Out of the crowds and onto a kiteboard in El Cuyo, Yucatán

For travelers connected the Yucatán Peninsula looking to get disconnected the beaten path, El Cuyo is simply a hidden gem perched connected a constrictive portion of soil betwixt a marsh and the Gulf of Mexico.

This municipality successful the peninsula’s northeast is simply a kiteboarding paradise, but it’s besides a haven for those looking to unwind successful world-class boutique accommodations and savor a culinary country that highlights fresh, section flavors — each astatine amazingly affordable prices. 

Kiteboarding is 1 of El Cuyo’s main tourism drivers. (vinka bravo/CC BY 2.0)

Getting to El Cuyo

There are respective ways to scope El Cuyo, including ADO autobus routes from Cancún and Mérida — 3 and 4.5 hours, respectively — and driving. The travel is scenic, taking you done rolling pasturelands and on a winding roadworthy that sometimes forms a earthy passageway acknowledgment to the overgrown roadside flora.

At 1 constituent connected our thrust from Mérida, we stopped to fto our canine stretch, and a affable horseman rode by. He greeted america and lingered for a relaxed chat, a genuine reflection of the agrarian charm and welcoming tone of the peninsula.

Upon arrival, El Cuyo greets visitors with a laid-back charm, featuring sandy, rutted roads and cinder artifact homes. Like astir Mexican towns, it has a zócalo, oregon cardinal plaza or, but you’ll find small of the tourist-driven commercialism communal successful different destinations. What stands retired is the changeless onshore breeze ripping done the palms — a upwind that immoderate whitethorn find relentless but is the precise unit that draws kiteboarders to the beach, fueling the village’s burgeoning tourism industry.

Where to enactment successful El Cuyo

Our archetypal nighttime was spent astatine Utopia Guesthouse & Yoga Studio, a delightful waterfront location and yoga retreat. This woody building, built circa 1940, beautifully merges rustic charm with modern amenities. Owner Mario shared his travel of restoring the location from adjacent ruin 4 years ago, sourcing materials from crossed Yucatán. The interior plan by his woman Cristina added a nautical, homemade interaction to this formation house, making it an perfect spot to ticker the sunset portion kiteboarders skip crossed the waves. A spacious upstairs terrace is thoughtfully designed for yoga retreats, portion bikes, kayaks, and paddle boards are disposable for guests to research some the onshore and sea.

El Cuyo is located wrong the Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, location to immense flocks of flamingos. (Virginie Fialon/Unsplash)

The pursuing night, we stayed astatine Downwind Deck, a boutique edifice thoughtfully designed with kiteboarders successful mind. Owners Courtney and Eugene, some passionate kiteboarders, near down their firm careers successful the United States to immerse themselves successful El Cuyo’s world-class kiteboarding scene. Courtney’s inheritance successful firm plan shines done successful each detail, from customized pillows to the cautiously curated archetypal art.

The lush plot besides features inviting hangout areas, including hammocks, cornhole games and a occurrence pit, creating a cleanable abstraction to unwind aft a time connected the water. Every request of the kiteboarding impermanent is anticipated and accommodated, creating a luxurious acquisition for those who walk their days connected the h2o and their nights connected ultra-comfortable mattresses. Beyond the surfer-chic accommodations, Downwind Deck offers concierge services tailored to kiteboarders, including trips to pursuit the champion upwind conditions and excursions to cenotes oregon wildlife tours for windless days.

Dining successful El Cuyo

On our archetypal evening, we visited El Habanero, a beachside barroom with a distinctly Cuban vibe. The sandy level and relaxed ambiance make an inviting abstraction conscionable steps from the main plaza and the municipality pier. The paper features Cuban cuisine, including delicious yucca fritters with aioli condiment and a signature Cuban sandwich served with fries for conscionable 195 pesos. The cocktails are divine: don’t miss the authentic mojito paired  with their enactment of Cuban cigars. Live salsa and movie nights nether the stars marque this barroom a taste hub for visitors and locals alike.

Next, we dined astatine Piccola Italia, tally by a Neapolitan brother-sister duo who person been serving accepted Italian dishes present for implicit 4 years. Everything is homemade, including their pastas. The bruschetta was caller and bursting with flavor, and the gnocchi sorrentina was agleam and perfectly seasoned. Watching the cook hole meals successful the unfastened room added to the experience. For dessert, we enjoyed homemade limoncello alongside a superb tiramisu that felt authentically European successful presumption and taste. The ambiance is relaxed and family-oriented, with the owners’ dogs wandering betwixt tables and neighbors stopping by to accidental hello. 

Another culinary item was Zapote, wherever locally-sourced ingredients shine successful each dish. Chef Alex and his spouse Maria run an open-air room that emphasizes elemental presentations without compromising flavor. We started with roasted pumpkin crockery drizzled with olive and chili lipid earlier moving connected to plantain tostones topped with pork ribs and chipotle mayo. The standout dishes were the food of the time — róbalo successful our lawsuit — and the locally sourced roasted abbreviated ribs. This is good dining-quality nutrient successful a relaxed formation mounting with amazingly affordable prices a can’t-miss during immoderate travel to El Cuyo.

El Cuyo isn’t conscionable a haven for kiteboarders. The municipality besides has options for those seeking relaxation, with plentifulness of spas, massages and wellness treatments. This isn’t the destination for nightlife enthusiasts, arsenic the municipality offers nary clubs oregon late-night venues. During our stay, the streets fell soundless by 11 p.m., prevention for the occasional bark of a dog, the distant crow of a rooster oregon the ever-present upwind successful the trees. 

From its pristine beaches and accordant winds to its thoughtfully designed boutique accommodations and fantabulous eating options, the municipality offers a unsocial premix of escapade and tranquility. Most of all, El Cuyo remains authentic and welcoming, escaped from the mass-tourism improvement recovered successful different coastal hotspots. It’s a spot wherever you tin genuinely disconnect and acquisition Yucatán astatine its astir serene.