Casa del Sol, Xcalak, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Exceptionally long days of travel had become quite regular to us in the past few months, so leaving Panama with what lay ahead seemed standard. 7 or 8 hours in taxis and buses to get to Panama City, a 4 plus hour flight to Mexico City, another 7 plus hour layover, couple hour flight to Cancun and then finally a 5 hour bus ride South to Xcalak. Obviously arriving at Casa del Sol, our new home for the next 6 months, was extremely relieving. We did briefly stop up the coast in Mahahual, a small, semi tourist destination, to meet the owner of the hotel we would be caring for, grab a couple tacos and beers, before the final stretch.

The opportunity for us at Casa del Sol, located on the southeastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, within Xcalak Reef National Park, was and still is a house sitting job. Although, there are many other responsibilities as it is a 3 bedroom, boutique style hotel. Recently built on the north side of the hotel, is a casita where we live. We do not receive any money to be here, but in exchange for our work and care for guests, we live for free, relatively, on a private, beautiful beach. Except for managing the online bookings, Rebecca and I run the hotel. We have a groundskeeper who comes every other day and a maid to help turn rooms over. Having consistent hired help at the hotel as been an issue, but we now employ a husband and wife who live in Xcalak, about a 30 minute drive south on the beachside road. To call this a road is an overstatement. It's only 12 km into the small community of Xcalak, but massive potholes and speed-bumps (made from washed up cruise ship ropes) make for an extremely slow drive. We really love our employees and are glad to be able to get some much needed money in their pockets and provide them with extra food and other things when we can.

The hotel itself is a two story, concrete structure, painted yellow, thus the name which translates to, House of Sun. Residing basically in the middle of nowhere requires off the grid living. We run completely off solar and a rain water catchment system, leaving us very reliant on the elements. There are two almost identical suites on the ground floor and a much larger suite occupying the entire 2nd floor, all which are self contained. All have ocean views, but the most impressive belongs to the rooftop, where one can enjoy a 360 degree view, including the vast coastline and a lagoon to the west. The property is one of the best in the area, as it has an extensive beach front compared to most along the beach road, with white sand surrounding the Casa, right up to the doorways. The water varies, from dark, where beautiful reefs lie just under the surface, to glimmering turquoise, revealing the sandy bottom. The ocean breaks about one km out when the water meets the deep reefs. This is where you can easily see sharks, rays and massive groupers. This reef is most easily accessible by kayak, before throwing down an anchor and exploring, but the shallower reefs are just a quick swim out straight from our beach. The tide changes are not drastic here, like we experienced in Panama, but a very low tide produces something special. Just off the shore are raised levels of grasses, which become exposed during very low tides, creating large hot tubs to rest in and drink a beer. The intense daily heat raises the temperature of the little pools to the mid 90's. Every day is insanely hot. When the wind decides to stop, it is hard to move without sweat rolling down every part of your body, but fortunately the ocean breeze prevails most often, making life bearable. Besides the wind rattling palm branches, birds singing in the surrounding jungle and the odd pelican crashing into the water, life is very still, quiet and very remote. Unless the Casa dog, Emma, decides to bark at a plant, we generally live in a very peaceful surrounding. Currently we are starting a few week run of no guests and are loving every minute of it. The challenges here can be many, but one must take time to realize where we are and soak it in while we can.

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