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CA3697

Celestun , Mexico

Our Gulf of Mexico beach in front of our villa.

Cenote at Hacienda Sotuta de Peon

Celestun beach with restaurants and fishing boats

Pink Flamingos in the Celestun Ria

Calle 12, The beach avenue, downtown Celestun

A Motmot; one of many exotic birds in our area.

Gold

Member since

2012

Open for exchange

Exchange dates	Duration
July 01, 2021 - August 31, 2021	2 weeks
We are already booked for our 2nd Iceland home exchange in 2021 and are looking for one or two more exchanges in summer 2021 around the UK, preferably Scotland and northern Britain, but we will consider anything. In 2022 we would love a summer stay in New York City.

Ocean-front Beach Villa in Celestun, Yucatan, Mexico

Our ocean-front home on the Gulf of Mexico, a 2-bedroom villa at Playa Maya Resort, is 7km north of the quiet fishing village of Celestun, a Mayan word meaning "painted stone". Celestun is just over a one-hour drive from the international airport in Merida or 5 hours (by bus or car) from the international airport in Cancun. Taxis, buses or car rentals are available to come to Celestun.

Our house is all on one level, with a garden-side terrace and a beach-side terrace with a gas barbecue and lounge chairs. The other side of the beach-side terrace is screened in to enjoy your meals "outside" without being bothered by mosquitos. We also have a fully screened inside courtyard where you can relax peacefully in a lounge chair or hammock. Hammock hooks on both garden-side and beach-side terraces allow you to relax Mexican style, enjoying whichever view you prefer while watching and listening to the many exotic birds that our property is filled with.

The master bedroom has a high quality KING SIZE bed and the other bedroom has a very good QUEEN size "Murphy Bed", that folds up into the wall when not needed. A desk folds down to make this room more of a den when the bed is not needed. For extra guests, we also have a "bed in a bag" which is a very good queen size air mattress with a built-in electric pump and a sturdy frame.

Every room in the house has a ceiling fan and air conditioning. We have a very well equipped kitchen with a gas stove and oven. Our villa is on the very north end of the 10-acre resort property providing a tranquil and private stay. The resort property is park-like and full of coconut palm trees. There is also a HUGE shared swimming pool and a restaurant on the property.

We have WiFi and good cellular service. There is a 42 inch LED TV; no TV reception but internet connection available for Netflix or whatever streaming services that you may use.

The beach is right out front of our home and offers literally hundreds of nearly deserted miles to walk, swim and collect shells. It is a great area for ocean swimming, very gradual, shallow entry with no strong currents and soft, sandy bottom. It is a short, 7km drive into the town of Celestun, or you can take a motorcycle taxi. We also have two bicycles you can use and it is about a 30 minute ride to the markets and restaurants in the town.

Celestun is within a 21 km long biosphere reserve with 234 mammal species including ocelot, jaguar, spider monkey and three species of sea turtles and two kinds of crocodiles. Celestun is most well known for having the largest pink flamingo nesting grounds in North America. Local guides will take you down the river in a boat to view them or to search for crocodiles or out into the Gulf of Mexico for fishing expeditions. The population of Celestun is around 6,800 with a number of beach-front restaurants and some basic shopping for food and souvenirs.

Merida, the capitol of the Yucatan, is about 90 km from Celestun. Merida, is a 450 year old colonial city with a population of nearly two million and has a huge selection of services, shopping and entertainment.

2 Adults
0 Children
10 Exchanges made

Occupation

Retired Investment Advisor
Retired Healthcare Executuve

Our Home

House Type: Single storey home
Environment: By the sea
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Sleeping Capacity: 4
Living Area: 1000 sq ft
Total Area: 1600 sq ft

References

In my house

Pets - Not allowed
Small children - Allowed

Exchange Types

Non-simultaneous exchange
Home exchange

Indoor

Free internet access
Air conditioning
Washing machine
Television

Outdoor

Garden
Balcony

Facilities

No smoking
Suitable for disabled people
Seclusion/Privacy

Our Destination Wish List

Open for all offers
Bordeaux, France
Brighton, UK
Edinburgh, UK
Tynemouth, UK
York, UK
Hawaii, USA
New York, NY, USA
Bali, Indonesia
United Kingdom
Scotland, UK

Spoken Languages

English

Nearest Airport: Merida - 100 km

Celestun Ria -Flamingos (2.5 km)
Ocean Beach (1.1 km)
Gulf of Mexico (0.6 km)
Town square, numerous shops (0.7 km)
Yucatan Golf Club, La Ceiba (101.4 km)
Manglares Jungle tours (1.8 km)
Fishing boats (1.2 km)

Bird watchers and admirers from around the world will be able to appreciate numerous breeds of exotic and rare birds from the comfort of private terraces. Pelicans are a common sight, and be sure to be on the lookout for migrating Canada Geese. Playa Maya’s beachfront is also home to breeding grounds for Mexico’s famous giant sea turtles. For that reason, during the summer breeding season, selected sections of the beach are closed off to ensure that absolutely no turtles are disturbed during the breeding process. Nests will be identified and guests of Playa Maya Yucatan will be able to quietly observe the breeding and nesting process.
Temperatures at Playa Maya range annually from 20°C to 33°C, with an average of 27°C. The temperatures in Celestun are very similar to those in Cozumel or Cancun. Celestun, about 6 kilometers south of Playa Maya Yucatan, is well known in the Yucatan as a peaceful, picturesque fishing village. Fishing enthusiasts will be able to spend long days casting their lines into the Gulf of Mexico on one of the available chartered fishing boats. There is also good fishing right off the Playa Maya pier!
Celestun Special Biosphere reserve is a 146,000 acre park located at the north-western tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. Celestun is a combination of coastal scrub, estuary, and mangrove, which together provides an excellent habitat for wildlife of many sorts. Celestun means "painted stone" in the Mayan language.
Celestun is probably best known for its Flamingos, but is also host to over 300 other species of birds, including the endemic Yucatan Wren, Mexican Sheartail, and Black-throated Bobwhite. In addition to birds, Celestun houses many species of reptiles, including 2 crocodile species: Morelet's and American, 4 sea turtles: Hawksbill, Green, Loggerhead, and Leatherback, iguanas, land turtles, and Boa Constrictors.
Celestun is a peaceful, quiet fishing village with an approximate population of 2,500. The beach on the Gulf Coast is sandy, with no strong currents and deepens very gradually so you can walk out about 100 metres, making it very safe and great for swimming.
There are numerous beach restaurants within three blocks of our home as well as local produce markets, small grocery stores and souvenir shops. You will find many people at least understand a little English but knowing some Spanish would definately be helpful. Only Mexican pesos are used and the little businesses can seldom accept anything larger than a 100 peso note (worth about $8 Canadian).
Bottled water is cheap and readily available everywhere. The streets are sometimes crowded more with people walking than cars although scooters and motorcycles are more common every year as well as small motorcycle taxis.
Click this link for a short tourism video of Celestun https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1680285308907712&id=1615034655432778