Rancho Encantado

What a great place! A beautifully laid out hotel, with amazing gardens complete with a small family of howler monkeys. We stayed for 4 nights in a lakefront room that was huge, comfortable and with great storage. We didn’t end up swimming from our room as the wind was a...

What a great place! A beautifully laid out hotel, with amazing gardens complete with a small family of howler monkeys. We stayed for 4 nights in a lakefront room that was huge, comfortable and with great storage. We didn’t end up swimming from our room as the wind was a bit high during our stay, but relaxed on our terrace & waterfront sunbeds. The supply of filtered water was a good touch - so we didn’t have to buy bottled water. Breakfast was really good - but a bit slow on occasions. Allow an hour!! Lunch very good with lots of choice. Dinner - a bit disappointing compared with lunch - but ok. We took a great lagoon trip with lovely Abel from the hotel which was a must! A really lovely place!

The Lagoon master suite was beautiful. The people at the reception, Alexander the concierge, Avelito on the boat, the restaurant personnel, everyone of them was helpful smiling, friendly and more. Hard to be more hyperbolic for this environmentally conscious place. It was my second visit and I hope to be...

The Lagoon master suite was beautiful. The people at the reception, Alexander the concierge, Avelito on the boat, the restaurant personnel, everyone of them was helpful smiling, friendly and more. Hard to be more hyperbolic for this environmentally conscious place. It was my second visit and I hope to be able to go there again…

Our stay at Rancho Encantado was comfortable but could so easily have been a 5 star stay, however the food and the service at the restaraunt ruined this. Our room 35 crocodilo was fine and everything worked well, apart from the sunbeds set under the mangrove trees which never got...

Our stay at Rancho Encantado was comfortable but could so easily have been a 5 star stay, however the food and the service at the restaraunt ruined this. Our room 35 crocodilo was fine and everything worked well, apart from the sunbeds set under the mangrove trees which never got the sun, we noted that other bungalows had decking built and were actually positioned in the sun.  The kayak and paddle board use was great and was always available to us, but then we did visit in the low season.  The boat trip on the lake to the cenotes was an excellent trip and well worth the money, especially being able to set off from the hotel boardwalk. Everything here looks really relaxing, set in the jungle environment, but the reality is that you can always hear a lot of traffic noise from the main road, mainly lorries engine braking, which we found bothersome at times, but being so close I guess there's nothing they can really do about that. The small road leading to the hotel could easily have been concreted or at least repaired. We suffered a puncture in our hire car, we suspect due to the poor state of this road, although to be fair most roads in Mexico are pretty poor, but there's no excuse for the hotel not to have this regularly maintained.  We found our hire car essential for enjoying our stay, as it was the only way we could get into town and sample the really good choice of food that's available there, rather than the poor offerings at the hotel.  Our first evening meal at the hotel was appalling. The service very slow, the margurita's served in plastic glasses and they tasted very watered down. My main was billed as chicken breast and to be honest I was actually expecting a whole one, not 2 thin slices which were on a bed of cold cauliflower puree, accompanied by a few cold vegetables. My wifes fish was a very small portion set on a cold sauce and again accompanied by a few cold vegetables. The only dish that was hot, were the sauted potatoes we ordered, which turned out to be potato wedges. We opted to stay here for our last four nights in Mexico with the intention of just unwinding after a month of travelling, however, in hindsight we should probably have stayed in Holbox. 

Beautiful and peaceful hotel nestled in the middle of nature. Right on the water with lots of kayaks / boats to take whenever you want. Breakfast was great every day. Staff were attentive. The concierge Alexander was very helpful, and assisted with every day things like arranging transportation and booking...

Beautiful and peaceful hotel nestled in the middle of nature. Right on the water with lots of kayaks / boats to take whenever you want. Breakfast was great every day. Staff were attentive. The concierge Alexander was very helpful, and assisted with every day things like arranging transportation and booking tours for us.

Lovely hotel by lagoon. Had 1st floor room with balcony by lagoon but very obscured by trees. Kayaks available for free which were great for bird watching. Dinner was very good, different menu daily. Breakfast good but complicated pricing package. Definitely worth taking the boat tour for swimming and seeing...

Lovely hotel by lagoon. Had 1st floor room with balcony by lagoon but very obscured by trees. Kayaks available for free which were great for bird watching. Dinner was very good, different menu daily. Breakfast good but complicated pricing package. Definitely worth taking the boat tour for swimming and seeing cenotes.

Wow! This place is gorgeous. The room on the water was beyond beautiful. The food was good. Filtered water in room and coffee. Free kayaks and paddle boards. Swings in the water. The mosquito are HORRIBLE but that is life. The place is beautiful

It was amazing. Alexander as Concierge helped us in everything, we enjoyed every single moment in Rancho Encantado. My husband and I are so tehank ful for the laggoon trip, the special romantic dinner and the room all set to enjoy our anniversary!!

AMAZING place. Super beautiful! People were super nice. Accommodations were amazing. For anyone looking for a romantic getaway or some quality family time, I would HIGHLY recommend Rancho Encantado! I look forward to coming back again really soon.

I think staying at one of the waterfront casitas is the way to go if they are available. When we booked, they were all sold out. The staff are pleasant and accommodating. I recommend a rental car for staying here. We took the hotel boat tour of the lake. We...

I think staying at one of the waterfront casitas is the way to go if they are available. When we booked, they were all sold out. The staff are pleasant and accommodating. I recommend a rental car for staying here. We took the hotel boat tour of the lake. We preferred the more southern end of the lake, as opposed to the north end of the lake where the Ranco Encantado is. The water further south is more of the translucent blue. We enjoyed the town of Bacalar for shopping and restaurants. And we enjoyed visiting the Rapidos. Road noise was evident from our Casita, but not overpowering, especially with the air conditioner running. Lots of centipedes in our casita, I must have killed 5 a night. And I hate centipedes, but we are in a jungle environment. There are enough other hotels further south on the lake and especially Air B&B's on the lake and ceyotes, that I'd look for different accomidations on another stay. The huge caution to visiting Bacalar has to do with the drive from Talum to Bacalar. It is breathtakingly dangerous. The drive is so dangerous, I would not recommend driving this route until the train project is completed. And if you drive at night, you are risking your life and the lives of everyone in your car. DO NOT DRIVE AT NIGHT on this highway while the construction project is occurring. If you do not know what I'm referring to, research the Mayan Train, and you'll learn that a new train track is being installed through the jungle. The train track parallels the highway on the west side of the highway, approximately 100 yards from the roadway. All of the construction equipment accessing the train project uses the highway. There are hundreds and hundreds of dilapidated dump trucks and construction equipment on the highway and using the highway to enter and exit the train project. Once the train project is complete, take the train to Bacalar. Just know that the influx of tourists will change Bacalar forever. So go as soon as the train opens up. But do not drive this route right now. The colossal mismanagement of this construction project will leave you amazed that you made it through the gauntlet of disaster. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Wonderful hotel away from all the boat traffic. Serene jungle setting right by the lake. We rented a king size room with a private pier. It was super relaxing and private. The bed was comfortable, a/c worked great and the water pressure in the bathroom was very good. Our breakfast...

Wonderful hotel away from all the boat traffic. Serene jungle setting right by the lake. We rented a king size room with a private pier. It was super relaxing and private. The bed was comfortable, a/c worked great and the water pressure in the bathroom was very good. Our breakfast was included and overall was very good with plenty of options. In addition to the lovely setting this property also provides superior guest service. All the employees greet you with a smile and make you feel very welcome. In particular I have to mention Alexander, the concierge. He was 5 stars. He arranged a sail boat tour and a private dinner for us. He frequently checked in with me prior and during our stay. Any questions we had were answered in a timely fashion. The Rancho Encantado is truly lucky to have such a competent, professional and friendly associate.

Lagoon side hotel just outside Bacalar town, with lovely views and amazing sunrises you really should make sure you see. The service is excellent, especially the concierge and reception team, all very helpful with good English. A nice large restaurant serving Mexican food and pizza, which also serves as their...

Lagoon side hotel just outside Bacalar town, with lovely views and amazing sunrises you really should make sure you see. The service is excellent, especially the concierge and reception team, all very helpful with good English. A nice large restaurant serving Mexican food and pizza, which also serves as their bar area and they service a range of nice fresh bakery items with breakfast. We booked through a travel agent, who didn’t appear to know the hotel, so worth knowing that the lagoon closes on Wednesday’s to any boating excursions and as they have lots of room options like lagoon access or private hot tubs but important to check you are booking the correct room type for what you want for your stay. Sadly the road was noisy with heavy trucks while we were there.

Just got back from an amazing 4 day stay at this resort for my birthday. We just loved it. The staff was extremely attentive, our room was so comfortable and very clean. We booked a superior room with the private hot tub on the patio and we were not disappointed....

Just got back from an amazing 4 day stay at this resort for my birthday. We just loved it. The staff was extremely attentive, our room was so comfortable and very clean. We booked a superior room with the private hot tub on the patio and we were not disappointed. The food in the restaurant was 5 star. We took the 3 hour pontoon boat tour and it was fantastic. We will be back. So much more to see and do in the area.

We had a wonderful stay (three nights) at Rancho Encantado. There is not a lot you can do - but that is exactly the beauty of the place. We highly recommend the boat trip at the lagoon with some swimming stops, the water is crystal clear, maybe even nicer compared...

We had a wonderful stay (three nights) at Rancho Encantado. There is not a lot you can do - but that is exactly the beauty of the place. We highly recommend the boat trip at the lagoon with some swimming stops, the water is crystal clear, maybe even nicer compared to the (Mexican) Caribbean Sea. We especially enjoyed the breakfast and dinner directly at the lagoon.