What is the Bacalar lifestyle really like? For our family, it means sunrise over the lagoon, time for yoga, outdoor adventures with our daughter, good meals with friends, and looking forward to the next visit before we’ve even left.
We live in Playa del Carmen, and we recently spent a long weekend in Bacalar with my wife, our daughter, and our friends and neighbors, who joined us with their two kids.
Three days on the Lagoon of Seven Colors. Plenty of sunshine. Kids running around like crazy.
I’ve been traveling to and working in Bacalar for almost a decade. But this trip reminded me, once again, why we chose to own a place here.
If you’re thinking about visiting Bacalar, traveling here with kids, or buying a vacation home, here are five things I’d want you to understand about life on the lagoon.
1. The Lagoon of Seven Colors Never Gets Old
Almost ten years, and I still look out the window when we drive past the lagoon and think, how is that even real?
Depending on the light and where you are on the water, the whole scene changes. Pale turquoise over the sandbars. Bright blue stretching into the distance. Deep shades around the cenotes.
You can visit the same spot again and have it look completely different.
And then there’s sunrise.
We made time to watch it during our trip. Seeing the morning light spread across the lagoon, with the colors slowly changing in front of you, is worth the early start.
It’s one of those moments when you’re happy to just sit there and watch.
I’ve traveled a lot, and I have never found another place that feels quite like Bacalar.
When you own a vacation home somewhere, you hope the excitement of arriving will last. For us, that moment when the lagoon comes into view still does it.
Every single time.
2. Swimming in Bacalar Is Something You Have to Experience
The photos get your attention. Getting into the water is what stays with you.
On this trip, the temperature felt perfect. The water felt incredibly soft against our skin. We spent hours swimming, floating, and hanging around a sandbar without wanting to get out.
Our friends don’t come down often, and watching them enjoy it reminded me how extraordinary this experience is.
It’s easy to show someone a picture of Bacalar. It’s much harder to explain what it feels like to be standing in clear turquoise water with your family, looking around and realizing you have nowhere else you need to be.
That part requires a visit.
3. There Are More Things to Do in Bacalar Than One Weekend Can Hold
If you’re wondering what to do in Bacalar with kids, our weekend should give you a pretty good starting point.
We took kayaks out to Bird Island to watch the birds. Spent time hanging out on a sandbar. Went sailing to the cenotes and the Pirate Channel.
We even went for a night swim under the full moon.
In between, the kids swam, explored, ran around, and somehow found another burst of energy every time we thought they might finally be tired.
At the end of the trip, our friends said, “We did so much.”
I looked at them and said, “We barely scratched the surface.”
That’s what keeps us coming back. A weekend can be full of adventure, and you’ll still leave with ideas for the next trip.
For a first visit, I’d give yourself at least three full days. Leave room between activities to actually enjoy being here. Some of our favorite moments happened when we stopped moving and stayed in the water a little longer.
4. Sunrise, Yoga, and Time Outside Make Wellness Feel Natural
One of my favorite parts of this trip was having time for the things that make us feel good.
We watched the sunrise. Made time for yoga. Swam, kayaked, and spent hours outdoors.
Back home, it’s easy for work and everyday responsibilities to fill the schedule. In Bacalar, we had room to start the morning slowly and spend much of the day moving without thinking about it.
Yoga was part of that rhythm. So was getting back in the lagoon whenever we had the chance.
For us, that’s a big part of the appeal of a wellness getaway in Bacalar: we enjoy what we’re doing while we’re doing it.
And traveling with kids didn’t take away from that.
The kids had each other. We had good company. There was time for adventure, time to relax, and plenty of reasons to stay outside together.
We also ate really well throughout the trip, at prices we found very reasonable for taking the whole group out.
By dinner, everyone had a story from the day. The kids were finally tired, the parents were relaxed, and we were already talking about tomorrow.
You start thinking, I need more days like this.
5. Owning a Vacation Home in Bacalar Is About the Life You Get to Enjoy
This was the biggest realization of the trip.
This is the new luxury.
Adventure-filled days. Happy, tired kids. Relaxed parents. Warm skin after hours in the sunshine. Sunrise over the lagoon. Yoga. Good meals with friends. A swim under the full moon.
Having the time and the place to enjoy all of it together.
I work in real estate, so I understand why buyers ask about rental income and ownership expenses. Our Namastē condos are renting, and that income matters.
But for our family, Bacalar has always been a lifestyle purchase.
We wanted somewhere we would actually use. Somewhere we would look forward to visiting. Somewhere to bring friends, spend time on the water, and create memories with our daughter as she grows up.
We also wanted a place where the activities we enjoy could become a bigger part of our lives.
When you’re considering a vacation home in Bacalar, it’s worth asking yourself:
What would owning here allow me to do more often?
For us, the answer was weekends like this one.
Come Experience Bacalar for Yourself
After a trip like this, I understand why someone visits Bacalar and starts imagining spending more time here.
Before you’ve even left, you’re thinking about the next visit. Who you’ll bring. Where you’ll take them. What you didn’t have time to do.
If Bacalar has been on your list, give yourself a few days.
Get out on the lagoon. Explore by kayak. Go sailing. Get up for the sunrise. Make time for yoga. Enjoy a long dinner.
Give yourself enough time to settle into the rhythm of the place.
And if you start wondering what owning a home here could look like, reach out to us at Buy Bacalar. Tell us how you want to spend your time here, and we can help you explore properties that fit that life.
See you on the lagoon.
Ryan Gravel
Founder, Buy Bacalar