In short
- Galopina is part of Las Casas de la Península, a route linking five independent projects in Holbox, Espita, Seyé, Campeche and Bacalar.
- Two roads lead out from the ring of cenotes: east, to the village and the sea; south, to the walled city and the lagoon.
- You can stay in a single house or link several. Each one is booked directly on its own website.
Some trips are planned from hotel to hotel, others from house to house. This article is about the second kind: five places on the Yucatán Peninsula, each with its own people, its own architecture and its own way of welcoming guests. We tell it from the Yucatán jungle, where we live.
From Paris to the Yucatán jungle
We were living in Paris when we decided to move back to Mexico and start from scratch. Elisa is from Mexico’s Pacific coast; Guillaume is French. In 2022 we opened Galopina in Seyé, 35 km from Mérida, and gave it our surname, Galopin, with an “a” at the end.
The house sits on seven hectares of jungle on a former henequen plantation, inside the state reserve of the ring of cenotes. We designed it with TACO, a Yucatecan studio, and spread the five suites across the land: two raised up, with open views over the treetops; two surrounded by native vegetation; the fifth beside the main house, with its own entrance.
Elisa looks after the interior design and the kitchen; Guillaume, the landscaping and his bees. And we both welcome our guests. That’s why we like to say Galopina is a house for travellers rather than a hotel.
Over the years we realised that many of our guests are curious to discover the peninsula. That’s how the route was born: five houses that look nothing alike, but welcome you in the same way.
East: the village and the sea
The village · Casona Los Cedros, Espita. About 140 km away, just over two hours by car, is a casona that lay abandoned for thirty years before coming back to village life. Today it has a garden, a vegetable plot and a table that cooks with producers from the region. On the way you can stop in Izamal or at Chichén Itzá.
The sea · Casa Cat Ba, Holbox. From Espita, about 150 km via Tizimín or Río Lagartos to Chiquilá, then the ferry. On the island, Colette and Pierre-Marie rebuilt a beachfront villa themselves, with rooms open to the sea and sunsets on the terrace.
South: the walled city and the lagoon
The walled city · Casonas MX, Campeche. About 200 km and two and a half hours by car, with a stop in Becal; or via Uxmal, if you want to give Mayan architecture some time. You can also take the Tren Maya from Teya station, in Mérida. Waiting there are seven restored casonas and four lofts inside the city walls, with courtyards, pools between stone walls and rooftops facing the city.
The lagoon · Azul Nomeolvides, Bacalar. From Campeche to Bacalar it’s about 430 km through the jungle, so the drive deserves a day of its own, with a stop at Becán or an extra day for Calakmul. On the shore of the lagoon, six A-frame cabins await, built by hand with local materials and running on solar power.
One house or several
You don’t need to visit all five. With a few days, one house and its surroundings are enough. With a week you can link two or three, as in the guide Village, cenotes and walled city: Espita, the jungle and Campeche. With two weeks, the whole peninsula, from Holbox to Bacalar.
In Plan your trip you’ll find the legs, travel times and transfer options. And if you’d like to know how it all began, see About the route. Bookings are made directly with each house: the route takes no commission and doesn’t act as an intermediary.
Back to the jungle
Whether you head for the sea or the lagoon, we recommend leaving at least one day here without a plan: the hammock, the pool, the birds in the morning and dinner under the stars.
Each house is a destination. Together they make the journey.
Frequently asked questions about Las Casas de la Península
A route linking five independent projects in Holbox, Espita, Seyé, Campeche and Bacalar. It presents the houses and suggests ways to combine them.
No. You can stay in just one or link several, in whatever order suits you.
Directly on each house’s website, with its own rates and conditions.
Espita is about 140 km away, just over two hours by car. Campeche is about 200 km, around two and a half hours.
Partly. The Tren Maya connects Mérida and Campeche, and Holbox is reached by ferry. For the other legs, a car or a transfer is best.
