ESCAPE to Xaman Ik, a private beachhouse on the Yucatan's beautiful Flamingo Riviera, starting at $595/week.
XAMAN IK is an architect-designed, oceanfront oasis on the white sands and emerald green waters of San Bruno, on the Yucatan's unspoiled northern Gulf coast near the historic city of Merida.
This part of the Yucatan is one of Mexico's safest beach locales and the favorite winter haunt of thousands of Canadian and American snowbirds.
Xaman Ik is a charming modern-style beach house decorated with a whimsical mix of antiques, original art, Mexican folk art, beach boho and tropical chic.
Despite the relaxed, open plan beachhouse ambiance, you will want for nothing at Xaman Ik, which was built in 2008. With its oceanfront plunge pool, roof top terrace featuring spectacular 360 degree views of the Gulf and lagoon, LCD flat screen TV with Canadian Sat, Wi-Fi and Telcel stick, IPod docking station, DVD player and DVDs, games, fully equipped kitchen, UV water purification system, BBQ, outdoor dining and seating areas and plenty of outdoor furniture for your lounging comfort, Xaman Ik is tailor made for leisure time living.
All three bedrooms are built for comfort, with Queen size beds featuring pillow top mattresses and high-thread-count linens. And we provide plenty of beach and bath towels.
The oceanfront master bedroom has a large ensuite bathroom - with a roofless, outdoor tropical shower featuring a stone wall - and two closets, one a walk-in. The other two bedrooms - one is also oceanfront with a full length terrace and the other faces the lagoon with a small balcony - have double-size closets.
The sweeping ocean view is framed on both levels by wall-to-wall glass sliders, which provide enough cooling, natural cross ventilation to eliminate the need for air conditioning, though all rooms also come with ceiling fans.
And for those who like to stay plugged in, Wi-Fi and a Tel-cell stick is available for an additional charge. We also provide a local cell phone pre-programmed with the phone number of our Mexican / American property manager, who is just a call away.
Xaman Ik - which means North Wind in Mayan - is located in upscale San Bruno, 20 minutes from the thriving port city of Progreso, a regular cruise ship stop. The villa is a quick, 40 minute highway drive to Merida, partly along a new, eight lane freeway.
With it's first-rate restaurants, world-class museums, art galleries featuring some of Mexico's top talent, vibrant street scene and symphony orchestra, Merida is a thriving, must-see city with almost 1 million residents.
In Merida, you can shop in local mercados for the work of skilled artesanias from all over Mexico or sit it in an outdoor cafe on the Plaza Grande in Centro and watch the passing scene. And Merida, built on the site of the ancient Mayan city of T'ho, has one of Mexico's biggest and best Mardi Gras-style carnival's in the Americas, Carnaval, held at various times in Feb. or March.
Should you want to get a feel for Merida, then read all about it. The city has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Toronto Star and Globe and Mail. The July 2012 issue of Conde Naste Travel magazine has an incisive 13-page cover story on the White City titled The Pleasures of Merida.
If you prefer the active, outdoor life, there is fishing, golfing, cave diving, hiking, biking, horseback riding, polo, eco-tours, bird watching and more. Birding is big, with lots of exotics to see, including indigenous parrots and pink flamingos that make their winter home in the lagoons all along the coast. All to add to your life list.
But perhaps best of all, Xaman Ik has miles of secluded beaches right on its front doorstep, perfect for castle building, shelling, dolphin-spotting or just strolling.
When hunger sets in, there are a couple of restaurants a short walk from Xaman Ik along the beach and even more on Progreso's beachfront Malecon. A quick drive into Merida and you are spoiled for choice, with every kind of eaterie, from elegant restaurants in historic haciendas, Argentinian steak houses, Mexican or Irish-themed pubs, restos featuring fresh seafood right from the Gulf to Mexican nouvelle fusion.
For those who want to explore the ancient Mayan world, Xaman Ik is central to a half dozen major Mayan archeological sites, including Chichen Itza, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Uxmal, a Unesco World Heritage Site and Dzbilchaltun, just 15 minutes away.
Merida is one of Mexico's safest cities and with only one all-inclusive beach resort in the area, the Flamingo Coast is considered a destination primarily aimed at seasoned, sophisticated travellers.
Guests can fly into Merida's international airport a quick 45-minute drive away from Xaman Ik, or take a cheap charter into Cancun, a four hour drive by bus or car along a toll highway.
For more photos, please see our Kijiji listing *373786093.
PLEASE NOTE: The local bus goes right by the door, but a rental car is recommended.
Keywords: Safe, tranquil, beachfront, private, villa, in secluded San Bruno
