Bacalar is a small town in the south of Mexico famous for its beautiful Laguna Bacalar, also referred to as the Lagoon of Seven Colours due to its beautiful turquoise and blue hues. It is a very tranquil spot where the main activities consist of sitting by the lagoon with a cold drink, going in for a dip or taking out a kayak. It is a great place if you want to relax and get away from the crowds on the coast. From our experience, Bacalar is yet to be discovered by mass tourism but it is popular on the backpacker trail, especially as the border crossing to Belize is close by.
After leaving Tulum in the rain, we knew that the rains were coming to Bacalar also. So arriving to sunshine, we wasted no time and headed straight to the lagoon. There are a number of bars and restaurants situated right on the water and we chose La Playita. The restautant has a small jetty where you can sunbake or from which you can jump straight into the beautiful water. Or you can grab one of the tables in the shady garden where you still get views of the lagoon. It turned out to be the perfect spot and we happily spent hours there. The food was OK but for us it really was all about the tasty margaritas and the amazing location.
As we expected the weather turned the next day and we awoke to rain and grey skies. The lagoon didn’t look inviting so we headed into town. The centre of town is small with nothing much to see or do but we found a decent brunch at El Manati. The restaurant has a lovely garden and although it was raining we sat in a little dry hut with a table for two. Unfortunately, the rain continued for most of the day so we hopped from one restaurant and meal to the next. We had some delicious veggie tacos at Mango y Chile (a vegan/vegetarian restaurant) and couldn’t help returning to La Playita for a couple of their margs. The margs were just as good as the previous day but the rainy weather meant that the atmosphere just wasn’t the same.
As we left our accommodation booking to the last minute we stayed in one of the residential streets away from the lagoon. Hotel Lunas was perfectly fine but in Bacalar you really want to be on the water. Given the choice we would have stayed either at The Yak Lake House or Magic Bacalar – both hostels are right on the water and had great reviews. We walked past The Yak Lake House on our way to town and it looked lovely.
Despite being a little unlucky with the weather, we really loved our two night stay in Bacalar. When the sun is out the lagoon is the perfect spot to chill out with a good book and a cheeky cerveza or marg.
