Upper-floor room

Laguna and Loro are our two upper-floor rooms. They cost the same as the ones downstairs, but being up top changes the room more than you would expect: there is a view of the lagoon, light comes in all day and the breeze moves through. You also hear less coming and going, because nobody passes your door on the way anywhere else.

The fittings are the same as downstairs: air conditioning, a private bathroom, hot water, bed linen and towels. The only real difference is the access, and it is better said before you book than discovered on arrival: you reach them by stairs. If someone in your group would rather avoid steps, Turix and Mariposa are on the ground floor at the same price, and Ceiba, the apartment, is also on the ground floor.

The two rooms are equivalent and can be booked separately or together in one request. Each sleeps up to three: two in the queen bed and a third in a hammock. Upstairs the hammock earns its place, because that is where the air moves best in the late afternoon. If that third guest would rather have a bed, Tucán and the apartments have more room and separate bedrooms.

A minute away on foot is the Xul-Há lagoon, at the southern end of the Bacalar lagoon, with the same clear water and far fewer people than the town. Sleeping upstairs shows its worth early: the room wakes up full of light and you walk straight down to the water, no car needed. Downtown Bacalar is about ten minutes away and Chetumal about twenty, so the room suits a two-night break as well as an unhurried week.

Casa Pantoja has no direct access to the lagoon. The lagoon is approximately a one-minute walk away; two bathing facilities charge admission. Admission is not included in your stay. Check their prices and opening hours before visiting.