Villa Marcaribe

Bridget                                                                                                             November 2008

A grand thank for the use of your villa. We had a fabulous stay and Alicia and Francisco were incredible cooks and we enjoyed their company very, very much. The meals they cooked for us were the highlight of our week. Thanks again.

The Maginnnis Family                                                                                  November 2008

The entire family ages 3-63 enjoyed a wonderful week together celebrating Thanksgiving 2008. Lots of sun, beach, pool and laughs. Francisco and Alicia spoiled us with their excellent cooking. We were grateful for our special week in Mexico and wonderful memories to share throughout the years.

Marilyn                                                                                                             Christmas/New Years 2009

This has given us a beautiful space to renew our family. I love the simple, spacious style—view and breezeway.

The Parkinson Family                                                                                   February 2009

We are a family of 5 from Alberta Canada. We have all been blessed to have stayed here for the last 9 nights. We have had an amazing time seeing sights, snorkeling and enjoying the spectacular views. Your home is wonderful. Francisco and Alicia are terrific and he is a great cook. Thank you for sharing your Paraiso with us.

Dan & Kim, Joe & Kim, Christine, Amy, and Julie                                   July 2009

WOW! There are not words in the English (or any) language to express the week+ that we have experienced here at Villa Luminosa and the area!Pancho and Alicia were the best!Your home is the best!Rhett was incredibly helpful with great suggestions and just a delight!A few of our favorites:Xel-Ha ($! but we thought so worth it! From open to close = all food; drink and so much fun!!).Muyil trek thru Mayan canals! So cool!Yal Ku Lagoon is Akumal’s “poor man’s/smart man’s Xel-Ha”.Luna Maya in old ocean side Tulum - great restaurant/lounge/hotel - we just went for after-dinner coffee/nightcap - one of our favorite places!Tulum ruins of course.Chitzen Itza if you have the time!Tiny taco stands in Tulum. Popsicles - chocolate; coconut; mango; watermelon; ginger.We grilled lobster & fresh fish here at the house.Cenotes!We can't wait to come back and bring more family & friends.

Sue, Steve, Sydney, Raeanna, Monica & Nicole                                       June 2009

What a beautiful home you have! We are so grateful you allow us to spend time here!My husband Steve and I came with our 2 teenage daughters and their friends, and no one wants to go back home.Unfortunately we did not have Francisco and Alicia cook. Too much running around, but they are none the less wonderful.The peacefulness and beauty of this wonderful place was exactly what we needed.

The Van Deggelens                                                                                          June 2009

Our family of 5 plus a family friend had a wonderful 10 days stay at your beautiful villa!We had Francisco cook 7 nights out of ten and loved every meal and had Chili Rellenos twice! Also enjoyed the fajitas, enchiladas, shrimp with garlic butter, filet de pescado, and Poc Chuc. He and Alicia made our visit wonderful and our oldest son enjoyed visiting with them in Spanish every night.

We enjoyed the beaches at Akumal, El Paraiso, La Vita Bella, & La Zebra beach clubs for lunch and the afternoon. We had lunch at Zamas one day and ate at Lol Ha in Akumal twice, plus La Buena Vida. My husband enjoyed breakfast at Blue Sky.

We decided to see Coba and climbed the big pyramid plus the cenote this visit. We enjoyed a visit at Xcaret beach (no chairs and take a cooler).

Lynda & Lawrie                                                                                                  August 21, 2009

When my sisters and I were kids, Dad’s favorite trick was to announce early in the morning that we were going on a “Mystery Trip” and to be in the car in an hour or we would get left behind.Road trips – I love em. This Monday Lawrie and I, and Richard Lowe (island friend) piled into our car and went on a road trip to the Tankah area, near Tulum Mexico.

We caught the car ferry at a civilized time of 09:30 a.m. and headed south.  First stop was Pelicanos Restaurant in Puerto Morelos for lunch.  Situated on the beach at Puerto Morelos it was the perfect place to enjoy the view of the ocean, white sand, and kids having a great time in the surf.  We continued south to an area just north of Tulum and turned off the four-lane highway onto a rutted dirt road that took us past many million dollar homes lining the sandy beaches.   Richard and Harriet have a lovely and very large four-bedroom rental house Villa Luminosa on the beach in Tankah, and this is where we spent the next two nights.  On the way to the house we passed the Manatee Cenote swimming hole at dusk.  Both Lawrie and I were absolutely certain that we saw a manatee in the water.  However, the locals all expressed skepticism at our discovery as they have not seen any manatees for quite a few years.  (Honestly!  We saw one!)

Our first night we drove a few more miles south to the beach area at Tulum and ate at a fabulous beachside Italian Restaurant in the Posada Margherita.  The owner/waiter came to our table and described our four dinner choices for the evening; grilled fish, fish sautéed in sea water, pasta with lobster, and pasta with veggies.  We made our choices, ordered a yummy bottle of red wine – and five minutes later he returned with a wonderful selection of complimentary appetizers.   The food and wine were perfect.  We enjoyed the experience so much that we returned in daylight to take better pictures of the Posada Margherita.

After breakfast on Tuesday morning Richard directed us up the road towards Coba – we were on the search for the creator of wall plaques that are copies of the temple friezes at various Mayan ruins.  First place we stopped had a few, but roadside vendor directed us farther on up the road past a couple of the small villages to where his dad and brothers made the pieces.   We eventually settled on a triptych of three plaques for the wall near our pool.  A little dickering over the price, lots of admiring of Don Alfredo’s other works and his autographed book by a famous photographer from New York, and the “boys” (adult men) wrapped our purchase in cardboard for the trip home. 

Next stop was back to the beaches of South Tulum to spend the afternoon at La Zebra Restaurant and Beach Club.  It is in the same area as Posada Margherita, but further along the winding beach road.  Great spot to fritter away a few hours in complete relaxation – white sand beaches, very few people, nice restaurant within a few steps of the beach, and a shower to rinse away the sand before changing back into traveling clothes.   By 3:30 p.m. I was ready for a nap back at the house.  However, our tour guide – Richard - still had more interesting places to show us.  The Diamante K Restaurant and Cabanas, plus The Mezzanine Restaurant and Hotel – both of which are down along the North Tulum beach road.  This area has many fabulous places, no power other than generators, very Eco-Chic according to the marketing materials.

Later in the evening at Villa Luminosa, Richard had arranged for a grilled shrimp dinner to be prepared by Francisco, the live-in caretaker/chef.   Wow!  Served on the rooftop while we enjoyed the brilliant stars and warm breezes, it was a great way to end the day. 

Wednesday morning we started our circuitous route home: along the beaches of Akumal, breakfast at Turtle Bay Bakery and Café, a search for Costco in Playa de Carmen (misinformed – not built), a quick shopping trip to Costco in Cancun, and lunch at Las Flamingoes on the beach north of Cancun before catching the 2:45 p.m. car ferry back to Isla.

Great road trip - a whole lot more fun than any road trip that we went on as kids, six people jammed in the 1955 Oldsmobile with a cocker spaniel that farted.