The Rough Guide to the Yucatan UPDATE

One of the most frequent questions I’ve gotten recently is how the Yucatan is looking after Hurricane Dean, which hit in August 2007. Mahahual and the cruise-ship port Puerta Costa Maya were severely hit. But now it looks like everything is moving along again–and in fact, a bit better than in the past. I admit, I haven’t seen the improvements with my own eyes, as my co-author covered this area on this update round, but he said things were looking better, and now there’s a website you can check for news and current photos of the place: Mahahual After Hurricane Dean.

In general, I am totally impressed by the efficient response to disasters in Mexico–not just from the government, which seems to be impressively prepared with emergency aid, but also from people on the ground, who really band together to get things cleaned up fast. I’ve seen it in Cancun after Wilma and in Tabasco after the flooding, and now it looks like the same quick repairs have been made in Mahahual.

I’m getting in touch with people I know down there, and I’ll post news as I hear it. First off, it seems no one was killed–in part, I think, because Hurricane Wilma was so terrible, so a lot of people on the coast heeded warnings to evacuate.

So far, I think we can safely say that anywhere north of the Sian Ka’an reserve (Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Cancun) is relatively OK–I just got a note from Esencia hotel, for instance, which is midway between Playa and Tulum, saying the property just had some landscaping damage, but is otherwise fine. However, this CNN story says about a third of the beach huts in Tulum were damaged, but those should be relatively easy to repair.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Puerto Costa Maya, the cruise-ship dock just north of Mahahual, was heavily damaged, however. (On a side note, it was funny to read in The New York Times that Mahahual is a “modern resort.” Yes, the dock is modern, but the village itself, which didn’t have regular power till a couple of years ago, hardly counts as “modern,” or even a “resort.”) I can’t imagine a lot of the other new construction in this area fared as well.

Chetumal looked pretty flooded (see pic #3, outside the Hotel Ucum, here), and Bacalar had one of its modern buildings crunched (see the same pics).

I’ll be back down in the area in early November–it will be good to see the place firsthand.

So, as readers have previously commented, Kailuumcito (p. 177, which is now really known as Kailuum, since the old Kailuum shut) is back open…sort of. At the very present time (summer), it’s shut, but it allegedly will be accepting guests starting in December.

It has changed its policies a bit, however, because it is still welcoming day visitors from cruise ships. The main change: no honor bar! On the plus side, the prices have gone down. And this might all change again, because the owners seem to be reevaluating the setup all the time. It’s still a beautiful spot, and the environment within the resort is a very special one–assuming they don’t tinker with it too much. Oh, and it’s no longer part of Turquoise Reef Group, but bookable on its own website, www.kailuum.com.

In the meantime (or, really, anytime), I would definitely recommend Mayan Beach Garden. It’s not in the current guide because I didn’t have time to visit on that research trip, but I’ve been by since then. It’s just a little way up the road, and very out on the very edge of it all. Marcia, the owner, runs a great operation, and I hear the food is very good. The setup is certainly more formal than Kailuum–actual walls, not tents!, and some rooms even have a/c–but it is also a very special place with lots of loyal repeat guests. And, at the moment, it seems quite a lot more reliable than Kailuum.

I’ve just heard very positive firsthand reports from someone who really knows her food about The Leaky Palapa (p. 177), which is now open for the season (till around Memorial Day). Costa de Cocos (p. 177), however, sounds as though it’s being neglected, in terms of both food and lodging (see also my update to an earlier Mahahual/Xcalak post below).

This nice tent-camping place (p. 177) is CLOSED for good–it’s now just acting as a beach club for cruise-shippers from Mahahual. Really a waste of good property, and the end of a great era!

Mahahual is booming in a very weird, fast way. There are several new hotels in town proper, and quite a lot of restaurants and businesses.

Casa del Mar (p. 177) is moving once again, to a spot just north of 40 Cañones Hotel, but worth seeking out for the tacos and general good vibes.

Las Cabañas de Tío Phil (p. 177) has been taken over by Dreamtime Diving and made into a resort, so it’s substantially different and has changed its pricing. Dreamtime, incidentally, has changed ownership; it also has a Chinchorro license now.

In Xcalak, however, things are kind of the same. Marina Mike’s (p. 178) can’t be recommended anymore. Tierra Maya (p. 178) has changed hands, and Maya Village (p. 178) is shut. This leaves only Costa de Cocos as a reliable spot close to town, but it’s a very good one.

UPDATE: Jan. 12, 2007: I’ve just gotten a very bad firsthand report about Costa de Cocos. It sounds as if the owners aren’t on premises very often, and a lot of the attention (including the boats) has shifted to dealing with day visitors from the cruise ships from Mahahual.

However, reports are now good from Casa Carolina (which also does diving, like Costa de Cocos), and Tierra Maya, both of which are just up the road.

Directions for Orizabas (p. 184) weren’t so precise: off the northwest corner of the plaza, head one block west, then one block north.

Hotel Ucum (p. 182) has a new website: www.hotelucumchetumal.com.

Arba Internet (p. 184) is now called Web Center, but has the same services.

La Prosperidad de Moncho’s (p. 184) is now called El Encanto de la Pitaya, but the setup looks exactly the same.

Vacabanti (p. 184) is closed. It was a little before its time, I suppose.

Oxtankah (p. 185) costs M$30.

Travel In’, just south of Mahahual (p. 177), no longer takes reservations by email–rooms are just first-come, first-serve. Considering how nice and cheap the place is, it’s definitely worth taking the bus or a servicio down there first, and working your way back up the road if it’s full. The place now has three rooms (M$100/person), along with space for camping (M$40/person).

Just north of Mahahual, Kailuumcito (p. 177) is now officially called Kailuum (because the original Kailuum, up near Playa del Carmen, closed last summer).

On Isla Mujeres, the hotel listed as Playa Secreto (p. 101) is really Hotel Secreto. My bad. On the same page, the correct URL for Hotel Francis Arlene is www.francisarlene.com.

The website for Rancho Angel (p. 175) near Felipe Carrillo Puerto is now dead, but you can get the info on the Cuzan Guesthouse website (http://www.flyfishmx.com).