How To Get To Bacalar, The Maldives of Mexico

For many of us, Maldives is a bucket list trip. But the way some of our coins are set up, it may not ever get checked off the list. Let’s be real, going to Maldives is not cheap and unless you set a strategic goal to make it happen, it won’t. So if you want to get a Maldives like experience without the price tag, check out the next best thing, Bacalar, Mexico.

Now I’m sure you’ve never heard of Bacalar, in fact I hadn’t until I found it on Pinterest not too long ago. It’s located in eastern Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula in the state of Quintana Roo. It’s about four hours from Cancun and two and a half from Tulum. Give or take on how fast you drive. You can also fly into the Chetumal International Airport which is only about 30 minutes away. We drove from Cancun.

You may be able to get a service to drive you if you aren’t comfortable driving yourself, just Google it to see.

I wanted to drive because I drive in about 95% of the countries I visit so I ain’t scared to drive in all the chaos lol. I like to move around when I’m ready so driving is the easiest way to do that. But it is not for everyone.

Expect all driving rules to be broken according to what we are used to in the United States and it to be the norm. You literally get in where you fit in. With that said, driving to Bacalar is not that bad and it’s the best way to move around the country.

I do suggest buying the best car insurance you can afford because of the possibility that so much could go wrong. Let’s say worse case scenarios, you could hit a pothole and get a flat, someone could break out your windows and steal your stuff or you could get into an accident. And if that doesn’t scare you enough to get full coverage, I’m sure this will. Say you get into an accident, you could wind up in jail until everything is paid for. So please, spend the extra hundred or two that is required for your peace of mind. We don’t have time to be locked up abroad.

Now that we got that out the way, let’s get you to Bacalar. You pretty much ride the same highway the entire way and it’s literally a straight shot from Cancun airport, road 307. We stopped in Tulum along the way to eat but we stayed away from the touristy area to avoid the chances of catching covid and just stuck with the less crowded areas where some of our favorite street food is served.

Once you get to Bacalar, you have quite a few choices of places to stay. I’m a lover of Airbnb and there are lots of places you can stay listed on their site. Feel free to use the box below to search Airbnb for the dates you plan to visit Bacalar. There are some beautiful places for extremely cheap prices. But if you want the best experience, keep reading.

If the goal is to feel like you are in Maldives, there is one hotel, the only hotel, that is in the water in Bacalar. Its called Hotel Akalki and I must say it was an amazing experience! You must go. As of December 2020, they only had five rooms available because the others were flooded. They have a total of 11 rooms, perfect for social distancing! It is a very secluded experience.

If you want to book with them plan early. I just so happened to get lucky and the only day they had open for the entire month, one week before I booked, just so happened to be during the time we were going to be in Mexico so it was meant for us to go. Below you’ll find a visual interpretation of my experience at Hotel Akalki, some of the amazing views and things you can do while there if I haven’t convinced you already. I’m telling you, just go.

The hotel is gated which I loved and they ask your name before they let you in to confirm that you are a guest. The hotel is not obvious as you come off highway 307. You have to make sure you are paying attention when the map says you have arrived. There is a short drive to get to the reception area so don’t think you’ve passed it when you enter the gates. If you’ve seen the sculpture in Tulum leading to the entrance of Raw Love restaurant, then this video of another statue will ring a bell of who the creator is.

Here’s a look inside the room we stayed in:

This video of the room alone should make you want to book now so here’s the link to do that and be sure you change the language to English once you are on the site. You will be completely lost trying to book a room if you can’t read Spanish. CLICK HERE TO BOOK

One thing I loved when we got to the hotel was that they took all our luggage and sprayed it down to disinfect it to be sure no one was bringing in covid so don’t be alarmed. It won’t stain your luggage or leave a residue. It’s just another safety measure during these crazy times.

Activities available include paddle boarding, kayaking, massages and facials. It’s a very relaxing environment so people like me who love to move around and find adventures can appreciate a moment to sit still and relax after a long vacation on the go. Which I’d just had before arriving.

Here is a view of the grounds on the side of the Hotel we stayed on.

Here’s a look at the dining area and the dock:

Here’s a view entering the water from our room and the fish don’t bite so don’t be afraid to get in, they just move out the way:

Here’s some footage of activities we did while there:

One thing to be conscious of while here is that this is an area where alligators live and they come out at night, the most active time that these animals naturally feed. The hotel does let you know not to get in the water at night and the be aware if you are walking around closer to midnight. This is not only true of this lagoon but many cenotes in Mexico also have alligators in them at night and you have to be aware of this.

The hotel has never had any incidents of anyone being attacked by the animals so don’t be the first by doing the opposite of what they ask you to do to protect yourself. You have been warned lol!

We didn’t venture out into the city of Bacalar itself, I was satisfied with just being at the hotel and didn’t want to go anywhere else but here’s a blog about other things to do in Bacalar if you want to see anything outside of the hotel.

As far as food goes, they serve breakfast, brunch and dinner as well as alcoholic beverages. I enjoyed every meal and the drinks were very strong!

Here’s a view of the bed we slept in overnight. Keep in mind that this is a very natural experience and the hotel has some eco-friendly practices so if you are afraid of bugs, don’t come here. But if you can appreciate the creativity of these experiences please visit. The beds have mosquito nets that keep you from being eaten alive by these blood suckers, which are brutal, bring spray during the day. Preferably plant based but if you forget it, the hotel has some.

There are small lizards on the property that can get in your room. They don’t bother you at all and they tend to stay high on the wall so don’t panic. It’s not unusual to see small ants also. My advice is to make sure you keep your bags closed when you are not using them. The rooms are not infested with anything, just letting you know you may see little harmless creatures.

Here’s a sunrise view of the water which is so placid that it looks like glass in the mornings:

Now remember, if you can’t get this hotel and your dates aren’t flexible, you can book a very nice Airbnb if you want to visit Bacalar. They won’t have rooms in the water, again Akalki is the only hotel in the water in Bacalar, but many are within a short distance of the lagoon and the stays can still be very nice. The room we stayed in at Akalki was about $250 a night.

I hope my little review of this unique experience has made you want to take the time to visit Bacalar. I believe it will become a new hotspot in Mexico soon so jump on it before everyone else does! It’s also a nice alternative to Tulum which has souring covid numbers because so many people are going there at the moment. Be different!

If you have any questions please leave them in the comments below or send me a message via email or Instagram.

~xoxo,

Candace Blair