Quinta Mai is an enchanting slice of tropical paradise on the 
western shore of beautiful Laguna Bacalar in the town of Bacalar.  
Lake Bacalar is 40 miles long and 1 to 3 miles wide.  It is perhaps 
the most perfect and pristine freshwater lake on the planet.  Come 
and visit this oasis of tropical beauty before the rest of the world 
discovers it.  

The locals call Laguna Bacalar "The Lake of the Seven Colors." You 
must see it to experience the vivid colors ranging from turquoise 
to green to cobalt blue.  The colors exist because of the intensity 
of the tropical sun, the absolutely crystal clear water, the white 
sand bottom and the varied depth...going to over 200 feet in some 
parts. The Mayans call the freshwater "sweet water" and as dear old 
Jackie Gleason would say..."Mmmmmmm...and how sweet it is!!"  

I am Jim Baumgaertner and I grew up in Minnesota, "The Land of 
10,000 Lakes" and I now live in Wisconsin (we have over 13,000 lakes 
but we don't brag about them as much as we probably should.)  So I 
am really into freshwater lakes....and let me tell you that Laguna 
Bacalar is better than anything I have ever seen anywhere...and that 
is why I had to check out the lake in January of 2005...and that is 
also why I snapped up Quinta Mai within ten minutes of seeing it for 
the first time.  If you love Minnesota or Wisconsin lakes, you are 
really going to love Laguna Bacalar! (Warning to Minnesotans and 
Wisconsinites! The ice fishing season is very, very short, the 
Minnesota loons don't sing when they are vacationing in Bacalar, 
and the lutefisk is served with hot green salsa...however, with a 
few extra margaritas and a couple shots of kahlua, you will adapt 
and enjoy the many cultural differences.)

Imagine a tropical paradise with wild parrots flying overhead, 
fragrant orchids growing on the trees, jaguars, monkeys and tapirs 
frolicking in the surrounding jungle, giant snook fish in the deep 
cenotes, a picturesque lake shore lined with oval flat-topped 
boulders and giant banzai trees,and absolutely clear freshwater that 
is warm enough to swim in year round.  Within the grounds of Quinta 
Mai we have banana, lime, and papaya trees just waiting to be 
picked. 

Quinta Mai is really the Garden of Eden...but it is even better than 
that original biblical nirvana...because we have Laguna Bacalar and 
we don't have any talking serpents in our jungle.

Quinta Mai is located on one of the very best sections of 
the lake shore because the lake in front of our property has a firm 
white sand bottom, and there is no mud or weeds to deal with.  One 
can swim right off our dock into four feet of water without 
wading through knee high sediment.  After swimming about 50 yards 
from the shorline the bottom drops at a 45 degree angle going from 
five feet to perhaps two hundred feet.  Some say a meteor slammed 
into the lake eons ago and created a deep blue hole in front of our 
property. This blue hole is nearly identical to the nearby Cenote 
Azul, that is located less than a half mile from our property.  Make 
sure you put a mask on and snorkel the clear warm water...you will 
think that you are flying. I really love snorkeling and scuba diving 
in the salt water ocean (I actually own two beachfront condos in 
Puerto Aventuras...check out my "Villa Del Mar C 105, Casa Kokai" in 
another vacationrentalsdotcom listing), but there is something so 
very special about swimming through perfectly clean and absolutely 
clear freshwater. The water is totally refreshing, invigorating and 
rejuvenating...I really think Ponce De Leon would have declared 
Bacalar the real fountain of youth had he explored the Yucatan 
rather than Florida.   

Now let me tell you about my property.  "Quinta Mai" means "a very 
special place for all people young at heart".  The word "Mai" comes 
from the first initials of the former owners' three children who 
grew up in this special happy habitat.  

There are two main buildings on the grounds of Quinta Mai. The casa 
itself, and also a small stone lakefront palapa roofed laguna casita.

The casa has about 1300 square feet of enclosed space.  It is covered
on the west, south, and east sides by large palapa (thatched) 
roofing so as to provide shade for the terraces and to keep the sun 
from beating directly on the cement block casa. The palapa is not 
the main roof...it is just for shading.  The palapa covers about 
another 1000 square feet of veranda on the three sides of the 
house.  You will probably spend more time on the palapa covered 
verandas or in the beach cabana than you will spend inside the 
house.  On the verandas there are lounge chairs and several dining 
tables.  

Within the casa there is a kitchen with microwave, a stove, 
refrigerator, and all the basic appliances.  Next to the kitchen is 
an outdoor covered laundry area with a Whirlpool stacked washer and
dryer. In the living room area of the house there is a small mahogany
and marble bar, a beautiful mahogany library area and then a TV 
lounge area. Adjacent to the bar is a half bathroom.  

Half of the casa is bedroom area and this half is air conditioned. 
The two bedrooms are actually within one long room with part of the 
room (closest to the lake) separated from the rest of the room by a 
wooden lattice wall.  This wooden lattice wall divides the long room 
into a small east facing bedroom (with a full sized bed), and a much 
larger room with a king sized bed, an adjacent full sized bed, a 
large dressing area, and a bathroom with a toilet, sink, shower and 
a two person jacuzzi bath tub. The wooden lattice wall allows for 
flow through ventilation and partial (but not complete) privacy 
between the large bedroom and the small bedroom.  The small east 
(lakeside) bedroom does have its own separate entrance that opens to 
the lakeside veranda and sun deck.  

The stone cabana beach house, called the casita laguna, on the shore
of the lake has a bar, a toilet, a sink, a refrigerator, and a palapa
covered area with a hammock.  It is a perfect place to relax, to gaze
at the lake, to read a book or to sip a few cold margaritas.    

The grounds are beautiful during the day and magical at night.  The 
former owner, a teacher and an artist, spent a lot of her time 
painting small statues and creating special conch shell lighting 
that has to be seen to be appreciated. If you have read this far, 
please write to me and I will send you more pictures.  It is hard to 
describe in words the beauty of this little slice of tropical 
paradise. 

If you want a rejuvenating tropical vacation (for a very low price)
you can't do any better than Quinta Mai.  Quinta Mai is 
located on the prestigious Costera Boulevard in the southern portion 
of the historical town of Bacalar.  It is located south of the 
Laguna Hotel and north of the Cenote Azul and very close to Highway 
307.  

Come to paradise...Quinta Mai on the east shore of beautiful Laguna
Bacalar. Jim Baumgaertner

Extra! Here is a letter from Frank H of Minneapolis who was at Quinta
Mai in early April of 2006:
Jim, our stay in Bacalar was one of the most serene and relaxing of 
all of our trips to Mexico, the number of which I can no longer 
count.  My daughter learned to snorkel at your place. The lake was 
breathtaking.  The swimming you could not have been more right on 
about...its like you are flying, and when you get out, you feel like 
you just took a clean shower.  The next best thing to the water was 
not having all the tourists and the people catering and
selling to them.  The town is real without all that other stuff, at 
least for now. It will no doubt grow.  We went to Chetumal and were 
suprised at how nice it was.  I thought it was going to be scary, 
overcrowded and dirty. It was clean, easy to get around in, and if 
your home sick, the mall is as good as any back home.  It will 
really be a nice place for gringos to retire. Frank H.

Here is Frank's report (4/17/06)to tripadvisorsdotcom: 
I stayed at a wonderfull casa known as Quinta Mai in Bacalar.  We 
have been going to Playa Del Carmen for years and still love it!!  
However, sometimes it can be too much.  We found the most serene, 
calm and tropical destination for your next Mexico trip.  I hesitate 
to reveal it, but Quinta Mai at Laguna Baclar was wonderfull. The 
fresh water swimming in a lake that looks just like the Caribbean is 
one of the best experiences of my life, repeat, one of the very best 
experiences of my life.  Words do not describe what it is like to 
swim in these waters.  I shot over 500 photos of Laguna Bacalar!  
Pictures, though sometimes revealing, fail to caputue the real life 
magnificance of De Laguna De Seite Colores. Check it out!  Frank H. 
Minneapolis MN

Private off street covered parking area with an eight foot security
wall protecting your car and providing privacy for the grounds. 
Kitchen with bottled water, blender, toaster, microwave, toaster 
oven, gas stove, large refrigerator, but no automatic diswasher.  
Laundry room with stacked Whirlpool electric washer/dryer. 
Formal marble and mahogany bar in the casa and a second 
informal bar in the palapa covered cabana on the shoreline.
Stereo,TV,CD,DVD. Paddle fans.  
Bedrooms are air conditioned. One new full sized bed in small  
bedroom; a new pillow topped king sized bed and an adjacent new full 
sized bed in the contiguous large master bedroom.  Large bathroom 
with a sink and makeup area, a shower stall, and a large two person 
jacuzzi tub. Lots of dressers, shelving, and storage space. Palapa
covered verandas on the east and west side of the casa. Numerous
flowering plants and several fruit trees.  Maid service. 
Mexican Telcel cell phone rental ($3 per day) programmed with all the
local contacts may also be available...inquire ahead of time. High
speed internet is available for a small daily charge...but check with
owner as the internet service is occasionally down. You will need your
own laptop. 

My property manager in Bacalar is Yolanda Gadient.  She is a 100%
Swiss Miss from the land of Heidi, and she speaks Spanish, English,
French, Italian, German and a few others lingos. She runs the El
Sombrero restaurant in Bacalar. She will able to assist you in any way
necessary in order to make your vacation as perfect as humanly
possible.     

There is a lot to do in and around Bacalar.  The town itself is 
full of history that goes back over 400 years. Visit the massive
Bacalar fort that was built in 1715 to deter the blood-thirsty 
pirates of the Caribbean.  

Swim and have lunch at the beautiful Cenote Azul Restaurant...and if 
you are a little loco...do a canon ball dive off the roof of the 
restaurant and try to splash your neighbors.  Explore newly 
uncovered Mayan ruins. Go birdwatching and try to make a few parrots 
talk or a Minnesota loon sing. Rent motor boats, sailboats or kayaks 
and explore the lake.  Go fishing in the lake or in the nearby 
Caribbean. Visit the Mayan museum in the capital city of Chetumal 
located about 30 minutes away. Drive to Mahaual the Costa Maya 
beaches. Cross the border into Belize (30 minutes away) and leave 
North America behind you. Get a massage and/or health advice from 
Dr. Jacqueline McGrath,an American naturopathic physician. Soak in 
the hot sulphuric mud baths followed by a cleansing swim in the 
crystal clear lake. Swing in a hammock and do nothing except breath 
in the fresh air.  

Note: please be aware that there is an internet cafe in the town of 
Bacalar (just across from the town square) where you can plug into 
the web in case you really need to remember what you really should 
be trying to forget. We also offer cable internet in the casa for a
small daily fee.  You will need your own laptop.  Inquire.

Enjoy yoga, sunbathing, biking, swimming, and hiking.  Take a 
rejuvenating hot sulphuric mud bath and then rinse 
off in the cool clear water.  Tube the crystal clear river between 
the Bacalar lakes.  Eat some papaya, fresh pineapple, a few tacos, a 
big enchilada, and wash it all down with several cold cervezas 
followed by a couple of sweet and salty margaritas...and then collapse
into your gently swaying hammock by the lake, and take a very long 
siesta...and when you finally awaken (totally mellowed out without a 
stressful nerve in your entire body!) be sure to give thanks 
to the good Lord for creating such a perfect tropical paradise for 
you to experience and fully enjoy.    

Note: I generally provide discounts on weekly rental, rentals longer 
than 10 days and long term monthly rentals. I also provide special 
discounts for last minute rentals.  If you like to do spur of the 
moment trips,call or email me and if I have availability you may get 
a super deal!   

Regular daily rate is $125 in the winter and spring, $100 in the
summer and $90 in the fall. We prefer a three day minimum stay.
  
Weekly rates are seasonally adjusted and range from $500 to $875.
Holiday surcharges may apply. Prices are subject to change.
Special discounts for long term rentals!  Inquire.