Habitas Bacalar

On the shores of Laguna Bacalar in the southern Yucatán peninsula, Habitas Bacalar occupies a position on one of Mexico’s most remarkable and least-visited natural wonders — the Lake of Seven Colours, a 42-kilometre freshwater lagoon whose extraordinary clarity and the layering of its different water chemistries through the day create the shifting palette of turquoise, cobalt, emerald, and violet from which its name derives. The 30 cabins and suites are designed with the Habitas aesthetic of open-air pavilions, natural materials, and a minimal footprint that preserves the site’s relationship with the lagoon edge and the surrounding mangrove forest. The lake’s freshwater coral reef — one of only two freshwater reefs in the world — is accessible for snorkelling directly from the hotel’s dock.

The Habitas programme of communal dining, creative workshops, and music events creates a social atmosphere that distinguishes this property from the conventional resort model, with guests invited to participate in the life of the camp rather than to consume experiences in private. The restaurant’s menu draws on the traditional Mayan cooking of the Yucatán — the achiote marinades, the recado spice pastes, the chaya greens and tropical fruits of the peninsula — using ingredients sourced from local Mayan communities. Kayaking on the lagoon, swimming in the freshwater cenotes accessible from the lake, and visiting the colonial fortress of San Felipe are among the most frequently arranged activities.

Habitas Bacalar’s environmental approach to the lagoon focuses on the water quality management that is critical to the reef’s health and to the extraordinary visual character that makes Bacalar unique — specifically the control of nutrient run-off and the limitation of motorised boat traffic within the hotel’s section of the shoreline, both of which have been challenged by the rapid growth of tourism in the region.