Under the shade of several dozen palm trees are cushioned wooden loungers and wooden tables just steps from the gently rocking fishing boats tied up in the water. The Malecón 21 beach club looks out over an area of almost completely still cerulean water; nets surrounding the beach keep the sargassum at bay during the summer months.
Ethereal music plays lightly in the background, and friendly, bilingual waiters come by every once in a while to see if you need anything. Their classic margarita and a plate of spicy aguachile is the perfect order to settle into vacation in Mahahual, Mexico.
The beach club is an extension of Hotel Noah, a 26-room hotel just on the other side of the single paved street that weaves through Mahahual. This small fishing village on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is famous for its reefs and the slow, beachy rhythm of life that travelers find here.
Each of Hotel Noah’s rooms is a little bit different. The building was originally designed to be condos and so most of the spaces have the feel of tiny apartments – dining room tables that seat five, living rooms outfitted with plush L-shaped couch, kitchenettes with Nepresso machines, two-burner hot plates and full size refrigerators.
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There are a handful of tiny rooms in the center of the building with no windows to the outside and minimal space. An upgrade to a larger suite here is a must. On the largest end of the scale is a 4-room, split-level family suite that includes a massive outdoor patio with a dining table that looks out over the ocean.
In between are rooms with loft beds, daybeds, separate sleeping areas, and private bathrooms for each guest. Be sure to fully peruse their list before deciding which option is best for your trip. An obvious bonus are rooms with balconies that face the ocean, of which there are thirteen of the twenty-six.
Rooms have a beachy nostalgia to them with a color palette of blues, greys, and whites, giant woven god’s eyes on the wall, wooden and leather furniture, Acapulco-style dining room chairs, accent pillows with Mexican embroidery, and beautiful blue tiles on the walls and the floors.
You’d never expect the variety and options available upon entering the building that, for all intents and purposes, just looks like an average small beach town hotel. There is a street-facing bar and restaurant (that also provides the food and drink to the beach club), so if you don’t want to go sit in the sand, you don’t have to.
Mahahual’s main attraction is by far the local reef for snorkeling and scuba diving. Come in the colder season (November to January) to see it at its most colorful. The hotel works closely with Pepe Dive, a local company committed to the health of the reef that has been operating out of Mahahual for the last eight years.
A handful of restaurants line the waterfront of this small town, but other than that it’s pretty sleepy. The hotel has bikes, kayaks, and paddleboards on site. Hotel Noah can arrange tours on ATVs as well as snorkeling or scuba diving, or a tour out to see the nearby Banco Chinchorro, a mangrove atoll reef with a crocodile sanctuary. They can also arrange massages on the beachfront and other spa services.
At an affordable price point (rooms run from 102 to 426usd depending on the season and the type of room), Hotel Noah stands out for its quality facilities and decor as well as an excellent level of service in Mahahual.
Check rates for Noah Beach Hotel & Suites online at Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda.com, or Hotels.com.
