Playa Del Carmen, Mexico – A five star resort may have been the Mexican getaway choice for Bo Derek in “10,” but for some folks, true bliss-on-a-beach requires finding more secluded shores.
These sun-and-serenity seekers would eagerly spend a week living like Tom Hanks in “Cast Away,” as long as their marooning came complete with hot burritos, cold brews and more than a volleyball named Wilson for companionship. For them, there’s KaiLuum II, a Mexican non-resort resort that soon will be relocating.
Represented by the Turquoise Reef Group, headquartered in Evergreen, KaiLuum II is an eco-retreat on the northeastern edge of the Yucatan Peninsula between Cancun and Playa del Carmen. Encroaching development, however, is forcing it to take the concept of catered camping and move it farther south.
Current accommodations consist of 31 canvas tents shaded beneath palm-thatched canopies known as tentalapas. There are no TVs, phones or faxes – not even electricity. Propane cooks the meals while candle lanterns and tiki torches light the night.
“It’s totally relaxing, different from any other resort experience you can imagine,” says Denver anesthesiologist Roger Mattison of University Hospital.
And the price is right. For less than a Dumpster-view room in Cancun, KaiLuum’s rates pay for beds, breakfasts, dinners, taxes and tips. Only lunches and icy beverages cost extra.
Those meals are served in the giant dining palapa, which stands more than two stories tall and looks like it holds enough floor space to host a mariachi convention. Eight-person, cloth-covered dining tables stand on one end of the floorless structure. A self-serve bar sits at the other.
“There is no bartender,” says employee David Herrera. “It is an honor system. Use pegs to mark what you take.”
Two bathhouses are KaiLuum’s only brick-and-mortar structures. On the short sides of the white-stucco building sit outdoor sinks and mirrors. A painted “XAVE” sign hangs overhead.
“In Mayan, ‘X’ is pronounced like ‘Sh,”‘ Herrera says. “This is the shaving area.”
Four individual shower rooms, marked with a “XAUR” sign, open on the front of the building. On the opposite side are four individual toilet rooms, also marked with an X-sign. A chuckle indicates when guests have sounded out its Mayan phonetics.
Guests sleep in 10-by-14-foot tentalapas, which have screened windows opening on all sides. Most hold a double bed with sheets, pillows and blanket, but twins are an option. Candle lanterns sit atop nightstands, and shelves provide storage space. There is even a throw rug on the canvas floor. With daily housekeeping and nightly turndown included, “camping” has never been so decadent.
At 6:30 every night comes cocktail hour, a time when a staff member mixes up jugs of the day’s featured concoction. Dinner follows. The fixed-menu, three-course meals begin with either soup or salad followed by a generous daily entree featuring fish, chicken, shrimp, beef or Mayan roasted pork. Those preferring to go meatless can opt for vegetarian substitutes.
Breakfasts are equally generous. Juices, fruits, pastries and cereals accompany daily hot entrees such as pancakes, huevos motuleos (eggs over a corn tortilla with beans and peas) or eggs McMayan (a sliced croissant stuffed with egg and ham, then smothered in Hollandaise sauce).
KaiLuum guests must be at least 16, and the adults who come here are a diverse collection of quiet questers. Ages range from students to Social Security recipients, and occupations run the gamut from office workers to district court judges. About half are frequent returnees, gluttons for contentment.
“We discovered the place in 1985, and we’ve returned every year since,” says Cherry Creek orthodontist Fred Siersma. “We live a pretty pressured life, but it’s impossible to feel pressured here.”
KaiLuum was started by Arnold Bilgore, an American who worked as a broadcaster in Mexico City. In 1976, he headed for the Yucatan.
“I don’t know if he got a wild hippie idea, but he decided to leave his career behind and go to the beach,” says stepson Clint Ball. “He traveled through southern Mexico and into Belize before settling into the area south of Cancun.”
At the time, nearby Playa del Carmen was a sleepy village, and the only resort on this stretch of the Caribbean offered little more than a few bungalows. Bilgore persuaded its owners to lease him an empty piece of their beach where he set up a small eco-resort with tents and a restaurant. Today, La Posada del Capitn Lafitte, the low-key, 62-room resort next door, remains KaiLuum’s only neighbor. Unfortunately, that’s about to change.
“There is a big resort going in to the north,” says general manager Ivan Fuentes. “When it opens, there will be too many people, too many Jet Skis. Our lease expires in July 2005, and we will move.”
Initial plans are to expand KaiLuumcito, a mini-KaiLuum 250 miles to the south, near the cruise port of Majahual on Mexico’s Costa Maya. This sister property now offers 10 tentalapas, but has room for 20. When it outgrows that site, the company may build a final KaiLuum on another parcel it owns 12 miles to the south of KaiLuumcito.
When KaiLuum II moves, the convenience to Cancun will be lost. A 30-minute ride will be replaced by a four-hour drive. While reservationists can arrange for a shuttle transportation, the cost is about equal to a week’s car rental.
Although the distance may be a deterrent, the new location offers distinct advantages. The beach is free of intruding development, and the water is cleaner and clearer, unpolluted by growing cities. Where the northern jungle is dry, the new area feels more like a rain forest with nearby orange groves and banana plantations. The only neighboring town, Majahual, looks much like Playa del Carmen did when Arnold Bilgore started the first
KaiLuum.
Best of all, for most visitors this will be a whole new area of Mexico to explore. The freshly restored Mayan ruins of Chacchoben rise nearby. These stone pyramids, surrounded by mahogany, palm and banyan trees, see far fewer visitors than the Cancun-crowded sites of Chichen Itza and Tulum.
Chetumal, the capital of Mexico’s Quintana Roo state, lies a few hours drive to the south. Off of the normal travelers’ track, it offers a chance to see a Mexican city without the tourist hoards. Belize lies a short distance beyond.
Divers and snorkelers can visit the famed Chinchorro Banks, a 30-mile-long coral atoll that lies a short boat ride away. This reef has snagged more of its fair share of ships, and 17th-century cannons can be found lying in 12 feet of water.
Anglers will find the coastline is sliced with fish-filled lagoons. One lies behind the KaiLuumcito property.
For most KaiLuuminaries, however, relaxation is the prime reason for visiting. They lie in the hammocks that hang between the poles of their tent’s thatch-covered porch. From there, they can listen to waves whoosh ashore, watch pelicans dive for dinner and feel the sea breeze caress their skin. This is a place where the rush of time hits the brakes.
“I was at KaiLuumcito a couple of weeks ago. There were people there who had planned to see the area, but did not leave the premises for eight days,” says Mary Anne Ball of the Turquoise Reef Group. “They said they now know what it’s like to relax.”
The question KaiLuum’s owners have is whether guests will be willing to make the long commute to reach the new location. Ball remains optimistic.
“The KaiLuum faithful say they will go anywhere. It doesn’t make any difference how much time or how difficult it is, they will go.”
After all, what’s a four-hour commute when the reward is bliss on a beach? Tom Hanks had to crash in a FedEx jet to reach his serene sands, and he couldn’t even take a hot “xaur” when he got there.
Dan Leeth is a freelance writer who lives in Aurora.
The details
Booking a KaiLuum stay: Tentalapas can be reserved for parties of one, two or three adults, with the choice of a double or twin beds. Guests must be at least 16. Oceanfront units have nothing but sand separating them from the water, which means the sea breeze blows in almost constantly. Staggered behind the front line are the more sheltered ocean-view units.
Reservations for KaiLuum are made through the Turquoise Reef Group (800-538-6802, Prices vary by season, with two-person rates starting at $130 for an ocean-view tentalapa through May 1 and at $105 afterward. On July 10, the Playa del Carmen location will close permanently, and KaiLuum will move 250 miles to the south. The new site will be closed in September and October.
KaiLuum prices include room, breakfast and dinner. Lunches are available on the premises for an additional fee, or they may be purchased next door at La Posada del Capitn Lafitte. Room payments are made in advance, and the bar tab can be settled on departure with cash or by credit card.
Getting to KaiLuum: The Turquoise Reef Group provides optional van transport for the 30-minute drive from Cancun’s international airport. Round-trip fares are $75 for solo travelers and $40 each for parties of two. Taxis can be called for transport into Playa del Carmen.
Shuttles to the new KaiLuum/KaiLuumcito location, 250 miles to the south, cost $450 for up to three passengers and $675 for four or more. Most guests simply rent cars and drive.
What to bring: KaiLuum is ideal for adults who want a laid-back, unstructured vacation. Days are spent in shorts and swimwear, and dressing for dinner means donning a clean T-shirt. Most people wear shoes only when they leave the property. Winter evenings may require a sweater, and slacks may be handy for excursions to the nearby ruins since bus drivers like to crank the air conditioning.
Around camp, snorkel gear can be used right from the beach; since the water immediately offshore is rocky, underwater footwear can be handy to have. A floating air mattress might also be a pleasant addition for those who like sun-soaking in the surf.
Cash (U.S. dollars or pesos) will be needed for massages and KaiLuum T-shirt purchases. Since the tents do not lock, money, passports, credit cards and other valuables can be locked in the reception-area vault.
Finally, leave hair dryers, laptops and battery rechargers at home. There’s no electricity at either KaiLuum location.
When to go: Located in the tropics, the area offers four overlapping seasons. The wet season extends from May through October. This is a time when the air is hot, humidity high and afternoon rains a common occurrence.
July through November offers hurricane season, with the bulk of the storms blowing in August and September. Although the chances of being hit are rare, late-summer travelers might consider purchasing trip-interruption insurance.
November through April is the dry season, with warm days and lower humidity. Christmas through mid-April brings tourist season, a time when northern folks migrate south for sun and fun. Its latter months bring spring break, a period when planes fill with college kids heading south in a quest for tans and tequila. At least the party-hearty crowd does not head for KaiLuum.
Travel to Mexico: Proof of citizenship is required to enter Mexico. Passports are recommended, but U.S. citizens may enter with a certified birth certificate bearing an affixed seal and valid government-issued photo identification such as a driver’s license.
Information: Contact the Turquoise Reef Group (800-538-6802, www.mexicoholiday.com) or Mexico Tourism (800-446-3942, www.visitmexico.com).
– Dan Leeth
