Launching late August (2021), Habitas, the experience-led sustainable hospitality brand, will open its newest ‘home’ on Mexico’s striking Lake Bacalar, best known for its multi-hued and crystalline waters. Following the launch of Habitas’ flagship property in Tulum, Mexico, in 2017, and second in Namibia in January of this year, Habitas Bacalar will be the brand’s third property with a focus on sustainability, community and a shared experience.
Habitas will be the first global hospitality group to launch a property in Bacalar and will do so with an environmental program to help preserve the eponymous Bacalar Lagoon. Seamlessly built on the crystalline waters of Laguna Bacalar, Habitas Bacalar will be an eco-sustainable, holistic oasis - an escape to restore and calm the senses through wellness practices and soothing adventures overlooking seven hues of blue.
The property will comprise 35 cabanas with natural, earthly interiors, lagoon-facing views, a restaurant with an open-air kitchen, a spa and wellness area, and a communal gathering space. Combining uncharted nature with grounding experiences, this new home will offer abundant opportunities to forge a deeper connection with the planet through floating meditations, temazcal ceremonies and stromatolite conservation efforts.
Located 4 hours from Cancun airport and 40 minutes from Chetumal airport by car, Habitas Bacalar’s remote setting lends itself to tranquil moments and a sense of timelessness. A-frame rooms face a shallow, multi-hued lagoon that weaves its way around mangroves, stromatolites, and mineral clay banks. Guests can awaken to the sounds of gentle waves and rejuvenate on the immaculate shores. Habitas Bacalar’s close proximity to its sister property in Tulum by car further makes it the perfect twin-trip experience.
Wellness is woven into the fabric of Habitas Bacalar, with the Spa modeled after a small Mayan village, including treatment cabins that bring traditional Mayan Straw Houses to life. All therapies are carefully designed using local ingredients, with guests encouraged to immerse themselves in the local practices and traditions of Mayan culture with a lesson in the botanical garden’s medicinal aromatic herbs, cacao, coconut and melipona honey. The wellness program will also offer localized wellness rituals, sunrise paddle board tours, SUP yoga, janzu (water therapy) and nature walks, as well as Mayan weddings and ceremonies. Highlight spa treatments include the Bee-Well Therapy - a regenerative body and facial treatment using local Melipona honey, oats and coconut milk, a nourishing Chocolate Body Wrap which begins with an oatmeal and coconut exfoliation to prepare the skin prior to the cocoa and coconut body wrap, and Traditional Mexican Sobada - a relaxing body treatment that incorporates the use of herbs to provide energetic alignment.
The brand’s impact philanthropic arm, Habitas RISE, will focus on lagoon and stromatolite conservation, sustainability, and empowering local communities in the Bacalar region through education and the creation of micro-economies including sourcing from local farmers. The resort’s conservation efforts will be further promoted through local initiatives with organizations on-the-ground, educational events and hosted panel discussions.
Centered around the belief that food is medicine, culinary is also an important theme at Habitas Bacalar. The menus will highlight carefully selected ingredients with health and wellness properties, combining an array of colors and textures into a fresh variety of seasonal dishes. Habitas’ kitchen will be authentic and rustic yet refined, with handcrafted techniques that honor local Mayan traditions and the surrounding environment. The food served is designed to bring people together safely over a home-made, family-style meal with highlight dishes including Wood-Fired Rice with tomato & guajillo adobo, fennel, shallot & date confit, lime aioli, lemon & fennel leaves, Yucatan Pork cooked for 12 hours in banana leaves, Local Pumpkin Tacos made from homemade moringa tortilla, local pumpkin, hoja santa, sikil pak, toasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin flower, charred green salsa and Tapioca Crème Brûlée made with coconut milk infused with local lemon, cardamom, ginger and roasted mango for dessert.
Habitas Bacalar has been built sustainably using Habitas’ innovative modular build. The light-footprint rooms have been created by an in-house team, which have been delivered and assembled on-site using sustainable materials to minimize the environmental impact. This unique design model will also be evident as Habitas continues to expand globally, with new properties due to launch in Saudi Arabia and Costa Rica, as well as additional locations in Mexico.
Getting There:
Rates: Rooms at Habitas Bacalar will start from $400 + tax per night.
Flights: Habitas Bacalar is best accessed via flights to Cancun, available direct from all major US hubs. The property is a 4-hour drive from Cancun International Airport.
