathrooms to rival anything, anywhere. I am sure nobody else around has bidets! By Christmas 2000 we will have 21 rooms, terraces with a view of the sea and the waves breaking over the reef, a special laundry area, an extended reception area and, of course, Fernando&8217s tasty breakfasts.

I am still working fulltime in England running a language school and helping to promote new fashion models. I go over to Mexico four times a year with my little grandson, but I am involved every day in England promoting our websites and replying to emails from people who want to know what this Hotel Inglaterra is all about and, of course, sharing the daytoday fun with Ferndano by phone.
Details & Reservations: Surprise of a Lifetime
RealAdventures | Mexico Articles

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