I had a chance to spend a week traveling to Mahahual and Bacalar. They were two very relaxing places to visit.
Mahahual
Mahahual is an incredibly chill beach town a few hours south of Playa del Carmen. There’s a small residential neighborhood and a strip of shops, bars, restaurants, dive shops, and hotels meandering south along a boardwalk next to the beach. The only downside is that it’s become a cruise ship destination. I’ve been told when the ships arrive the town gets crowded, which is not good for tranquility, but great for the local businesses.
With the Covid situation, there were no cruise ships when I was there and it was an incredibly peaceful place. The first day I rented a bike, road around, had a couple of margaritas by the beach and then booked it back to my Airbnb when I saw a string of dark clouds approaching. I enjoyed the rest of the day relaxing as it poured outside.
Day two was an amazing series of three dives out on the Banco Chinchorro atoll. I’ve got those videos in a separate post.
Bacalar
About an hour west of Mahahual is the town of Bacalar. It straddles a small part of the long, beautiful Lake Bacalar. It’s also know as the Lake of Seven Colors because of all the shades of blue and green water throughout the lake.
Unfortunately, when I was there, it was cool and cloudy and the water didn’t have any of the translucent qualities it was known for. It was still an incredibly peaceful place and I had a chance to do a couple of SUP paddles both days I was there. The best part was being able to do a paddle with a couple of friends from Playa del Carmen that are now living about 10 miles from Bacalar.
