The hostesses get 10 stars! Gabriela and her sister Miriam went out of their way to make our stay comfortable. They found us a local car rental agency when we had a problem finding a reasonable rate. They took us shopping right off the plane and later brought a few things we thought were missing in the house. We also bought a few ourselves: a pan, kitchen towels, toilet brush, clothesline/pins, etc. The house is more of a beach house with sturdy but aged furniture and fixtures. It's designed as two separate but adjoining flats with a mostly solid wall in-between. In the front hall, the wall is with holes (by design), allowing for direct communication b/w the two sides. The front walls are with breeze holes, allowing for a constant breeze, rendering A/C unnecessary. The sound carries pretty well in the house. My mother and I spent 2 winter months there, experiencing the coldest winter in...forever - we had to ask for extra blankets! Hot water is heated by a gas tank, and we paid for a new one when gas ran out. The hot water goes only to the bathrooms. It's common in Mexico for kitchens not to have hot water (lukewarm). The kitchen is stocked pretty well, but only with one set of pots and pans and utensils for two kitchens. It's also common in Mexico not to have an electric kettle. For tea, we boiled water on the stove. There is a coffee-maker. The mattresses were comfortable, but the best feature of the house was its terrace. We spent a lot of time there even when we couldn't swim because of unusually cold temps. The water is very calm even when it's windy. It's always cool on the terrace and warm on the front porch. The water for the house is in a well under the house. Gaby often checked to make sure we had enough and arranged for water delivery when we were low. The pool is maintained, but the water was colder than in the gulf, so we didn't use it. There is a shower on the front porch, which is handy after a swim. Gaby gave us plenty of towels, both for the beach and internal use. We got drinking water out of a water kiosk in Chicxulub. Both towns, Chicxulub and Progreso have everything you'd need: gas stations, stores, markets, restaurants, laundromats, etc. You do need a car (unless you use a taxi/Uber). The area is off the beaten path, off the highway (12th km) and scarcely inhabited, mostly by snowbirds from the US and Canada. Overall, we had an amazing time at Gaby's place and would come back in a heartbeat!
