Casa Ocea

The Gulf coast north of Mérida has a few villages that never rebuilt themselves around visitors, and Chuburná Puerto is one of them. The roads are packed sand. Fishing boats come in with the morning’s catch, and the beach is thick with shells. The Mayan families who live here keep to their own routines, so a stay here means living among them, which is a different thing from watching from a resort. The water changes shade through the day, several greens and blues depending on the light, and dolphins pass offshore.

The house was built by Yucatecan artisans and holds a collection of contemporary art, but everything in it is arranged around the sea. The living room opens onto the terrace and pool, where birds come down to drink, and the shoreline is about ten steps further on. The terrace has sunbeds, beach chairs and hammocks. Under its roof is a handmade ping-pong table that converts into an outdoor dining table, and that’s usually where evenings finish, with the sun setting over the Gulf. If a fishing boat goes past, you can wave it in and buy crab or fish caught that morning.

The kitchen was designed by a chef. It’s large and well stocked with equipment, and the Mayan-inspired dining room seats eight. Guests who don’t want to cook can book a Yucatecan cook or an international chef for the whole stay, and the pantry can be filled before you arrive. All four bedrooms have their own bathroom and balcony. There’s also an office looking out over palm trees, with fibre-optic internet good enough for video calls, and it converts into a fifth bedroom when needed. On the second floor and the rooftop, a projector shows films on a screen or under the open sky, and there’s a table for poker. Jet skis can be hired by the day or the week, and they’re moored in the water in front of the house.

The village’s infrastructure is basic, and the house is set up for that. During the day it stays cool on cross-breezes. Air conditioning in the bedrooms and downstairs is for nights and the hottest hours. Power cuts do happen. An automatic generator comes on within five minutes and runs the kitchen plus either the bedroom or the downstairs units, though it can’t power the whole house at the same time. After eight hours it needs an hour’s rest, and the local team comes over to handle that. You can’t walk to any restaurants, so eating out means driving, or ordering delivery. It’s easiest to buy most groceries in Mérida on the way in, and pick up smaller things at the markets in Chuburná or nearby Chelem. Bilingual property managers meet every arrival and are on call for the whole stay. Housekeeping during the stay costs extra.

Mérida’s airport is about 45 minutes away by car, and there’s parking directly in front of the house.