The Boats of Mayakoba

Sitting in a low-slung wooden boat, shaded by a thatched roof made from palm trees, you meander through narrow canals and expansive lagoons, bordered with limestone cliffs. Drinking champagne or limonada or the best tequila, pointing out pelicans and flamingoes while a straw - hatted boatman steers the little craft, you arrive at your destination ? beach, golf course, your casita. An evening trip, passing casitas, hotels, even distinctive trees illuminated in the darkness, is even more romantic and dramatic. There are other ways to get around Mayakoba?s various landscapes ? walking, biking or driving golf-carts on its intimate, tree-lined trails. But one of the hallmarks of the Mayakoba experience will be traveling its waterways in these romantic boats, or lanchas.

Partly inspired by the gondolas of Venice, partly by the trajineras of Xochimilco, near Mexico City, these timeless-looking boats are the result of considerable thought and modern engineering. To soften the intense Caribbean sunlight, the designers modified the roofless gondola and trajinera with a peaked palapa roof. Made of warm teakwood and outfitted with benches and table, the lanchas are more comfortable than the traditional Venetian and Mexican boats. And, very important at Mayakoba, they?re powered by environmentally friendly and quiet electric motors, custom designed by two of the finest manufacturers of such boats, Elco in Athens, N.Y and Budsin in Marshallberg, NC. Mayakoba?s fleet numbers 40, including lanchas and boats that will accommodate 4 to 16 people. Truly a memorable way to navigate a unique resort.

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