“A fabulous property in a fabulous location.”

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We had a great time at Villa Mariposa. It is a fabulous property in a fabulous location. The flat water of Tankah Bay was great for kayaking and snorkeling. We kayaked four or five times, and snorkeled at various locations within the Bay, including the outflow area from the Cenote. Hanging out in beach palapa and hammocks was totally relaxing as well.

Location was about 100 meters from the lovely Cenote, and we dined at both the Blue Sky and Casa Cenote restaurants a few times, generally for breakfast on our way out, but also for dinner once each. Both were great. 

Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to snorkel in or otherwise use the Cenote other than to watch the divers/snorkelers/paddle boarders, which is one regret for the trip, since even though I am now pushing 70 yrs. of age I have been a scuba instructor and professional diver for the last 30 years, mostly diving on shipwrecks for the US National Park Service's diving team.

The location of the villa, just a few minutes to the city of Tulum, was also great. We went several times...Amy is a professional chef and part of her vacation protocol is always to shop for, purchase, and prepare seafood and quality produce.... mission accomplished. Very fun. We also hit a couple of restaurants in the boutique hotel zone on the way out to Punta Allen... one good, one not so good.

Using the villa as our base of operations, we drove back up to Playa del Carmen (not a great experience as we are not big shopping freaks). Akumal beach (ok, but too crowded after our languid hours at the Villa), Tulum, and Coba. Both these last two were interesting for me since I am a retired archaeologist for the US NPS and have been on a couple of international teams working with the Mexican institute of archaeology (INAH) and the government of Belize.

Although the decorative elements of the villa were great, I was particularly enchanted by the Mayan glyphs hanging on the wall near the powder room, and looked all over for somewhere to purchase something like them...without success, until the drive to Coba where we found them en route, went into Alfredo Gonzales' (I think that was his name) place and purchased several to bring home after he showed me some illustrated classical Mayan archaeology texts from when he had selected the designs that he used to make his molds. Our friends bought some as well. For me, a highlight.

Returning from our travelling experiences to the villa itself...it has an elegant design, has plenty of room, and is well decorated. Airflow negated the need for air conditioning. Setting was very secure with the gate guards, and the in-bedroom safes worked great. Being steps from the beach was a real plus. 

Having the driving directions and information on the grocery stores, etc. up-front was a major assist. Key pick-up was very simple and David helped lug our stuff in, since his parents had left him in charge...it took us longer to get out of Cancun than we had thought because of rental car inefficiency, which we sort of expected in spite of having a reservation. Customs itself was simple.

Luis and Nery did a great job meeting our needs, reliable, efficient, friendly, and they tended to be low profile although we were often around much of the morning. They also cooked for us one night...it was very good. A nice touch was the use of the palm fronds on the chair backs. Also, following your advice we told them it would be okay for the boys to be out and about, so we got to see those wonderful smiles from David and Luis Jr. several times. Roger came by the day after our arrival, although Amy and I were out and he met with our travelling companions.

We had a great time and would highly recommend Villa Mariposa to anyone seeking a place to stay in the Tulum area. We would definitely stay there again since it has so much to offer. You should be very proud of such a lovely home.

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-M.