Kailuum II report
 

Hello all. Thank you for your help when I was planning my trip. Someone asked for a report when I got back. Here goes....

I absolutely loved Kailuum. I was a tiny bit hesitant when I first planned the trip. I had never been camping and was a bit worried about the 'tents' and showers/toilets in separate buildings. Not a problem. It didn't feel a bit like camping.

Where shall I start? As soon as you arrive, take off your shoes. You won't need them again unless you leave the place. The staff were great. The toilets (flush, thank God) and showers were immaculate and large. There are sinks, bottled water (for drinking and brushing your teeth) and mirrors, at both ends of the 2 'bath houses'. There are lots of candles in the dining room and hundreds of oil lamp torches in the sand all over the place, so you won't have a problem seeing at night.

The tents are literally room size (including the height of the ceiling), so there's plenty of room. Someone makes your bed and sweeps out the sand every morning and turns down the bed at night (this is camping?!?). You have 2 hammocks and 2 wooden beach chairs in front of your tent (and under the thatched roof, so there's plenty of shade). There's also a clothes line on the side (with a stick fence next to it, so it's hidden). There are huge mesh windows on all 4 sides of the tent, so there is plenty of cross ventillation. If you are in the front row, you will lay in bed and have a full view of the beach/ocean. It was so breezy when I was there, that several of us were chilly laying on the hammocks in our bathing suits in the middle of the hot afternoons.

For breakfast there is fresh fruit, orange juice, yoghurt and 'add ins' for the yoghurt, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. There is one cooked breakfast item every day. Dinner starts in the bar for happy hour (6:30 - 7:30). There is a drink of the night mixed in a large glass jar. (It is $1 off the regular mixed drink price.... more later.) There is also an appetizer in the bar (the chicken legs/wings are fantastic!!!!!). On Wed and Sat there is live music during happy hour. Dinner is 3 courses (frequently, but not always soup, main course, and dessert). This is followed by coffee and/or hot chocolate. (I say and/or because most people mixed the two when I was there.) There is a meal exchange with Lafitte next door, if you don't like the dinner choice at Kailuum (note, the reaction from the people who did go to Lafitte was that the food at Kailuum was better).

Extras: lunch, your bar bill, and a massage. There are several choices for lunch. Most items are between 4 and 6 dollars. BTW, they have THE BEST french fries!! The bar is always open and is a self-service, honesty bar. Soft drinks are 1 dollar, a bottle of beer is 2 dollars, mixed drinks are 3 dollars (small) and 4 dollars (large), except for the drink of the night which is 2 and 3 dollars. Wine is 6 dollars a glass and 12 dollars a bottle. After they're opened they are kept in the cooler, but before that they are in the heat and standing up. I didn't try it for that reason. They have tons of ice delivered every day (both unfiltered to keep the drinks cold and filtered in ice cubes for the drinks). There is a 'peg' system. Everyone's name is on a sheet of grid paper. Each box is worth 1 dollar. There's a cork board behind the paper. You place a pin (or peg) in the box that corresponds to your drink cost. You keep moving it along the line each time you take a drink. At the end of each day they collect it, note the farthest hole, and place a fresh sheet up for the next day.

The massage is cash only, payable at the time of the massage. The woman, who is there 4 days a week, is better than the man who is there 2 days a week. It is $50 an hour, but there are 30 minute and 90 minute sessions, too.

You can use the pool at Lafitte. You can also have lunch and drinks there and charge it to your Kailuum room. At Kailuum everything is in US dollars, but at Lafitte the prices were in pesos -- it's confusing because they both use the $ symbol.

Some people went on several excursions to Mayan ruins or cenotes. Many of us never felt a need to leave the place. A couple of us went into PDC one night for dinner at Ula Gula (2nd floor corner of 5th and 10th). The food was excellent and because it was upstairs on the corner with no walls on 2 sides, it was breezy and cool while 5th ave was hot and sticky. We planned to go to the cave bar (Aluz?, not sure of name) but never got there. PDC was interesting but almost everyone from Kailuum who went there, couldn't wait to get back to Kailuum. The best liquor prices (better than the airport) were at a large general purpose store.... oh shoot, I forget the name, it starts with a C.

Summer is sea turtle season. There is an egg sanctuary at Lafitte. Turtles lay their eggs on or near the Kailuum/Lafitte beaches. If they are in danger of poachers or being disturbed the biologist digs them up and puts them in the incubator. When it's time to hatch (2 months), they are helped along (regardless of whether they hatched in the incubator or in the original spot on the beach). If you've never seen this, you should really go. The release to the sea is done at night; they will make an announcement at Kailuum during dinner to let you know if/when.

NEWS. Kailuum II will be no more after July 10, 2005. They have lost their lease. They will be packing up and moving 3 1/2 hours south (a couple miles from Kailuum Cita) and will open in November 2005 as Kailuum III. I'm told the government has plans to enlarge a small airport in the area, but I'm not sure when that will happen.

If you go to Kailuum II....Things to bring.... rubber soled shoes (such as surf shoes or anything water proof) because there are large rocks in the water directly in front. You can go to the beach on the other side of Lafitte where the rocks end......a large cup or something to hold water in your room (there are several large bottles of water scattered around the place)..... a mirror for your room (no hair dryer was fine - every one else was in the same boat but bushy eyebrows were a concern :-)......a battery powered lantern or large flashlight if you want to read in bed at night ..... cash, they prefer that you pay your lunch and bar bill in cash..... shorts and casual tops.... deep woods off - I was eaten alive, but almost no one else was bitten. I left my tent door unzipped most of the time - so it probably my fault.

Don't bring... lots of clothes, especially skirts. The dress code is bathing suit during the day and shorts and a top at night.... a hairdryer (no electricity) or even battery-powered rollers or curling iron -- no one cares! ... a radio or cell phone (you will be asked to turn it off, if you do) -- this is peace and quiet, except for good conversation and the music at happy hour.

Go to Kailuum. It is magical. You will NOT want to leave.

Thank you for the report. My wife and I are leaving on Aug. 18, headed to Kailuum. Its a real releif to her to hear about people experience with the tents, and especially the bathrooms.

Someone who came while I was there, cried when she saw the place. Her husband had surprised her and she was expecting a typical hotel resort. She literally sat in her tent and cried. By dinner the next night, she said it was the best vacation she had ever had. The 3rd day she and her husband went into PDC and she said she couldn't wait to get back to Kailuum!

It is NOT for everyone, though. If you NEED that typical resort, with lots of airconditioning, fancy room, people watching on the beach or in the lobby, someone waiting on you hand and foot, formal entertainment, piped in music, etc. This is not the place for you. If you want a relaxing vacation, where you can pretend the outside world does not exist, you can't get better than this!

I planned a trip for my sister-in-law and her husband last month that included Kailuum and Na Balaam (in Isla Mujeres). I have never been to either resorts, but did a ton of research here and other websites. We will be going in January.

They loved Kailuum and commented how social it was. They met people from all over the world. They were a little spoiled from the beach at Na Balaam, however (Playa Norte). They also laughed at how hard to find Kailuum was! No one had even heard of it at Na Balaam, and when they pulled off the road to ask for directions, they saw a tiny hand-painted sign "Kailuum II". I would say that is part of the charm, and certainly opposite of the craziness of Cancun! They also said the food was amazing.

I can't wait to see it first hand in January!

Thanks for your report!

Kristy

has anyone been in Kai Luum 2nd half of February?
is it chilly sleeping in the tentpalapas? are mosquitoes a problem?how is the security?thx for any extra info!

we are going 2nd half of February---
is it chilly sleeping in the tentpalapas? are mosquitoes a problem?how is the security?thx for any extra info!

We were at Kailuum II Jan. 16-20 and it was wonderful.

No mosquitos. Take a sweatshirt or fleece for night time. We didn't freeze in the tents (which were very comfortable and clean), but night time temps ranged from mid to low 60s. For the first couple of days it was windy and somewhat overcast, with temps in the upper 70s-80, but the last two days were perfect, mid 80s and very sunny.

The meals were great too. You'll enjoy the Mayan hot chocolate for breakfast and after dinner.

Kailuum II is a very relaxing, enjoyable place. We hope to visit the expanded location in Majahual (near Chetumal and Belize) sometime in the future.

I forgot to answer your question about security. Kailuum II is located on property owned by Capitan Lafite. There is a main gate, attended by a guard, who will check your name against the list of guests for both Capitan Lafite and Kailuum II.

We felt very secure. I was hesitant about staying in a tent on the beach, but quickly learned that we would be fine and we had nothing to worry about. We did see a patrol or two of armed police/military along the beach in the morning, but this didn't make us feel uneasy about staying there.

They have a safe if you want to lock anything up.

Again, we loved it and would go back in a second. I wish I was there right now rather than here in snowy DC.

We were considering Kailuum for a late spring fling (mid-May). My concern is regarding the new resorts being built nearby (on the other side of lafitte?). Did you have any construction noise or oter issues due to the new resorts going in? Or maybe they are not that far along yet? Thanks in advance!

The construction that is going on is far enough away that you won't hear or see it. It is on the other side of the Dining Hall....quite a ways up. We were just there and loved it. You may walk PAST it if you take the 'back road' up to Lafitte's to use the pool, or have drinks at the bar. If you walk the beach, you won't even know there IS any construction!

Glad to hear that - we just booked for 5 days in mid-april! (too short, I know - but i'll take what i can get).

Thanks!

Hello,

I'll be heading out to Kailuum II in 2 weeks and was wondering what is the most economical way to get there.

They offer a RT shuttle service to/from the airport for $40 per person, but is there is a cheaper alternative?

Thanks!

Juju

Hey Juju - looks like we might just miss one another (we will be there the 15th - 20th).

I looked around at some other private shuttle alternatives, but the Kailuum price couldn't be beat.

You could take a bus, though, from the airport to PDC and then a taxi to kailuum - that might be cheaper but I have no specifics on that, sorry.