Bacalar has been quietly earning a reputation as the place that travellers who have already done Tulum tell each other about. The Lagoon of Seven Colors, a 42-kilometre freshwater lake in the southern Yucatan with an extraordinary layered palette of blues and greens, is the reason. Boca de Agua is where to stay while you are there.
The property sits directly on the lagoon’s shore, where the jungle meets the water and 90 percent of the land has been deliberately left untouched. A collection of elevated jungle villas, Developed with architectural direction from Frida Escobedo, rise above the forest floor on stilts, raised on stilts to minimise disturbance to the forest floor.. The structures use recycled wood and natural fibres throughout, with most of the furniture made by local artisans using materials sourced from nearby industries. The result looks considered and contemporary from the outside and feels calm and rooted from the inside: slatted wood, clean lines, the sounds of the jungle coming through at every hour.
Escobedo, who has become one of Mexico’s most internationally recognised architects, brought the same thinking here that she brings to larger commissions: materials in honest conversation with their setting, and space organised around how people actually want to inhabit it. Each villa is different. The Jungle Treehouse, at 45 square metres, is the most immersive, stripped back to what matters, with the canopy close and the lagoon a short walk below. The Master Pool Treehouse is the largest single-room villa at 75 square metres, with a private plunge pool and terrace designed, in the property’s own words, to slow you down. The Two-Bedroom Pool Treehouse, at 90 square metres with two bathrooms and a private pool, sleeps up to six and works well for families or two couples travelling together.
Flora, the on-site restaurant, is open to both guests and day visitors and grounds the cooking firmly in the flavours of the Mexican southeast. Local ingredients, traditional techniques, and a menu that always includes vegan and vegetarian options. Breakfast runs until noon; lunch and dinner until 9:30pm; cocktails, made with local ingredients by the bar team, until 10:30pm. Private dinners can be arranged for special occasions, served in the open air among the trees. The restaurant is also one of the few in the area worth visiting on its own terms, which is why it draws a crowd beyond the property’s own guests.
The sustainability programme is woven into the operation at a structural level rather than communicated as a marketing position. Syntropic agriculture, a Kanché garden cultivated by the staff, mangrove reforestation in partnership with local communities, and low-waste systems across the kitchen and the rooms. The property works with the surrounding ecosystem rather than around it, and the difference between the two approaches is something you feel in the quality of the place.
The Details
- 3 treehouses designed by Frida Escobedo, all on stilts above the jungle floor to preserve the ground beneath
- Jungle Treehouse: 45m², king bed, private bathroom, sleeps 2
- Master Pool Treehouse: 75m², king bed, private bathroom, private plunge pool and terrace, sleeps 2
- Two-Bedroom Pool Treehouse: 90m², king bed plus two queen beds, two private bathrooms, private plunge pool, sleeps up to 6
- Flora restaurant: open to guests and visitors for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails; vegan and vegetarian options always available; private dinners by arrangement
- On-site experiences including sunrise and sunset paddleboard and kayak tours (complimentary for guests), sailing, snorkelling at Xul-Ha, and guided archaeology tours to nearby Mayan sites including Ichkabal, Kohunlich, and Dzibanché
- Kayaks available for independent use at no charge for guests
- 90% of land left untouched; mangrove reforestation programme with local communities; syntropic agriculture on site
- Member of Design Hotels and Hamak Hotels; featured in National Geographic and Time Magazine; Michelin Guide listed
