Located in a remote corner of the world in the little pueblo of Xcalak pronounced (Esh-cal-ak), in the Mexican Riviera and the border with Belize you'll find the Hotel Tierra Maya.

My husband and I stayed there for 3 days and 2 nights out of our 7 day stay in the Mexican Riviera. We regretted we didn't stay at the Hotel Tierra Maya for the entire vacation!

Kim and Dave the owners, have it laid out for you! The rooms are decorated tastefully and simply. The screened in door to the patio brings in the breeze and there is plenty of room throughout the habitation. The rooms look out over the sea where the most spectacular sunrises take place.

The staff is friendly and very accommodating. They take pleasure in making you feel comfortable and welcome. Their warm smiles and great service are second to none!

The restaurant gets a big 2 thumbs up! Our dining experience was pleasurable and delectable! The staff and the service were once again very friendly and accommodating.

If you want a secluded slow pace this is the place to be! That is when your not snorkeling, diving or fishing! You can schedule seagoing excursions through the hotel Tierra Maya. They have a great rapport with the local dive masters and fishermen who also take pride and pleasure in being your guides!

If you forget your snorkeling gear, there are several sets of it provided by the hotel as a courtesy. A slew of bicycles to ride into town are available courtesy of the hotel.

Everything you need for a wonderful vacation full of adventure and time to relax awaits you at the Tierra Maya in the little pueblo of Xcalak. The rest is up to you to make your vacation what you want it to be.

A heartfelt appreciation for a wonderful experience to all at the Hotel Tierra Maya!

On an extra note: Be sure to bring sunscreen and insect repellent. As with any tropical fun in the sun place, those are necessities.

We are certainly in the minority on this....but our experience at Hotel Tierra Maya was considerably less than satisfying. Upon our arrival, there was no one to greet us (or check us in) . We wandered the grounds for some time and eventually found someone to help us. Turns out that the owners were in Chetumal shopping. We won't belabor this. We were scheduled for four nights and stayed three. The dog poop that was on the lawn when we arrived was there when we left. The first full day (the owner's were still away} our rooms--we had two-- were not cleaned, or even considered! The beach, such as it was, was not a swimming or sunning beach due to the seagrass and jellyfish. And so on. The good news is the food at Tierra Maya was very good, and, I suppose that if all you wanted to do was eat and fish, Tierra Maya and Xcalak would be perfect. We departed early and spent an unscheduled night in Valladolid at the Hotel El Meson del Marques on the zocalo. Valladolid was wonderful as was our hotel. Our hot tip is to stay in Valladolid for a night or two when visiting Chichen Itza. Safe Travels from the TravelingHomebodies!

Our favorite spot in Mexico so far! We cannot say enough good things about this quaint and beautiful little hotel. From our first booking inquiry to the end of our week-long vacation the service was impeccable. The accommodations were clean, well-appointed, and beautifully decorated in local style. Every room faces the ocean, and depending on the floor, has either a patio or balcony complete with chairs and a small table. Although we opted for only the "standard" room we found it to be larger than we expected and even felt that our view from room 6 might just have one of the best views of the ocean.
The wonderful owners, Kim and Dave, live on site full time. They were a pleasure to get to know, as well as a wealth of information about fishing, snorkeling, local attractions, San Pedro day trips, etc. They also have a superior staff who really made us feel welcome and made every effort to accommodate us. (Thanks again Eduardo!) I also want to mention that we booked 2 guided fishing days while we were there, and our guides, Victor and Nato (Fortunato) each did a spectacular job.
We loved the beach area. It is immaculate and while not really big enough for those "long walks on the beach" of the standard variety, it is large enough for guests to enjoy some privacy and to stretch your legs. You can also explore beyond the property if you're adventurous, but you'll probably want shoes for that... As is the case pretty much everywhere in this area, you can't swim right at the shoreline due to the protected turtlegrass, but a short walk to the end of the dock and you're bathing in the clear blue waters. You can throw on your snorkel gear here and swim out (or kayak) to one of the nearby coral heads to explore underwater.
The food is some of the best in the area (and we did sample!) They serve mostly locally-inspired cuisine, but do have a few alternative choices as well. The complimentary breakfast of fruit and pan dulce (banana bread and the like) is great for a simple start, or if you're like my husband and need something more substantial they have other great offerings like the Huevos Davos. They do serve lunch, but it was a little unclear to us, so we only found that out on our last day-- and had some delicious pork tacos I might say... But dinner is the real treat and if it's in season definitely order the lobster!! The peel-and-eat shrimp are a close second, though. The menu may seem a bit pricey at first glance, but know that each meal includes an appetizer, soup and biscuits, entree with potato, vegetable, salad, and dessert.
As far as the drive to Xcalak (Ish-ka-lak), it is not as bad as you think. Just don't drive at night. We found many of the directions to be outdated as all the roads are now reasonably well-marked with signs. Traffic is pretty heavy until you get to Tulum, then it slows down significantly and the rest of the way is pretty much a country (jungle!) drive until you hit Xcalak. The road to the hotel zone is ridden with potholes and gets worse the farther North you go. Tierra Maya is conveniently situated several km nearer to town than some of the other hotels, which is really nice. It took us a solid 5 hours with minimal stops.
Xcalak itself is very small and quite "rustic" to say the least. But beautiful in its own way, and everyone we met was very kind and patient with our lack of any real Spanish skills. The "hotel zone" is actually a few km north of the actual town, so it's up to you how much time you want to spend in town, but I do recommend it!
All in all, if you are looking for a fairly remote, charming, accommodating vacation where you can relax, explore, fish, sunbathe, snorkel, kayak, and just enjoy life, this is it!

We had a wonderful time here - the owners are really friendly nd helpful, and it was the most relaxing part of our holiday. We dream of coming back here! The dinners were excellent, too.