Retire Early
Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler
In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age
of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this
financially independent lifestyle, they invite you
to take advantage of their wisdom and experience. |
|
Hotel Diosa
Kali
Isla Holbox
Yucatan,
Mexico
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
Currency Exchange
We had just spent the night
in a small, ancient Mayan port town called
Chiquila.
Generally, we enjoy small
and local places getting to know the area, shops, restaurants and people.
Unfortunately, due to the timing, much of this small town of 2,000 people was
closed to activity.
So we quickly moved on to
the island of
Holbox, and after one night at
Hotel
Los Arcos, our reserved room at Hotel Diosa Kali was ready.
Map showing Hotel La Diosa Kali
We arrived early to let the office know we
were here and asked when our room might be ready, hoping we could get right in.
But... Not so fast!
Check-out is 11 am and check-in is at 3 pm,
so there was a couple of hours to wait.
We went out to the very popular
A Mar Cafe
to spend some time.
As you can see on this map, Hotel La Diosa
Kali is right
on the beach.
Front entrance sign
The roads on Isla Holbox are not paved and so
much of the island's hotels, restaurants and bars have sand entrances.
There is an island here called Isla Pajaros
(Bird Island) where flamingos live and is a popular island to tour. Hence, the
flamingos on this hotel sign.
Rates for hotel rooms
When we came to check in, we noticed that the
hotel was fully booked.
There were no extra rooms available.
The entrance
Here you see the entrance of Hotel Diosa
Kali.
A restaurant is to the right where we had our
complimentary breakfasts every morning. The registration office is in the center
and tables and chairs under palapa shade is on the left.
At the door is a walk-through container to
rinse your feet or sandals before going inside.
Complimentary Pina Colada
Our room was still not quite ready, so the
concierge offered us complimentary Pina Coladas.
We just needed to go next door, tell them we
were waiting for our room, and VOILA! the frozen concoctions appeared!
Restaurant view to the street
We sat in the shade and sipped our frozen
drinks.
Each morning we enjoyed really delicious
breakfasts courtesy of the hotel.
This restaurant served breakfast and lunch
and then in the evenings, a Japanese restaurant served Japanese cuisine.
You are
viewing the road that lines the shore
up and down the island. Bars,
restaurants,
lounges under palapas and
various wharfs are in both directions on this sandy route.
The gardens inside the hotel square
This gives you a good view of the other rooms
in the hotel.
Benches, tables, balconies and an outside
shower to wash the salt water and sand off your bathing suits before going to
your room.
Our room
Our room was a little sparse so we asked for
a chair and another rattan table.
But it was clean and we were ready to settle
in.
Closet, outside sink and doorway to the
bathroom
There was an area to place our clothes and a
table for miscellaneous items.
The bathroom sink was on the outside.
The room looked fresh and clean, but
unbeknownst to me, there was some touch up white paint that had been done. A few
of my clothing items had touched that wet paint and left a mark.
Boo!
Stone and concrete bathroom
Being on an island, we were told that water
was at a premium and that low pressure was the norm.
Our first day or two we had no hot water and
only a trickle in pressure.
This did not set well with Billy who looks
forward to a HOT morning shower with gushing water.
The maintenance people were called in and
fixed the situation.
Yay.
Breakfast and lunch menu
Our breakfasts were outstanding.
Sandwiches and smoothies weren't included on
the complimentary list, but fresh juices and specialty coffees were.
And truly, it was all so very good!
Fresh juice and cappuccino
Service was very good as well, and of course
our view was super.
We
people-watched as beach goers walked by. There were families with kids in
strollers, and some had rented golf carts to tool around the island.
Meanwhile we drank our juice and cappuccino!
Scrambled eggs with bacon
Billy's favorite was a hearty plate of
scrambled eggs with bacon, hash browns, beans and a salad.
Poached eggs on avocado toast
This one was my choice.
Such delicious avocado with two poached eggs.
In the center of the eggs you will see a
floweret of... habanera chili!!!
Oh yessss.... those things are deadly.
After the first morning and having a habanera
"experience" in eating them, I asked that they not be included on my plate.
Let me just say that these tiny things are
potent. I removed them with my fingers and then inadvertently touched my face
and eye... What a sting!!
And that sting lasts for an hour.
But hey. The breakfast was superb.
FREE earplugs
What hotel have you ever stayed that gave you
free earplugs?
There was a reason for that...
Bar bands on the sandy passage in front of
the hotel played loudly until the wee early hours.
Our bill for 6 nights
Our bill for 6 nights came to $664USD or
about $111USD per night
Our experience here at Hotel Diosa Kali was
mixed.
The breakfasts being included daily was a
definite bonus and it easily saved us $20USD a day, plus standing in line for
this popular meal.
The mattress was heavenly, but getting paint
on my clothes was not.
And... between the noise in the evenings and
the slow drip of the shower, it would be a toss up for us to come back.
Would we return?
Probably not.
Full Disclosure: There are other
choices on the island with a myriad of price ranges to fit your wallet. Blow it
out or go budget at
Hotel
Los Arcos where the showers are hot, have lots of pressure and it's quiet in
the evenings.
For more stories and photos
about Holbox
CLICK HERE
For more stories and photos
about the Yucatan,
CLICK HERE
For more stories and photos
about Mexico CLICK
HERE
About the Authors
Retire
Early Lifestyle appeals to a different
kind of person – the person who prizes their
independence, values their time, and who doesn’t
want to mindlessly follow the crowd.
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