Playa Chacahua

The full-day boat excursion from Zapotalito [1] climaxes at the east-lagoon half of Chacahua village across the estuary. The main attraction here is Playa Chacahua, lovely because of its isolation. The unlittered golden-white sand, washed by gently rolling waves, seems perfect for all beach activities. You can snorkel off the rocks nearby, fish in the breakers, and surf the intermediate breaks that angle in on the west side.

Once only a few, now many, palapas crowd the beach, offering food, drinks, and lodging. Don’t miss María’s enchiladas. Moreover, for beachcombers, wildlife-viewers, and backpackers (who carry their own water), the breezy, jungle-backed beach spreads for 10 miles both ways.

The original and still most popular lodging here is the Restaurant and Hotel Siete Mares (Seven Seas, tel. 954/588-1340, $25 d) tourist cabañas. The approximately 20 cabañas occupy Chacahua’s choicest location. Half of them face the beach, while the other half face the lagoon. For more privacy and tranquility, choose the latter. Rooms come with fan and private shower and toilet. The Siete Mares’s added bonus is friendly owner Doña Meche’s restaurant (8 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, $3–8), which keeps satisfied customers returning year after year.

Furthermore, Doña Meche’s son Reynaldo and daughter Juana also rent cabañas. Both are on the lagoon-front, away from beach. As you walk north along the lagoon-front, Reynaldo’s cabañas, Los Almendros (named for the surrounding almond grove, $25 d), come first. Reynaldo also arranges lagoon wildlife-viewing boat tours, for about $25 per person.

Juana’s accommodations, which she has named Cabañas Delfines (tel. 954/588-3800, $25 d with fan, $35 d with a/c), are a few steps farther north. She is proud of her lodgings, which she claims are the most deluxe of all Chacahua. She also welcomes tenters to her campground for $3 per person per night, including hammock-hung palapa shelters and showers.

Also, some groceries and fruits and vegetable are available at Abarrotes Nayeli store (8 a.m.–9 p.m. daily), on the lagoonfront, between Juana’s and Reynaldo’s cabañas.