Meagan at the Bahia Careyes Hotel arriving for dinner at sunset!We did not stop at Paraiso as it was too close, but we headed off to Bahia Careyes after two nights in Bahia Chalema. We found it difficult to figure out the entrance to Bahia Careyes even with a copy of Charlie's Charts and the Mexico Boating Guide, as well as our trusty radar and two separate sets of charts. The cliffs are high and it is difficult to tell which ones are island rocks and which ones are part of the coast. We are VERY glad we did not try to negotiate this at night. When we went to the main anchorage, which didn't appear very far inland and did not appear at all protected, we found three of the power boats that we had been meeting up with already there. Alongside these powerboats were many moored pangas off a beautiful beach.
This was, in my humble opinion and as a amatuer watercolorist, the single most beautiful place I had scene yet. Nestled at the top of these cliff rocks and off the beautifully manicured beaches are homes, a hotel, and bungalows, all painted in various shades of bright oranges, reds, blues, pinks, greens and they are absolutely beautiful! The desire to paint them and take pictures is very strong. We moored in the Club Med mooring area that was shut down a week after 9/11 for obvious reasons. It is being well-maintained in the meantime. I do not know the name of the hotel at Bahia Careyes but we had a wonderful white-tableclothed dinner there upon our arrival. We had to moor with a stern and bow anchor to make sure that we did not crash into the rocks but the location over by the closed Club Med looked a lot less rolly than the one out near the ocean. The water was crystal clear around all the rocks and lots of birds, crabs, fish and other delightful animals reared their heads often! It was truly great. I kayaked all over and out to see and along the cliffs down to the turtle preserve, for which there were no turtles, all having been born and gone out to sea in December with the help of volunteers who shoo away the predators to help them survive! I would have stayed another two days, but after exhausting all of our watercolor skills, even Mark did a beautiful watercolor, we moved on!
Meagan at the Bahia Careyes Hotel arriving for dinner at sunset!
My happy knuckleheads, as we like to affectionately refer to them (when feeling
affectionately towards them!) Bahia Careyes Hotel restaurant. What a great
secluded place to spend a vacation. Its 52 rooms were to be 100% rented out for
a high-end Mexican wedding starting two days after we left. Must be nice to live
nearby, however, it is not nearby anything from the looks of it.
The pool area of this beautiful hotel. Remember, we got to use the services, but
stayed in our cheap anchorage, which is, of course free (if you don't include
all the money it took to get us here!)
The restuarant.
Sunset with the "no see ums" and "misquitos". DEET is an absolute must for about
an hour every day at dusk. We are all still bitten, however, We have started our
weekly Larium regimen for points farther south, as recommended for malaria and
other maladies!
There is a beautiful home on the cliffs on the right that is painted blue. It
has a long walk way to a deserted rock which is where we came in to this lagoon
from the ocean. It was fantastic to walk with the kids on the beach and see all
the crabs underneath that bridge with the ocean rushing in between during high
tides, and ebbing during low tides. As we pass farther south, the tides will
increase greatly and will have to be more closely watched while anchoring. Some
will change as much as 16 feet in some areas.
A picture of our boat in this lagoon from the neighboring lagoon. There is one
other boat near us whom we met at Bahia Chalema and had dinner with at Chalema.
Again, you need to remember the names of the people you meet along the way
because you see them at least every other anchorage depending on who chooses
which as they head south.
If you zoom this picture you can see the hillside brightly colored homes. It
truly is a sight to see which this picture does not, in fact, do justice!
Part of the hotel in Bahia Careyes, and Bungalows you can rent.
This is a shot of the lagoon just to the left of the hotel. We are in the side lagoon to the left of this picture.