Stayed with our extended family for a week and each of us found things to love about Rancho Sak-Ol. Grandma loved sitting on the porch watching the horizon during the day, and the moon reflecting on the water at night. My wife and I enjoyed the cooling breezes and the wonderful birdwatching. Our twenty something daughter loved Luna the dog, the indoor swing in the main palapa and particularly the visit to the sister hotel Rancho Sak-Ol Kaax to see the jungle. We all enjoyed the breakfasts, fresh tropical fruits and friendly conversation with the fellow travelers and delightful hosts. All the staff were friendly and helpful. Be sure to check out the website photos, which very accurately show what to expect: a comfortably worn beachfront hotel with steep stairs to the second floor rooms, sandy paths to the ground floor rooms, and assorted comfortable mismatched chairs and loungers on the porch and beach. There is pleasant snorkeling right in front of the hotel, although it is a little shallow and rocky getting in. There is only WiFi (when it was working) in the main palapa and the front rooms (the Suite and 13). The walking distance town of Puerto Morelos was relaxed and friendly. Most nights you could find some live music in town. In general the restaurants were pretty good: we particularly liked Playita for ceviches (marinated raw fish) and coctelles (raw oysters in a cocktail sauce served in a glass), the Al Chimichurri Uraguayan grill for beef, and tacos.com for wonderful fresh and creative seafood tacos. Several places sell tasty grilled chicken with rice and beans that we would take out for lunch. Beware the Mexican Police if you rent a car - every person in the rental return van at the airport had been shaken down for driving offenses, real or imagined. We failed to make a turn signal exiting a roundabout on the road between town and the hotel and wound up negotiating a $100 fine down to $60.

Rancho Sak-ol was the ideal spot for our post-Christmas/New Year’s getaway. Personally I’d rate the place 5 stars as it was just what the doctor ordered following a hectic Christmas my partner and I spent running around trying to please various family members, but I digress. Certainly no destination can be all things to all people, and indeed the only reason this review is not 5 stars is that the beach in front of Rancho Sak-ol is rocky and shallow and not really good for swimming at all. Still, if you want to cool off and then return to your lounge chair to read, take a nap, or watch the pelicans diving for their lunch, the beach and the sea are just fine. The beach is regularly cleaned and raked of the seaweed that washes ashore and it’s a beautiful spot for early risers to enjoy the sunrise.

In every other aspect, our stay was 5 stars, hands down. We wanted a quiet getaway and that’s exactly what we got. Our room was basic, with a bed suspended from the ceiling using thick ropes, and decorated with our towels folded to look like a swan. No phones or TVs in our room were fine by us as the two hammocks on our balcony overlooking the wooded path to the beach were much preferred for catching a nap and listening to the quiet waves. The owners and staff at Rancho Sak-ol couldn’t have been kinder. We were welcomed by Veronica and soon met Hilda and everyone else who wanted nothing more than to answer our questions and make sure we had what we needed: beach towels, bikes to borrow, restaurant recommendations, etc.

But what I liked most about our stay at Rancho Sak-ol was the communal kitchen where breakfast was served every morning starting at 8:00. Actually what was “served” was delicious cut up fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, breads, pastries, jams, etc. where we could help ourselves to whatever we preferred that morning. In addition we had access to the stove where we could fix our own eggs or make hot cereal and someone else would do the cleanup. We also enjoyed squeezing our own fresh orange juice using a mack daddy citrus press. What’s better than that, cooking your own breakfast then having someone else clean up?

The kitchen and refrigerator were available for guests’ use throughout the day but guests have to clean up after themselves. On our second day, we made our own pasta dinner with ingredients we’d bought in Puerto Morelos after an afternoon at the beach in town. Cooked with a bit of chorizo, squash, onion, and plum tomatoes, it was one of the best pasta sauces I’ve ever made. The kitchen was really put to good use when Hilda offered to teach a cooking class to our group. Rather than pay the cooking school in town, for just $30 each she taught us how to make a Mexican meal of fish marinated in achiote, boiled chayote, and arroz a la Mexicana. Rather than teach us a dessert she showed us how to make margaritas as the fish was marinating. What could be wrong with that? The dishes she chose to teach were all excellent, especially the fish in achiote, a ubiquitous Yucatan ingredient.

Our stay at Rancho Sak-ol really was all that we could have desired. Going away with a great group of friends and staying at such a warm and welcoming venue was the perfect way to celebrate birthdays and the New Year. I’d be happy to make a stay at Rancho an ongoing tradition.

I wish we had read the March 22 review - the reviewer captured our feelings totally. In addition, of the 5 different places we stayed in on this trip it was the only one where we felt there was no "host" - nobody seemed to care whether we were there or not-really off putting for a place marketing itself as a B and B.

A place to just relax and kick back (or swing in a hammock). The administrators, Hilda and Valente live on the property and are very helpful and nice. The breakfast buffet was great, fresh fruit, cereal, yogurt, etc. If you want eggs, they provide them, but you have to cook them. You make your own fresh orange juice also. We would definitely go back.