There is always a bit of mystery that comes along with renting a place online. When we found the house on the edge of the small village of El Cuyo, we were not only pleased to see that it was on the beach, but also that the shoreline was beautiful. Our family has rented homes on the gulf coast of the Yucatan closer to Progresso, (Chicxulub, Uuymaytin, San Bruno) and the beach at El Cuyo is clearly the finest. You will likely have a car if you got to El Cuyo in the first place, but the drive to town on the sandy road is slow, pleasant, and not very far at all. You could walk along the beach to town in about ten minutes.
The house is lovely. It is homey, but well cared for, and the two bedrooms ( one upstairs and the other in the back of the house) offer a lot of space and privacy. The bathrooms are clean and the water is hot; the kitchen is spacious with more than enough utensils, crockery, microwave etc.; the bedrooms have good sheets, blankets, and the towels that are provided are quite nice. There was one standup fan, but perhaps a second fan would make the upstairs bedroom a bit breezier on the hot nights.
Yahairia answered our questions quickly on email and her kind and friendly neighbours, Sara and Gabriel, got us set up with our keys, organized a day trip to Isla Holbox with local fisherman, and helped us with a laundry service. We do not speak much Spanish and their English was good enough to help things move smoothly.
I would recommend this home to anyone who wants to take it easy for a few days or more. Things are quiet in the house and "El Cuyo" is a friendly and proud town without the trappings of many tourist destinations. The town square was full of families and music each evening. You can walk the beach to the edge of town and it goes on for about 20 km without any development. Clean and no seaweed.
The swimming is great. The water isn't too rough or deep ( we saw dolphins in the morning) and the birding in the area is terrific (parrots, falcons, loads of flamingoes). There are two small and simple restaurants in town, but we cooked every night. There is a good bakery ( it opens in the evening, but not in the morning) and every corner seems to have its own stores selling basic goods. For a big grocery shop, head to the supermarkets before hitting the highway.
A very nice drive to El Cuyo after leaving the double highway; ranches and villages along the way. Hammocks and surf at the end of the drive. A special place.