The best part of visiting the Yucatan Peninsula is the variety of experiences available up and down the whole coastline. In this incredible vortex of ancient and modern worlds, you can fly into Cancun, the “Miami Beach of Mexico”, and within a few hours drive, be sipping margaritas while swinging in a hammock in a lost little corner of the world. When driving down Highway 307, the towns you pass tend to decrease on the “touristy” scale the farther you drive to the South, and the sleepy fishing village of Xcalak is the final destination on Mexico’s Costa Maya. The Costa Maya, or the precious strip of coco ridden shores that stretch from the southern frontier of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere all the way down to Belize, is beginning to receive more and more attention due to its pristine diving, ecological accommodations, peace and quiet only Mother Nature can create, amazingly fresh seafood, cool white sand beaches, tropical jungle mangroves, and remnants of ancient Mayan cities.

My most recent visit to Xcalak was an all too needed escape from the “real world”. I always feel as though I slip into a time warp the minute my tires roll from the asphalt highway onto the sandy beach roads of town, and this time was the same. As I passed the colorful wooden houses, my body instantly sank into a peaceful relaxation as the tune of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” played faintly through my head. Bob and Caroline warmly greeted me at Casa Carolina and showed me to my ‘casita’. Read more...