Lake Bacalar is a Special Place
Deborah and I love spending time in Quintana Roo. One of Mexico’s 31 states, Quintana Roo, along with Mexico City, make up 32 federal entities of the beautiful country. While we are not huge fans of some of Quintana Roo’s more heralded destinations, like Cancun and Tulum, we do love hanging out in other parts, such as Playa del Carmen, Holbox, and Akumal.
More recently, we ventured to the southern part of the state to check out an area that has been dubbed by some, as the “Maldives of Mexico”. That is, of course a high bar to set for any location, let alone one that’s a lake and not oceanside. Still, we decided we should probably check it out, as many people we’ve encountered on our travels have told us how amazing the lake really is. All of the information we read, and photos we saw, prior to making the trip seemed to support the recommendations, so we decided to make the drive. Plus, we love a road trip!
A three plus hour drive from Playa del Carmen, we chose to spend a long weekend in Lake Bacalar at first to get a sense if we liked it. What we found out after a few days was not only surprising, but the place we stayed, blew us away. Sometimes life sends you in directions that you’re not at all thrilled about in the beginning, and then they end up being exactly where you were supposed to be.
Lemonade from Lemons
As we checked into our hotel in the central square in Lake Bacalar, which was supposedly overlooking Fort San Felipe with a view of the water, we were less than thrilled to discover a dingy concrete box. Let’s just say the description of the room and view from the hotel’s marketing was a bit off. We had paid for a view, and they had no other rooms available.
The hotel was nice enough to refund our money, and we were on our way in search of a new place to stay. I had looked at a B&B prior to booking our first hotel, but it was a few blocks from the hotel, and being that it was our first time in Lake Bacalar, we wanted to be central. But desperate times require desperate measures, so we headed over to take a look.
One of our Favorites
Pulling up to Casa Chukum, we weren’t sure about it from the exterior. Closed off from the street, as you walk through the doors into an open room that doubles as the check-in area, and the restaurant/bar. Immediately, we were greeted by numerous animals, including two elderly dogs, a very social cat who is sure he runs the place, and another cat, who is a singing cat that goes by the very apply named, Pavarotti.
Also meeting us at the reservation desk were the husband and wife team that own Casa Chukum. As they welcomed us in, and we did the exchange of greetings, “Hola, soy Mark y esta es Deborah,” we saw a weird look come over their face. We shook hands and they told us their names were also Mark and Deborah. We had a good chuckle and settled in nicely, but little did we know, that was just the start of it.
“Wait, What Day is your Birthday?”
As it turns out, not only is Senora Deborah of Casa Chukum, the Scorpio queen who loves to cook, and does a lot of the design and marketing for their hotel, but the two Deborah’s share the same birthday?!
And if all that isn’t weird enough, her husband Mark, who is very outgoing, loves interacting with guests, and loves taking people out on Lake Bacalar on his boat, is also a Libra, and our birthdays are days apart. It was all kind of nuts, but shocker alert, we got along swimmingly with Mark and Deborah, and had a ball getting to know them during our stay.
It was also wonderful that their hotel, which is also their home, is a wonderful place to stay. Well designed rooms and grounds, a lovely pool, and a quick walk to the lake. The hotel is run with the perfect mix of exquisite service, and a friendly, personal touch.
Another thing we shared in common with Mark and Deborah was our love for cats and dogs. We so enjoyed coming to breakfast every morning and having dogs wrestling with one another, or a cat rubbing against our leg with a suggestion to keep him in mind if there was potentially any of our salmon we didn’t want to eat. And of course there was Pavarotti, who didn’t hang out in the restaurant, but around feeding time would always bless us with his presence, announcing his arrival with a non-stop meow medley that had us all rolling.
We loved our stay at Casa Chukum and highly recommend it to anyone traveling to Lake Bacalar
Oh Yeah, That Whole Maldives Thing
Derived from the Mayan language, meaning “surrounded by reeds,” the apply named Lake Bacalar’s most distinguishing feature is the mesmerizing spectrum of blue hues. From a beautiful clear light green near the shoreline, to a mesmerizing sapphire blue in its deepest parts, the colors of Lake Bacalar are truly amazing.
One of the main reasons Lake Bacalar has earned its nickname is due to the presence of “cenotes” along its shores. Cenotes are natural sinkholes formed by the collapse of limestone bedrock, revealing hidden underground water sources. Wth their crystal-clear waters, the cenotes around Lake Bacalar provide a unique opportunity to swim, snorkel, or dive in a setting reminiscent of a tropical paradise. The Maldives comparison or not, there’s no doubt that Lake Bacalar is worth visiting and seeing in person.
