Days begin in Carolina Bacalar hotel with a quick dip in Bacalar’s jewel-toned lagoon in the Yacatan. Afterwards, a sit under the hotel’s thatch roof dock on a lounge chair in the shade, coffee in hand. This is the most perfect way for enjoying the expansive lagoon glittered in the early morning sunlight.
Carolina has a privileged location along the southern end of the coastal road that leads along the lagoon’s edge. About 25 minutes walking from the center of Bacalar, they are far enough for a more secluded feel, but close enough to walk into town for dinner or lunch.
Verdant, well-kept grounds and rustic palapa-roofed towers give the hotel a beachy chic vibe. Organized into 7 towers, each with an upper and lower room, rooms are big enough to be considered suites by some standards. Rooms are outfitted with a king or two double beds, a rain shower shower head, a separate toilet area and a large vanity.
Cool building materials like polished stone floors and sinks, as well as tiled walls and dark wooden furniture give rooms a fresh, simple style that alludes to a much higher price point (rooms run from 222 to 351 USD a night).
Check rates online at Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda.com, or Hotels.com.
The rooms’ best feature is their small outdoor patios with wooden deck chairs and tables, as well as a woven hammock each. Four of the rooms are Lagoon View, but the abundance of tropical foliage doesn’t really allow an unobstructed view of the lagoon.
In fact, these rooms’ position just behind the open-air restaurant might actually be a drawback. Music (while generally mellow and inoffensive) streams all day long from the restaurant’s speakers, so for a quieter spot, choose a room in the center of the property. The center rooms are equally lovely on all accounts.
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The restaurant on the lake’s edge sits up underneath the shady trees and has several dining areas on various decks and patios where you can enjoy a meal or a drink. They serve delicious Mexican breakfasts like huevos motleños or chilaquiles as well as very decent coffee. Ducks wander in and out looking for crumbs and the water’s edge is just steps away.
Throughout the day there are snacks like cochinita pibil tacos along with a bevy of cocktails and beers. The staff circle by often, wherever you happen to be on the property, and offer drinks or some food.
A small swimming pool, more for relaxing than swimming laps, sits next to the restaurant area in case you are not a lagoon kind of person. If you are, Carolina has paddleboards and kayaks (along with obligatory life vests) for heading out onto the water.
You can also sit on the swings built in the water out front of the hotel and get your Instagram shot, especially in the afternoon as the sun sets. The hotel will arrange trips out on pontoon boats with local companies so that guests get some context and history of Bacalar, as well as see some of the nearby cenotes (underground sinkholes).
The Bacalar lagoon is a precious resource for both tourists and locals. It is one of largest fresh water bodies in the region and it is home to an endless diversity of birds and aquatic life. A lot of local campaigns are helping to keep it healthy, like a rest day instituted on Wednesdays during the slow season when no boats are allowed on the water and barriers keeping boats and kayaks from getting too close to the fragile mangrove forests.
To do your part, don’t wear sunscreen if you are going to go in the water. Also use biodegradable shampoo and soap, or make sure the hotel where you are going provides it (Carolina does). You can also visit Bacalar in the low season (September through November) to spread out tourism and the pressure on local services there, or take a tour with some ecologically-minded services like Colibri Sailing and bird watching tours with Active Nature.
For a casual hotel with decent prices but a luxurious feel, Carolina Bacalar is great option in Bacalar.
