Yucatan ecolodge accommodation, Mexico
| country: | Mexico |
| location: | Yucatan |
| price: | From US $130 - US $192 per single room per night. From US $152 - US $240 per double room per night. Price depends on choice of half board or B&B. Rates for additional person/children available. Please see below for pricing details |
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description
This outstanding ecolodge in Yucatan, Mexico is ideal for birdwatching and surrounded by a 100 hectares (240 acres) coconut grove. Our terrain lies on a small peninsula. To the west, lies the Gulf of Mexico with breathtaking sunsets; to the east the famous "Ría de Celestún", a salt water inlet with unique flora and fauna.
Because of its importance as the main feeding area for the American Flamingo and countless species of waterfowl and shorebirds it was decreed a Special Biosphere Reserve in 1989. Our small Natural History Museum, located beside the reception, offers an overall view of the flora and fauna surrounding the hotel.
The insects, reptiles, plants, nests and shells that are displayed in our showcases have been carefully selected and were all found within a 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) radius of the hotel. Therefore you can see samples from the Gulf of Mexico as well as from the coastal dune ecosystem.Those interested in learning more about the biodiversity that surrounds us may consult the specialized literature we carry in our museum or ask our knowledgeable tour guide who grew up in this region.
A variety of tours are also available at an additional cost. Example tours include tours to the Celestun Inlet, Uxmal, birds of the area, local haciendas, Oxkintok & Calcehtok caves & moonlight safaris
The Yucatan Peninsula has two international airports: Cancun and Merida. Many American and European airlines provide flights to Cancun, while Merida is only served by Mexican and some American airlines.
From Merida:You may either book a transfer for pick up in Merida, take a taxi or the public bus to Celestun, or drive yourself with your rental car: Leave Merida in the south and drive towards Uman. In Uman, take the 3rd street to the right after the principal plaza and take route no. 281 to Kinchil-Celestun.
In Celestun turn right and take the road that follows the coastline in a northern direction. After 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) you reach us. There are many signs along this road, so you can't miss us.
From Cancun: There are various airline connections between Cancun and Merida. Please refer to the above paragraph to see how to get from Merida to Celestun.Of course you can also rent a car in Cancun and drive across the Yucatan Peninsula. The drive takes about 5 hours, and the road between Cancun and Merida is an excellent highway (toll). If you plan on taking your time, you may want to visit the stunning Cenote of Dzidnup in Valladolid, the world famous archaeological site of Chichen Itza and/or the magnificent 16th Century Franciscan Convent of Izamal on your way over.
Because of its importance as the main feeding area for the American Flamingo and countless species of waterfowl and shorebirds it was decreed a Special Biosphere Reserve in 1989. Our small Natural History Museum, located beside the reception, offers an overall view of the flora and fauna surrounding the hotel.
The insects, reptiles, plants, nests and shells that are displayed in our showcases have been carefully selected and were all found within a 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) radius of the hotel. Therefore you can see samples from the Gulf of Mexico as well as from the coastal dune ecosystem.Those interested in learning more about the biodiversity that surrounds us may consult the specialized literature we carry in our museum or ask our knowledgeable tour guide who grew up in this region.
A variety of tours are also available at an additional cost. Example tours include tours to the Celestun Inlet, Uxmal, birds of the area, local haciendas, Oxkintok & Calcehtok caves & moonlight safaris
how to find us
The Yucatan Peninsula has two international airports: Cancun and Merida. Many American and European airlines provide flights to Cancun, while Merida is only served by Mexican and some American airlines.From Merida:You may either book a transfer for pick up in Merida, take a taxi or the public bus to Celestun, or drive yourself with your rental car: Leave Merida in the south and drive towards Uman. In Uman, take the 3rd street to the right after the principal plaza and take route no. 281 to Kinchil-Celestun.
In Celestun turn right and take the road that follows the coastline in a northern direction. After 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) you reach us. There are many signs along this road, so you can't miss us.
From Cancun: There are various airline connections between Cancun and Merida. Please refer to the above paragraph to see how to get from Merida to Celestun.Of course you can also rent a car in Cancun and drive across the Yucatan Peninsula. The drive takes about 5 hours, and the road between Cancun and Merida is an excellent highway (toll). If you plan on taking your time, you may want to visit the stunning Cenote of Dzidnup in Valladolid, the world famous archaeological site of Chichen Itza and/or the magnificent 16th Century Franciscan Convent of Izamal on your way over.
travellers' tales
The richness of the wildlife surprised us every day. One morning we saw dolphins swimming along the shore. Another dawn we came upon a sea turtle laying her eggs. (more)
rooms, food and facilities
Our 15 spacious cabañas (bungalows) are embedded in the natural surroundings. All of them offer a wonderful view of the Gulf of Mexico. Every cabaña has a veranda with 2 hammocks and 2 comfortable armchairs. The bungalows are equipped with 2 queen size beds, a sitting area with sofa bed, desk, spacious bath with shower, closet and safety deposit box.For ecological reasons the rooms are not equipped with air conditioning. Instead, 2 ceiling fans, a well-designed air circulation system and the Mayan technology, la palapa (thatched roof), will provide for enough refreshing ventilation.
La Casa Club is our main building, which offers a large variety of activities.Here our guests meet for a leisurely chat at the bar, or for a game of table tennis or billiard. In our small library which has books in 4 languages you can sit down and read, or watch videos. We have a wide range of educational videos (culture, nature) and entertainment to choose from. Board games are also available for you to use. All meals are served in the Casa Club Restaurant. Take your time and relish on a tasty Mexican breakfast!Among many other delicious items we offer fresh fruit juices, a seafood omeletet and our homemade whole meal bread.
In the evening we prepare a 4-course candlelight dinner for you. Fresh fish, seafood, Mexican, Yucatecan or international dishes are served. Our kitchen crew is proud of their creations!Our fresh water swimming pool is perfect for relaxation. A pergola provides shade while you read a book, look at the natural surroundings, or listen to the sound of the waterfall. From the pool you have great views of the dunes and the unaffected beach with its countless seashells. Enjoy a cool drink while watching the incredible sunset. It takes place right in front of you!
pricing
| Summer rates (1 May - 31 Oct 2008) | ||
| Room | Half board | B&B |
| Single | US $147 | US $130 |
| Double | US $184 | US $152 |
| Additional person* | US $62 | US $46 |
| Winter rates (1 Nov 2008 - 30 Apr 2009)** | ||
| Room | Half board | B&B |
| Single | US $192 | US $175 |
| Double | US $240 | US $210 |
| Additional person* | US $78 | US $68 |
Children under 6 years (max 2) in the same room as parents go free
Children 6 to 12 years (max 2) in the same room as parents: 50% discount.
Half board is bed and breakfast, plus dinner.
*Additional person in same room.
**Christmas and New Years gala dinner have a compulsary surcharge.
how this holiday makes a difference
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This is an ecological hotel with ecological standards as detailed below.
Construction and gardens  Very low construction density. From the 25 hectares (61.8 acres) land that we own, we only have constructed about 3,000m2 (9,842.5ft), that is about 1.2%. We have constructed our hotel from the second dune on, so that the first dune, beach and topography remained intact - pristine. This is very important, as precisely in this first dune, the sea turtles come to hatch. Natural products were used for all bungalows (only 15) which blend into the surrounding nature. Recycling  We recycle all our water biologically. The gray waters (showers and washbasin) go to a biological filter that has a stone (antracita) and bacteria - this filtered water is then used to water our garden. The black waters (W.C.) are pumped to our SIRDO = integrated organic recycling system - there it sediments and is used as an inoculous for our compost pile. The greasy waters of the kitchens and soapy waters of the laundry have each special filters with sand, gravel, stone and bacteria - this water is also used for our garden. For this system to work properly, we obviously had to install two different water pipelines. The recyclable waste: wood, glass, plastic, paper and metal is collected and then transported to the next recycling facility that is 110km (68 miles) away from us in Uman. The non-recyclable waste - less than 3 bags a week we dump in the municipality garbage dump. Resources All our water comes from a salty well. We have taken great care in not pumping too much water out of the well - we have a little 1hp pump that pumps about 2 litres per second. This water is filtered with sand, gravel and activated carbon, stored and chlorinated. This water goes to the main water system of our hotel. Part of it is then pumped to our potable water system. We installed an inverse osmosis and ultraviolet rays to make our water potable, so that we can avoid buying water bottles that would cause more garbage. All our lighting system is done with low voltage bulbs. To avoid that the little sea turtles get confused and do not find their way to the sea, we have kept our illumination as low as possible in our resort. We have installed solar panels to heat the water of our swimming pool.  Miscellaneous We offer ecological tours to the surroundings. We have a small vegetable garden. In the adjacent land (that by the way is also ours = 500 hectares (1,235 acres) we have planted about 20,000 Malayan dwarf coconut palm trees which are resistant to the lethal yellowing decease that is killing all the palm trees. The nearby town, Celestun, also profits from our resort: About 1/3 of our staff comes from the town; we use the services of the local boatmen to make the Celestun inlet tour; we buy local products like fish, seafood, vegetables and bread; etc. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |