UPDATE: Linda and Marla decided not to come for the 2020/2021 season. As the land border between the US and Canada are restricted as well as the land border from the US to Mexico, they didn't think they could safely make it...
Read More
Last week we went to a presentation for a reef restoration project that is happening in Xcalak. It is being conducted by a non-governmental organization (NGO) called Oceanus. The founders Gabriela and Miguel were on hand to...
Read More
Check-in time is anytime after 2:00 pm. Although we do request that you don’t arrive too late. And if you are planning to, please let us know in advance. Checkout time is 11:00...
Read More
Because our Xcalak hotel has full kitchens in each suite, many of our guests like to cook their own meals for at least some of their stay. One issue we have is that there are no grocery stores here in Xcalak. We have a few...
Read More
So this is always a difficulty for people new to the Yucatan. Driving down from Cancun to Xcalak and our hotel, one sees numerous places with names that include multiple X’s. Places like Xel-ha, Xcaret, and Xahuayxol are...
Read More
Baby anything is cute. A baby Ferruginous Pygmy Owl is really, really, cute. Six hardworking adults on a Monday morning were briefly overcome by the cuteness of this little bird. I was inspecting the flower garden when I...
Read More
All kinds of things wash up on the beach of our hotel in Xcalak, shoes, toys, kitchen utensils. plastic bottles, plastic bottles. Oh, and plastic bottles. At long last. a glass bottle washed up with a message in it. I've been...
Read More
How did this tomato and pepper plant come to grow, here in Xcalak, in Mexico's Costa Maya? For those who know me, I can't grow anything that isn't a large acreage crop grown in rows. Even then, it's been 40 years since I was...
Read More
Update April 13, 2017: Added image of Mayan Grill Menu
Located in the Tierra Maya hotel. The restaurant is in a palapa roofed building with nice wooden furniture. With the Leaky Palapa closed, this is the upper end...
Read More
Located inside the Costa de Cocos resort, they brew their own craft beer and distill their own moonshine. The restaurant has Pizza, as well as other traditional dishes, like tacos and even chicken fingers. Their signature pizza...
Read More
“Water, water every where,
And all the boards shall shrink,
Water, water every where,
...
Silvia’s is right next to Toby’s on the main drag of Xcalak, but set back a few yards from the road. Silvia serves fresh seafood and Mexican dishes. All are made to order, so this is not fast food. During the lobster season you...
Read More
Toby’s is in the middle of Xcalak town and serves fresh seafood and more traditional Mexican fare such as tacos and quesadilla as well. Toby’s also has complementary wifi for those that need to stay connected. Although he...
Read More
When I first started coming to Xcalak, going to eat at the Leaky Palapa was always the highlight (Unless you happen to catch a permit ;). Who would expect a fine dining establishment in this remote part of the world? But...
Read More
Located right at the entrance to town, Gringo Dave’s sign says International and Wild Seafood. That sounds kind of weird but it is surprisingly delicious. Gringo Dave’s is run by a Japanese man, Go Nakamura, He takes local...
Read More
You are finally making that salt water fly fishing "Trip of a lifetime" to Xcalak, Mexico. You have your flights and your hotel accommodations set. The last thing you want to do is forget something important while you are...
Read More
Wellness is often confused with health, for good reason. The dictionary considers the words “well” and “healthy” synonymous. My 1976 American Heritage Dictionary doesn't even include an entry or sub entry for this word that is...
Read More
Since we purchased Sandwood Villas and renamed it, Acocote Eco Inn, we have been very busy upgrading and renovating this Xcalak hotel to make it a cozy sanctuary on the beach for our guests. Here is a list in no particular...
Read More
UPDATE: July 15, 2019 - Put up new signs again. Replaced some posts etc. that were falling apart.
UPDATE: June 14, 2017 - Just put in new signs. And added a couple. One right at the bridge says "Ahead 8KM" and there is one...
Read More
It's a spooky time of year. Up north, Halloween just passed. Yesterday and today are the Days of the Dead here in Mexico. This season of the dead is spooky but not for the traditional reasons, which was well illustrated at...
Read More
Wellness services here at Acocote Eco Inn was always part of the plan but a few other details needed to be shored up before implementing this. First, we had to update our solar, fix the palapa roof, build a cistern, freshen up...
Read More
So in year two we did a lot more improvements to the place. Hope you can come see them. Here is a list that is in no particular order.
New Entry doors.
Added 1500 watts of solar panel capacity
Doubled...
So today was nearly perfect. Absolutely epic, but not quite perfect. Came thiiiiis close.
Friend of the Inn Holden, invited me to go out with Capt. Victor to fish in Chetumal Bay. I had some time so of course I said...
Read More
Ok, sorry the title is a little click baity, but had an incredible experience over the last couple of days with Addiel Perez here in Xcalak. Addiel is a doctoral candidate at El Colegio de la Frontera Sur - Ecosur in...
Read More
The first annual Xcalak Silver Scales Fly Fishing Tournament just ended last weekend and despite a relatively short timeline, was well attended and a big success. I have never participated in anything like...
Read More
Here are some of the improvements we did in year 3. Hope you can some see them. Here is a list in no particular order.
February 24, 2018, Doctoral candidate Addiel Perez presented some of his findings from the work he has been doing tagging bonefish and permit in Belize and southern Mexico. He has also presented this to the Bonefish and...
Read More
What do you do when you see a problem that is heartbreaking but overwhelmingly huge. There are innumerable dogs here along the coast that for a host of reasons have been abused, abandoned, fallen ill, and are...
Read More
This was the second edition of the Silver Scales Xcalak Fly Fishing Tournament. To see the write up of the first tournament [click...
Read More
We all know that our coral reefs around the globe are critical to our marine ecosystems. 25% of the biodiversity of the ocean lives in the coral reefs that only cover 1% of the ocean floor. They are in...
Read More
This is the second installment of the Reef Restoration Project here in the north beach of Xcalak. You can read about the first part of the training...
Read More
Here are some of the new things we have added or improved at the Inn in 2018. In no particular order.
Although it is possible to get to Xcalak via bus, the preferred method to get to Acocote Eco Inn from the airport is renting a car and driving down. This has a number of advantages. You can get to our [restaurants in...
Read More
This is a day-trip that you can make from the Inn. If you need a break from standing in the front of a boat, or to get out of the sun for a bit, this is a great way to spend a day. This is a full day excursion. A couple of...
Read More
UPDATE: Unfortunately the clinic has closed.
I'm a little late to write about this but April 7, 2019, we got a new health center in Xcalak. The building has been sitting idle for quite a while, but we now have new...
Read More
This is one of those things. Living here in Xcalak over 4 years I hadn't been to the most famous dive spot here in the Xcalak National Reef Park. La Poza (the Well) dive site, under the right conditions, holds a large...
Read More
For a first-time saltwater angler, or even a more experienced angler, getting up on the front of the panga and having a school of large permit heading toward you is an un-nerving experience. Your fly is...
Read More
We have been having some pretty spectacular days here in Xcalak lately. Low or no wind, and mostly bright blue bird skies, calm seas and tons of fish.
A couple of days ago, guest of the Inn Andy, invited me along for a...
Read More
Dr. Ryan Mickelson is a Pediatric Dentist from Durango, CO who came to Xcalak for a week of fly fishing over the holidays. On Christmas Eve 2019, Ryan held a free pediatric dental clinic for the kids of Xcalak. Although...
Read More
Here are the improvements we did for the Inn this year! In no particular order:
Here in Xcalak, Mexico, we have some of the most beautiful saltwater flats for fly fishing in the world. It also happens to be one of the best places to DIY saltwater fly fish. We have miles and miles of wade-able flats...
Read More
Here is a different point of etiquette when saltwater fly fishing. This time when on a guided boat with a partner. This is a one point post, that hopefully will help you have a great day out on the flats.
So one of the...
Read More
This blog post stemmed from a conversation I had with friend of the Inn, Nick Denbow. He has been guiding here in the Costa Maya for 18 years. I have had a hell of a time trying to catch triggerfish here. We...
Read More
As we welcome you back to our little corner of paradise, we are committed to providing a safe environment that aligns with expert protocols to eliminate COVID-19. Here are some of the additional measures we are taking to...
Read More
LAST UPDATED Jan 13, 2022 UPDATE: As of Dec 6, 2021, the CDC announced that all travelers from outside the US returning will require a negative antigen test 1 day before getting on their flights. This is for vaccinated and...
Read More