# Xcalak



## deborahc9133 (Nov 27, 2010)

Is there anyone out there living in Xcalak or know something about it? My husband and I are considering house sitting a beach apartment there. Thanks


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

deborahc9133 said:


> Is there anyone out there living in Xcalak or know something about it? My husband and I are considering house sitting a beach apartment there. Thanks


I've never been there, but yesterday I happened to read this article in the New York Times:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/29/t...in-a-remote-mexican-town.html?hpw&rref=travel

It sounds like a great place to get away from it all!


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I had a neighbor in San Cristobal who bought there a few years ago lived there for a few years and could not wait to get out of there. She said that unless you were working there and she was ,most people turn into alcoholics..nothing to do but fish, dive and drink. First mornings were for fishing or diving then lunch then drinking then just drinking,,,
We spend one day there and that was enough,,,seriously I can see spending a few days there or maybe a week,if I bring lots of books but more would drive me out of my mind.
I you are really into fishing or diving , it may look attractive for a while but living there full time and stay sane take a special person. 
There is a boat there that will take you to Belize for 100 dollars and there you can do more fishing , diving and drinking...
We are going there again in February for 2 or 3 days and I know it will be enough for another 4 or 5 years,

The article makes it sound romantic but believe me it is the perfect spot to totally lose your mind. The coast between there and Majahual is full of mostiquitoes,the beaches when we did it were totally trashed by debris the last hurricane had brought in. There were big sqare houses for sale or for rent right on the beach, for way too much money considering that there is no water and no electricity, sounds romantic? The generators make a God awful racket and if the rain water runs out you need to order a water truck and hope it comes..no cell phone either, maybe ok for a New Yorker escaping civilization for a few days but to live there no thanks!
My husband always thought I prevented him fro living his dream and live on a deserted beach so we go there for a few days every few years and I have him begging to get out. Great place for our marriage!


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

I see that my wife, Citlali, posted comments on Xcalak in the desolate part of the state of Quintana Roo in the southernmost part of the Yucatan peninsula that, within a few kilometers becomes the famed Cayo Ambergris in Belize these two entites being separated only by the artificial canal dug by the Maya long before any of us were born to provide access from the Bay of Chetumal to the Caribbean for shipping purposes. The town of Xcalak has been a morose ruin for many years since having been blown away by a hurricane many years ago and today is a contrast of poverty-stricken shacks and ostentatious beach houses built directly of the sand by ignorant foreign dreamers and opportunistic speculators vastly overpricing real estate to suckers from northern mud-plagued and cold hell holes unaware of the devastating results of recurrent hurricanes yet to visit this forlorn coast as their ancestors have constantly in the past. There those ostentatious, multi-bedroom mansions sit on unstable beaches awaiting the next typhoon next to humble shacks of locals handed down for generations. Who is the fool in this game?


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## deborahc9133 (Nov 27, 2010)

Thanks for the article. We committed to six months and gave a deposit - if we don't like it, we could leave. But, I have a feeling that we will!


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

deborahc9133 said:


> Thanks for the article. We committed to six months and gave a deposit - if we don't like it, we could leave. But, I have a feeling that we will!


Like it or leave it?


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## deborahc9133 (Nov 27, 2010)

Oh I mean that we will like it.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

deborahc9133 said:


> Oh I mean that we will like it.


Be sure to let us know how things work out for you.


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## deborahc9133 (Nov 27, 2010)

For sure


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

_


deborahc9133 said:



Thanks for the article. We committed to six months and gave a deposit - if we don't like it, we could leave. But, I have a feeling that we will!

Click to expand...

_Good luck to you deborah. One never knows. It´s a long way from Sacramento to Southern Quintana Roo both in distance and culturally and I say that as a Northern Californian of many years (San Francisco, Santa Cruz and the Sonoma and Napa Valleys for some 35 years), and Mexico in various places for 13 years but, whether the town you have decided to try out works or not has everything to do with you rather than there. You will only find out by trying as did we and I wish you luck in this endeavor.

Xcalak was, at one point, to be our town but that didn´t work out for us. Maybe it will for you but, if not, there are lots of alternatives. I suggest you look at Bacalar, Chetumal Bay or some place on the coastal dirt road between Xcalak and Majuhual as alternative places to settle permanently if Xcalak doesn´t turn out as you think it will. You have many choices down there 


You are going about this the right way. The six month commitment with the option to leave is a smart decision. Six months can be an eternity down there or, if you are so disposed, the beginning of a fabulous new life.


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## deborahc9133 (Nov 27, 2010)

and your point is ......??


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## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

deborahc9133 said:


> and your point is ......??


I think it was missed that you were just looking for info about the area as you take on a house sitting position as opposed to looking for a place to move to permanently. I'm sure you've looked at the map and can see it's not that far from Playa del Carmen and Cancun. No doubt you'll find plenty to do in the area. Lonely Planet's latest Mexico guide names Merida as the top travel experience in Mexico so that'll be a side trip you may want to take as well as visiting Mayan ruins. My wife visited Cozumel on a cruise and highly recommends it. Who knows, you may enjoy it so much you'll want to stay. Good luck!


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## charlie131120 (Nov 30, 2013)

It has been maybe five years since we stayed in Xcalak. It was a little remote but there was electicity for most of our visit. We stayed at a very nice bed and breakfast that was owned by a couple from Tampa. The food was excellent. The mosquitos were abundant and large. We didn't make it to the banks due to rough seas but we did have one memorable dive at a spot with hundreds of Tarpons. There was a small town with a few shops and there was a fruit/vegetable truck that came by a couple days a week.

I got the sense that the expats living there were close. They certainly were friendly. I think Chetemal is the place to get stuff. The road down was in pretty good shape. The year we were there Xcalak was a better place to be than Majahual (sp?) which was little more than a large cement pier.

We very seriously considered buying a place in Tankah which is between Tulum and Puerto Aventura - but it was a little pricey. There you have both Cenotes and ocean diving. If you live in Xcalak I'll bet you get to know the road between there and Cancun very well. If you are not divers consider taking it up.


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## charlie131120 (Nov 30, 2013)

Can't edit my post - have you checked Xcalak out from Google Earth ?


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