Guest: Andrea & Georg, Munich, Germany (-)
Date of Stay: 01/16/11 Review Submitted: 04/11/11

We really enjoyed our stay here! Especially the great snorkelling, Kayaking and the great hospitality of Giselle and Philippe, also Martha and Gabriel did a great job… Had a wonderful and relaxing time here, it’s sad that we have to leave tomorrow.

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Guest: Fabrice, Marie Claude & famille (-)
Date of Stay: 01/02/11 Review Submitted: 04/11/11

Il est bien difficile d’imaginer depuis nos pays ce que peut être votre région… Philippe m’avait dit : « Tu verras plus nous roulerons et plus tu découvriras un Mexique différent. » Nul doute que je ne pouvais imaginer ce qui nous attendait et ce que nous allions découvrir. A peine arrivés, le premier matin, nous avons couru dans l’eau avec nos masques et nos palmes… Wouha !! Sandra, notre fille, David son mari et nos 3 petits filles, Léa, Maeva et Nolwenn n’en revenaient pas de la beauté de l’eau, des palmiers…La première plongée nous a emmené loin de ce que l’on pouvait imaginer. Que de beaux poissons de toutes les couleurs, des espèces inconnues si belles. Nous sommes restés de longs moments sans bouger, avec toute cette faune et cette flore qui se découvrait de plus en plus. Nous nous doutions que vous aviez choisi un endroit agréable, mais là c’est merveilleux et nous repartons la tête pleine de souvenirs le cœur rempli des sourires de Martha, Gabriel et Yolanda. Nous leur avons fait pour ce dernier jour deux magnifiques temples Mayas sur la plage de plus de 1,5 mètres de haut. Ils ont offerts des bonbons aux filles. C’est avec beaucoup d’émotions que nous faisons nos valises et demain, quand nous roulerons, nous auront tous de la tristesse dans nos cœurs. Merci Gisèle et Philippe, dommage que nous n’ayons pu passer plus de temps ensemble. On parlera d’Xcalak lors de vos prochains événements et spectacles en France.

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Guest: Scott & Janice (-)
Date of Stay: 02/09/11 Review Submitted: 04/11/11

Casa Caracola – a retreat in a place of beauty and peace in our world ! We hope to return and take home memories of Scott’s « Baracuda birthday ».

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Guest: Sara Edwards, USA (-)
Date of Stay: 11/11/10 Review Submitted: 04/11/11

Sabrina and I stayed in 3 different places, we enjoyed Xcalak the most. Such peace, quiet, no need for canned air, the sea breeze was almost a constant. It stormed one night, by morning the deck and dining floor were already dry. We have wonderful pictures of angels, puffers, eels, rays, one eagle ray that was going to fly right over me before it saw me and banked to my lt, what a rush. Also saw turtles, squid, octopus, lobster, crabs, conch, you have it all, I could go on for lines. I'm already to come back. I love the air flow in the house and the fact that the kitchen is it's own little room with lots of light. Thank you too for the bottle of wine, very nice. Gabriel and Martha were always helpful even on their day off. Jane was so hospitable, inviting us to come to their house to snorkel with her. She also helped us with a grocery list translated into spanish. This will become one of our regular packing item. If I could make a living down there I'd be one of your neighbors. I so hope the Mexican government never puts a cruise port in Xcalak, it would ruin the place. One night Sabrina was standing on the dock in town when a run of fish came in. Within a few minutes every family member was there with buckets and lines catching fish as fast as they could pull them in. This is something you never see in Cozumel or Akumal although plenty of locals do fish. You just never see the entire family going at it. This trip we saw many trumpet fish. After the huricanes of 2005 I hadn't seen trumpets for many years. Unfortunately, I also saw many lion fish. Leaky Palapa served Lionfish Tacos one day til they were sold out. I will be back. My daughter needs to come to Xcalak. Will contact you later. We came back to two snow storms and have close to a foot of snow on the ground. Thanks so much.

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Guest: Donna, Rich, Bradley, B.C., Canada (-)
Date of Stay: 04/25/10 Review Submitted: 04/11/11

Ah ! We are feeling sad to leave your beautiful spot in paradise ! It was our 3rd time hère in Xcalak but the first at Casa Caracola and hopefully not the last – hope to return again ! Thank you for the wonderful hospitality & fun conversations. It was a perfect break /vacation away from work, the cold weather and the busyness at home.

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Guest: Peggy (-)
Date of Stay: 07/11/10 Review Submitted: 07/24/10

! Muchisimas gracias por tratarnos como familia ! Thank you so much for sharing the wonderful life and adventure with us : the completion of the “muelle” (dock) on the lake, the magic of the reef, its coral and the fish. Philippe, you took the time to come to know us and help us discover so many special phenomena such as hermit crabs at night and the darting schools of baby fish. Our dinners together were a delight, full of joyful sharing and learning. We are so happy you, Gabriel, Marta, Yolanda, Rolando and Jose could join us. We only wish that we could of met Gisele. When we were looking for a place in Xcalak, we kept returning to Casa Caracola. We were attracted by its simple yet beautiful aesthic. We could see the thought and care. We knew it had something special : Joy de Vivre, wonder, adventure, love. Again, ! un million de gracias !

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Guest: Nigel and Jill (Comox)
Date of Stay: 03/02/10 Review Submitted: 03/02/10

To get there – no problem. We rented a car and stopped in Playa to to pick up a cooler and staples on the way through. The roads were in excellent condition all the way. Remember to watch for the topes (speed bumps) they are huge in Mexico.The location – spectacular. Sky, sea, trade winds and accessable reef for kyaking and snorkelling. This is a very small undiscovered community, probably the Yucatan's last fronteer. The owners – Gisele and Phillipe are really interesting people and their enthusiasm is contageous. Accommodation – Tastefully decorated, spotlessly clean, very comfortable with breathtaking views.We stayed two weeks. There are places to explore within driving distance from Xclak but for us there was no reason to leave this restful retreat. If we weren't swimming, snorkelling or walking the dogs along the beach we were sitting happily under a palapa reading a good book.We savored the moment each and every day. The place is magical ! Can't wait to get back.

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Guest: Brett Johnson (-)
Date of Stay: 01/12/10 Review Submitted: 01/12/10

Fabulous Experience at Casa Caracola" "My girlfriend and I spent 5 days in the upper unit at Casa Caracola in January 2010. We had an absolutely fabulous time. The views of the ocean from the palapa-style dining room and off the deck are spectacular. There were birds constantly present in the water, including terns, ibises, herons, and brown pelicans. The home was immaculately clean and well cared for by the on site caretakers, Gabriel and Martha, each day. The bed was very comfortable and the property had all of the amenities we could have wanted, including access to bikes and a wide variety of snorkel gear. The home is on a fabulous stretch of beach, and the snorkeling directly in front of the house was the best we tried in the Xcalak area. In addition to an incredible spectrum of colorful fish, we swam with a sea turtle, barracuda, rays, and even a nurse shark. Truly incredible. But perhaps best of all was getting to know the owners, Gisele and Philippe, who are two of the most wonderful people we have met in our travels. They took us snorkeling, answered all of our questions about the area, and bent over backwards to ensure that we had everything we needed and were enjoying our stay. They were an all-around pleasure."

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Guest: Linda Schulz (-)
Date of Stay: 01/04/10 Review Submitted: 01/04/10

It is hard to leave a place of tranquility, beauty, good fellowship, kindness and peace... such a contrast to the "outer world". We wish you both, Gisele and Philippe, continued love in your special refuge.. and hope to meet you again

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Guest: Chelsea Carrera (-)
Date of Stay: 12/22/09 Review Submitted: 12/22/09

Great thank-you ! We loved your place. Gabriel was great, he even prepared us a fish that we caught in Mahahual. We look forward to futur stays at your place. Everything was smooth and went great.

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