The Explorean Kohunlich

The Explorean Kohunlich is in Chetumal, Quintana Roo. Chetumal is a beautiful city in Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula. It has an excellent museum devoted to the history of the region’s indigenous peoples and their influence on the city’s current population. Photo tours of the city trace the region’s past through images that date back to the 17th century.

Here we are showing the local beaches but this resort is closer to the interior jungle area, and I love that about the resort itself.

The beaches of the Yucatán Peninsula are filled with the most amazing wildlife — manatees, crocodiles and turtles, among others. It’s a tropical paradise for those interested in nature and adventure.

Video by Fiesta Americana

Day One Travel & Arrival at The Explorean Kohunlich

I arrived on my flight to Chetumal about 8 hours after my journey began. Chetumal Airport is, by any measure, a small local airport. Quintana Roo has three different airports, including Chetumal Airport, which is an international airport located in Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico. I just happened to have a flight that put me in a great spot related to the resort. It is about a 1-hour drive from the airport, which was not bad at all.

The resort provided airport pickup, which was a wonderful benefit since it was 1 hour from the airport.

The Explorean Kohunlich resort experience is one that feels more private and custom than larger all-inclusive resorts. It is something that is unique and wonderful. On-site there is a Mexican restaurant and a local pub.

After checking in, I toured the resort and enjoyed an early trip to Ki’OL Spa on-site for a massage. That is a wonderful way to unwind and between that some good food and a few nice drinks. I was a happy camper.

The site has cabanas and bungalows. I booked a king bungalow. It was large, at over 500 square feet.

Villa Amenities

Then the resort itself offers all of these options.

Resort Amenities

Here the all-inclusive menu is available during these hours.

Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Lunch: 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Dinner: 7:00 p.m. p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Snack Service: 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Lobby Bar: 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

I settled in on night one and really took advantage of the all-inclusive food and drink.

The staff here is amazing and so attentive. I feel like I did on my first cruise years ago. You go to set down a glass and someone is there to refill you. Perfect service.

Day Two Exploring Mayan Culture

I booked a tour with a local provider. As a traveler on one of these tours, you will get all history of ancient Mayan cities, the guide will drive you to one of the archaeological ruins nearby, so you will get to see the culture and real contact with nature, there are lots of kinds of birds and monkeys around.

Your guide will show you the best and most unique places in the area, including the Maya cities in the area. Once you’re done, you’ll be able to see the top of the pyramids from a different angle and really get a good look at the amazing surroundings.

What we really want is an experience where people get to enjoy the natural world as well as the art of photography. To make this happen, we will need to be flexible enough to learn and grow as we go along and our guide will be there every step of the way. You will see monkeys, toucans, orchids, and even more.

Dzibanche is away from the crowds, which guarantees a peaceful and quiet atmosphere, just perfect to explore and enjoy the relaxing sounds of the jungle. Dzibanche is the only site where visitors are still allowed to climb to the top of the temples. Knowing this, I wanted to scale the steps and feel it all for myself. It reminded me of going up in the Lady of Liberty before they stopped allowing you to go up to the torch room. In 1916, it was closed to the general public, but they allowed small group tours to be booked by appointment. Maybe they will do that again after the craziness of COVID is over. New York seems like a city where you can get almost anything done if you ask nicely and smile with a tip.

Here, this was just the last Mayan temple set that allows full public access to the steps and the pyramids themselves.

After the trip to explore the Mayan culture, it was back to the resort for some more food and drink.

The resort has planned activities that are included but optional every day. So well planned and thought out by the staff here that it is clear these are hospitality professionals.

Day Three Full Resort Time

This resort is smaller and I like that. It feels like you and one or two of the other guests you run into regularly are the only ones here. In truth, there are 38 bungalows and two cabins, so this site is even smaller than the Cozumel location I have stayed at before.

This location, therefore, feels even more private and exclusive. I am not hung up on that (since I love the big resorts too) but if you are looking for something romantic and private, this might be a wonderful choice. Even the pool here seems like a bit of an afterthought. One put in for an eco-resort to be more mainstream. I did test the waters for you and on a hot humid jungle day, the cool water was wonderful. Even better, with a frozen margarita in my hand as I walked the length of the pool a few times to cool off.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the resort are only separated by 1 hour from each other just to allow the cooks and staff time to change over the menu and clean up from the last dining period.

You could get just about any food item you can think of from 7:30 AM until 10 PM every day. LA PALAPA’s staff was excellent, and the food was all fresh and prepared for you daily. I could tell the chef loved using fresh seasonal ingredients whenever possible.

I was so relaxed here that I even spent a few hours working on a book that I have been chipping away at for a little under a year. I just never seem to decompress enough from work to write much for the book. I will get there someday.

Listen to the reviews of others who have stayed at this amazing resort.

Is an amazing place, and the guides and personnel are very kind and friendly. I love the excursions. The one I love most is the kayak at night. The stars and the surrounding are amazing.

It’s a nice hotel with a different concept. It’s a small place in the middle of the jungle with outdoor activities that happens to be a hotel. Once you can get this into your head, you can understand that despite the staff’s best efforts in cleaning your room, there will always be a rogue bug flying or lurking around. Overall, I loved the experience. Doing the activities, being partly isolated, near the jungle. The hotel was clean and functional but it’s definitely not an option if you have the highest expectations of a hotel: food is ok, the spa is ok, and the facilities are decent.

Best hotel in a 250-mile radius! Super friendly staff, unbelievable ambiance, and personal details like a morning basket on your terrace with coffee and homemade bread make you feel at home. The food at the restaurant was unbelievable at every single meal.

The best place I have been, it’s different because there is no beach but you will not need Daily activities, you will be so happy at the hotel, you will rest and leave all the stress there.

Incredible hotel. Delicious food, excellent service, very knowledgeable guides, and beautiful and very comfortable rooms. The hotel with the best value that we have ever been.

Those are some great reviews and I agree with them all. For me, this was unexpected. I did not think I would enjoy unplugging as much as I did. There is Wi-Fi available, but I did not even go online. I pretended that it was not available and did not exist. It was just better for me to handle it that way. The last thing I wanted to do was catch myself on my laptop surfing the web instead of taking in the resort and its jungle location.

If you want to get away from it all, book, this resort soon because the rooms here go fast. Book with TZort.