San Ignacio Cenote… Or is it a Country Club?

Though cenote-hopping—visiting several cenotes in a single trip—is a common practice in the Yucatan Peninsula, there’s another side to that coin. Just 20 minutes south of Merida, the San Ignacio cenote is a great place to stay put and relax for the weekend.

The facilities at San Ignacio

At first glance, the place looks more like a country club than a cenote. Besides the usual cenote facilities—bathrooms, showers, and changing rooms—this place has a restaurant. Not only can you try local dishes, but you can see how they’re made, as they’re cooked “traditionally”—over live embers, rather than tucked away in a kitchen.

There’s also a communal rest area of hammocks hanging under a palapa (a thatched roof), in case you’re tired from the trip or had a big meal. Or, if you don’t want to escape the sun, there are also deck chairs around the pool.

That’s right—there’s a pool. Here you have the choice of swimming underground or over it.

Into the San Ignacio Cenote

It looks different from other cenotes, doesn’t it? San Ignacio’s low dome really gives it a unique look and feel. The water is not too deep either, only 25 feet or so. It’s shallow enough to walk around but still deep enough to dive under and check things out under the surface with a snorkel.

The cave is quite large, too, almost 100-feet long and 65-feet wide, so you have a lot of room to walk around in. It’s lit by LEDs, so you’ll be able to see when the fish come to introduce themselves to you.

The low depth gives the water an incredible turquoise shade that shines against the orange rocks.

Stay the night

Among its facilities, San Ignacio has a few cabins in two different categories: comfort and deluxe, which have private outside tubs. Both include access to all the facilities—cenote included—and breakfast for adults.

For more information and bookings go to