Just back from a short 24 hours visit to Laguna Bacalar from our rented condo in Puerto Aventuras following advices from passing travellers. Experience unique and exciting for who wants to get off the beaten path and live an exotic experience. The road from Tulum to Laguna Bacalar very different from the Carretera Cancun-Tulum. Very boring, not much to see, some portions under construction and some portions on two very narrow lanes. But, nothing to be afraid of.
With tips from the Trip Advisor forum, we stayed at the Villas Bakalar. Excellent choice but to get there must follow directions: At second Pemex Gas Station, turn left, follow awful road to second block from lagoon (approx. 1 mile), will see very small sign at right VILLAS BAKALAR. Hard to believe that behind those gates is a very clean , comfortable and modern hotel with a magnificent view on the Laguna. The morning sunrise was awesome. Greeted by Fernando who speaks good English, thank’s goodness, providing goods tips for Dinner and boat tours. Make sure you ask for an Internet cable if you have a laptop . We dined at the Aluxes Restaurant. Good food, very relaxing charming and well situated in view of the lagoon. My wife and I had the Rollups. Excellent!
Next morning , Fernando had us reserved a Laguna tour with Ramon(Mexican) and Cristelle (French). Very personal 3 hours tour for 1500 Pesos( $150 US) Less expensive than the others tour operators. Cristelle provided us with very pertinent informations about the Laguna . The BEST !!
The Laguna Bacalar village area offers contrasts between the very rich and the very poor with it’s voluptuous Villas along the coastal road (best road to take) and it’s cardboard made cabanas within the village . The village roads are full of holes.
The Laguna Bacalar itself is worth the trip and the numerous different shades of Turquoise-Blue-Green-White are very unique . You can never see this anywhere else, I think.
Will certainly return in the future with a Spanish speaking wife.( MY wife has promised she would take on Spanish lessons on our return)

January 2009. This is a beautiful hotel nestled amongst extreme poverty. The worst part of it is finding it. Going south on Highway 307 turn at the 2nd Pemex Gas station on the left and continue toward the lagoon until you are about 2 blocks from the water. Look to your right and you'll see a miniscule sign identifying Villas Bakalar. You may miss it if you're in a hurry. Once there you'll notice immediately the huge gate blocking the entrance. Fernando is very accommodating and speaks good English. I don't think anyone else there does. The one bedroom suite is very modern and very clean. Internet is hard wired but very slow. This is comparable to a U.S. 4-star, and maybe more, for about $75.00 U.S. a night (pesos are currently about 13.5 to 1). If you were in the states you would pay $200+ per night. No restaurant available but Cenote Azul has good food. TV but not satellite. AC and ceiling fans. The foliage and ground keeping is exceptional. This is an excellent place to stay and it may make you realize how lucky some of us are with the comforts we have.

We just got back from our trip which included a stay at Villas Bakalar. Fernando was great!! His hotel is very clean and beautifully kept. Laguna Bacalar is truly a gem! they say it has seven colors but I think there are more. Not many tourist so the beauty is somewhat untouched. Fernando set us up with a boat trip around Laguna Bacalar which was worth every penny. If you do go make sure to ask for a trip. My only complaint was the bed because it was hard but I have a bad back. There is not much to do at night so its great a place to stay for couple of nights. During the day you will need a car so you can visit some of the Mayan ruins.

My wife and I recently spent 2 nights at Villas Bakalar. Booked our room directly with Fernando. Suites are big, airy, clean and have brand new appliances. Junior Suites have 1 bedroom, kitchen, living area and a balcony. Master Suites have 2 bedrooms and can accomodate 4 people. Bathrooms have a large shower with a big rain-type shower head. Villas Bakalar is environmentally conscious and does try to conserve water so shower water pressure does not blast out on you. There is ample pressure though and there is a lot of hot water which in my opinion is more important than pressure anyways. Villas Bakalar is walled and gated so you feel very safe. Nice garden area all around the Suites as well. Lots of native plants and flowers. It's a great set-up.

Fernando's English is great so don't worry if your Spanish is not. No Food and Beverage service when we were there but you do have a full kitchen. We made fruit smoothies for breakfast (thank you for the fruit basket Fernando) and you can pick up items in Chetumal or in Bacalar as there are lots of Super's and Mini-Super's within a 5 minute walk. Or you can eat out. Easy to walk into downtown Bacalar and eat. Try Orizaba's (on 7th) for breakfast or lunch. Great food and great prices.

Overall, even though it's one of the more expensive places in Bacalar, it's brand new, extremely clean and well kept, there's a recycling program in place for all of us who are interested in doing our part. Great views from your balcony of Laguna Bacalar as well. Outside of the property, my wife and I felt safe walking around when we went out for dinner as well.