Posada María Isabel

Celestún is one of those places, either you get it or you don’t. It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. In our case, our too brief time in this little port town was the highlight of our trip to the Yucatán. After a stay at an all inclusive resort in Cancún, visits to Mérida and Valladolid, Chichen Itza and Uxmal, my sister proclaimed our day in Celestún her favorite part of our trip. And I agree. We arrived in Celestún very late, because an accident on the 180 Cuota left us sitting in our rental car, unable to move, for 3 1/2 hours. By the time we reached Celestún the sun had set, and the town was closing for the night. Literally, we rushed to get to the recommended restaurant at 6:30, because it closed at 7:00. The owner of Posada Maria Isabel was very accommodating of our late arrival. She allowed us to park our rental car in the gated front drive, took our orders for breakfast the next morning, and showed us to our room. The room was simple and spare, and the air con didn’t work, but the fan did, and it was enough. Only lukewarm water, but that was fine too. We were so tired from the long day, we were in bed by 8:30. The next morning the Magic started. We were up at dawn, and took a walk on the quiet, empty beach, literally right out the back gate of the Posada. At the water’s edge, the beach is entirely seashells of all kinds. And you have it all to yourself. Returning to the Posada, we had a filling breakfast of waffles, orange juice and coffee before we headed off to see the flamingos. We walked around the town a little, and in the afternoon, we headed back to Mérida. Such a short time, yet Posada Maria Isabel and Celestún in general, will always have a place in the hearts and minds of myself and my sister as a peak moment in our lives. Maybe you could say that it’s the little things that count. Posada Maria Isabel and Celestún are definitely small, yet will always live large within our hearts.

this is a small, maybe five room inn that faces the beach where you can sit under a large Palapa, and just watch the empty sands and the beautiful turquoise blue water. It is central to everything and down the beach there is La Palapa, which is a wonderful restaurant. but the best thing of the Pasada is Alejandra, who is unbelievably and let me say that again, unbelievably the best, kindest, friendliest, most helpful hostess you would ever want to have. I had the room overlooking the ocean up the stairs, and it was very large. This is the only place to stay in Celestun as far as I’m concerned. You can walk into town to the plaza about two or three blocks and get a Moto taxi to take you to the Parador touristico where you hire a boat to take you to see the flamingos. Go early in the morning and if you are the only one in the boat expect to pay $120 but if there are five other people that will go on the boat with you you split that cost. Make sure you have a way to get back because there are no taxis hanging around. You could drive there but the road is very muddy at times and full of potholes. The guide, Ricardo took me in his boat, and he was incredibly knowledgeable about the flamingos, and then all the birds we saw afterwards in the mangroves, and along the water. This is the only way to go; do not take a fancy tour that costs a lot of money.