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Casa Carolina in
the News |
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The Riviera Maya’s Monthly
January
2011
Lydia Linton Pontius
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CASA
CAROLINA REVIEW
After having lunch in Mahahual on
the Malecón, surrounded by tourists from the two cruise
ships, it was time to head farther south to Xcalak, another
place I had not visited in 10 years. Leaving Mahahual, we went
back through the military checkpoint, where a very helpful
young soldier helped us put our front car bumper back in
place. Shortly past this point we turned south on the road to
Xcalak. Ten years started to vanish and it felt like
yesterday; it also reminded me of the road from Cancún to Tulúm
more like 20 years ago. It was a well-paved two-lane road,
with the foliage growing up to it and an array of birds and
iguanas wandering to the edge.
Xcalak is a place where time stands still. So little has
changed that it is easy to catch up with the progress. And
catching up is on a much more personal level here. It includes
facts such as: young Toby grew up, left Xcalak to work and
learn a trade, and returned to open his own restaurant.
Driving on the beach road through Xcalak to Casa Carolina, I
noticed a few new homes and was delighted that no large
development had moved in. I sincerely hope it stays this way.
We pulled into Casa Carolina—the place looked the same as it
did 10 years ago when it first opened. They have added a
screened-in palapa which serves as their bar in the evenings
and breakfast area in the mornings; they also have Wi-Fi here.
The pier is finished and they have a new dog, Tootsie. Bob and
Caroline each must have paintings of Dorian Gray because they
hadn't changed a bit in 10 years. Other than those few
changes, it is the same quaint and tastefully decorated place.
Read more...
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Placeres
January 20, 2011
Sorpresas te da la vida: Migraciones en la frontera del Sur
Ana Saldana
Read
full article...
Despues, tomé
camino, como dirían coloquialmente, y me dirigí al pequeño
pueblo de pescadores de nombre Xcalak ubicado en una reserva ecológica
en la frontera de Belice y México. A aproximadamente 2 horas de
Chetumal, Xcalak es un paraíso para los buzos, ya que aquí se
encuentra la segunda cadena de arrecifes más grande del mundo y es
puerta de entrada a Banco Chinchorro.
La
oferta turística es limitada. Escojo un pequeño y simpático
hotel ecológico de cuatro habitaciones, llamado Casa
Carolina, donde sus dueños, Caroline y Bob, una agradable
pareja de norteamericanos, me reciben con los brazos abiertos. El
hotel está ubicado sobre una hermosa playa del Caribe y ofrece
confortables habitaciones con una pequeña cocineta y un pequeño
balcón que permite que la brisa del mar te arrulle mientras duermes.
No hay
mucho que hacer en este tranquilo pueblo. Olvídate de la Blackberry
y la televisión y comodidades como el aire acondicionado. Aquí
buceas, pescas, lees y descansas. Sin duda, bucear con expertos como
XTC Dive Shop, hace toda la diferencia. Los grupos son
pequeños, pero sobre todo la diversidad de fauna y la variedad de
arrecifes es impresionante.
Yo venía
a bucear, pero lo que sí, no pensé que aquí encontraría una
nueva sorpresa culinaria, producto una vez más de una migración más
reciente que la libanesa.
En una
pequeña palapa a la orilla del Caribe, dos mujeres canadienses se
establecieron en 2004 para abrir un restaurante llamado Leaky
Palapa. Sin duda, este restaurante es un oasis gastronómico
en este pueblo de 400 habitantes compuesto de tres calles de
terracería. Read more... |
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The Riviera Maya’s Monthly
July 2004
Terri Brown |
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The best part of visiting
the Yucatan Peninsula is the variety of experiences available
up and down the whole coastline. In this incredible vortex of
ancient and modern worlds, you can fly into Cancun, the “Miami
Beach of Mexico”, and within a few hours drive, be sipping
margaritas while swinging in a hammock in a lost little corner
of the world. When driving down Highway 307, the towns you
pass tend to decrease on the “touristy” scale the farther you
drive to the South, and the sleepy fishing village of Xcalak
is the final destination on Mexico’s Costa Maya. The Costa
Maya, or the precious strip of coco ridden shores that stretch
from the southern frontier of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere all the
way down to Belize, is beginning to receive more and more
attention due to its pristine diving, ecological
accommodations, peace and quiet only Mother Nature can create,
amazingly fresh seafood, cool white sand beaches, tropical
jungle mangroves, and remnants of ancient Mayan cities.
My most recent visit to Xcalak was an all too needed escape
from the “real world”. I always feel as though I slip into a
time warp the minute my tires roll from the asphalt highway
onto the sandy beach roads of town, and this time was the
same. As I passed the colorful wooden houses, my body
instantly sank into a peaceful relaxation as the tune of
“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” played faintly through my head. Bob
and Caroline warmly greeted me at Casa Carolina and showed me
to my ‘casita’.
Read more...
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August
29, 2004
TRAVEL 101: XCALAK ON THE YUCATAN PENINSULA'S ROAD LESS TRAVELED
KATHRYN KURTZ - Special Writer, The Oregonian
Where: Xcalak, at the end of
the only north-south highway on the Yucatan Peninsula, almost to
Belize. A five-hour drive from Cancun.
Why: Cancun is overbuilt,
overcrowded and overrun with tourists. Xcalak
(pronounced shka-lak) is the real
Mexico.
What's there: A village of
270 people on a talcum soft Caribbean beach sheltered by the world's second
longest barrier reef. Expect 260 days of sunshine, postcard palm trees and a
laid-back lifestyle.
Expatriate lifestyle: Mexico
has become a popular destination for retired Americans and Europeans who
want to simplify their lives. Many of the small, delightful hotels in
Xcalak are owned and operated by expats. Caroline Wexler (former
social worker) and Bob Villier (former public relations executive), from
Philadelphia, built Casa Carolina after years of vacationing and
diving in Xcalak. When it came to the naming, Caroline won: Casa Carolina
sounds a lot better than Casa Bob's. It's a charming, eco-friendly
four-room beachfront hotel and dive center that offers absolute refuge and
relaxation. Rooms ($65 - $85/double, depending on the season,
www.casacarolina.net) come equipped with a small kitchen, lovely tiled bathrooms, fans and a covered
balcony or porch about 25 feet from the water. Hammocks, kayaks and
bicycles are always available. Caroline serves homemade muffins and fruit
for breakfast in a thatched palapa, and Bob mixes magnificent margaritas
in the evening.
Read more... |
May 3, 2003 |
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Near Cancún, yet a world away
For divers, fishermen and solitude seekers, the tiny seaside
town of Xcalak is an answered prayer
By
Chuck Pawlik,
Special to The Times
Xcalak is pronounced "schka-lak"
or "ish-ka-lak," depending on how you twist your tongue. It's
more than 200 miles from Cancún at the southernmost tip of the
Yucatán Peninsula and has been known as much for its isolation
and lost-in-time ambience as anything else. Scuba diving,
fishing and beach bumming were known to be first-rate, yet one
was hard-pressed to find a single T-shirt shop.
The four-room Casa Carolina was reasonably
priced...and the hammocks pictured on its Web site
had called out to me. Good thing I answered. Upon arrival we
found ourselves 30 yards from the water, surrounded by little
else but white sand, palm trees and a breeze.
Owners Bob Villier and Caroline
Wexler greeted us like old school buddies. Bob used to be in
public relations but now certifies recreational scuba divers and
trains dive instructors.
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Blue horizon
(Chuck Pawlik)
Caroline,
a former social worker, said that after 25
years of immersing herself in personal
tragedies, she was ready to help people have
a good time. She makes guests' dinner
reservations, arranges day excursions, even
catches the market truck that comes to town
twice a week, delivering supplies to
lodgings, food to residents and,
occasionally, ice cream to the town's
children.
Read more...
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 Sunday,
October 20, 2002 |
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Lifestyle
Peace on the Yucatan
Turned off by the
commotion of Cancun, travelers find Xcalak to be a great
escape
Virginia de Leon,
Staff writer
XCALAK, Mexico -- During the day, the Caribbean Sea feels
as warm as bath water. At night, it mirrors the star-lit sky
as the phosphorescence twinkles within the dark depths.
We sat at the end of a narrow, 100-foot long dock one
summer evening, marveling at the natural light show before us.
In this tiny, fishing village on the Costa Maya, where
electricity is available for only six hours a day, the sky
isn't obscured by the glare of civilization. |
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Ted Barnwell
Travelers who
seek the remote, untouched beaches of Mexico's
Caribbean coast can find it in Xcalak, a tiny fishing
village on the Costa Maya.
Here, we witnessed the drama of lightning flashing in the
horizon, the glitter of stars in the pitch-black night, and
the organic glow of plankton.
It was here where we discovered our little piece of
paradise.
Read more... |
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