Hotel Rancho Encantado

Rooms are spread through the gardens as bungalows, cottages and suites, and only some face the lagoon. The garden rooms are 31 m² with a terrace, the garden cottages 37 m² for up to four, and the suites 40 to 81 m². The lagoon-front Master Suites and Casitas come with a deck, and guests describe a walkway to their own dock with a ladder into the water. Two-bedroom villas of 90 m² sleep six.

December is the cheapest winter month. When we checked on November 12, 2026, three nights for two, room only with taxes included, the cheapest garden room cost $390 refundable in early December 2026, $538 in mid-January 2027, $605 in late February, $655 in mid-March and $497 in mid-June. A Lagoon Master Suite cost $649, $714, $872, $855 and $754 on the same dates. Non-refundable rates were about 5% cheaper, and about $8 more is paid at the hotel. Our mid-February dates had only a few rooms left, from $813.

Pay for the lagoon front. Guests who booked a dock room call it the best decision of their trip, while one family found the rooms behind the lagoon row dark, cold and short on privacy. One guest's lagoon view was blocked by vegetation, so ask before you arrive. Breakfast is not included in the rates we found, even though the hotel's own description mentions it, and the hotel holds the cost of the stay plus 2,000 pesos on your card at check-in.

Across 401 reviews, Rancho Encantado holds a 9.2 out of 10. The 120 most recent reviews, from October 2025 to early November 2026, average 9.0, with 57 perfect 10s and three scores of 4 or lower. Many come from European families, and several are from guests returning after years away.

The lagoon is the star. Guests describe swimming straight off their own dock, watching the sunrise from it, and taking out the free kayaks and paddleboards, which one guest says are available from 8am to 6pm. The boat tour from the hotel's pier, to cenotes in the lagoon and its seven colours, is the most recommended thing to do, and guests name its captain. The gardens, birdlife, spacious rooms, comfortable beds, a tap with purified drinking water and lagoon-side massages get warm praise, as do staff who arranged birthdays, a romantic dinner on the dock and even a proposal.

The complaints are about noise, upkeep and the restaurant. Two guests describe trucks and motorbikes on the highway behind the hotel all night. Several call the rooms dated or tired, and others mention humidity, a rain leak, weak air-conditioning in a large bungalow, spotty Wi-Fi in one room, poor lighting and bird droppings around the pool. The restaurant splits opinion: many enjoyed it, but others found breakfast bland or poorly served and the prices high next to Bacalar town. Guests also warn that the access road is unpaved and full of potholes.

Rancho Encantado is at km 24 of Highway 307, on the lagoon about 4.6 km north of Bacalar's main square, and guests put the drive into town at six to ten minutes. The last stretch is a rough, unpaved road. One guest in late 2025 paid 100 pesos for a taxi to the centre and 300 pesos to Los Rápidos. The hotel can arrange an airport transfer for a fee if you book it in advance; its listing gives Chetumal as the nearest airport.

The lagoon is the reason to come. Our Bacalar lagoon boat tour guide and Bacalar paddleboard and kayak guide cover the best ways to see it, our guide to Bacalar with kids has ideas for families, and our guide to the best time to visit Bacalar covers the weather and crowds through the year.

Not sure Rancho Encantado is the right fit? These are four other well-rated Bacalar hotels, from the town's top-rated adults-only hotel to a quiet hotel in town for less. For all 12 hotels we rank, see our guide to the best hotels in Bacalar, and our guide to the best things to do in Bacalar covers the rest of the area.

Travelling without children? Puerta del Cielo Hotel Origen, just south along the same shore, has the highest guest score in Bacalar.