A private waterfront
regenerative community
118 homes on 52 hectares of jungle and 500 metres of the Xul-Ha lagoon, ten minutes south of Bacalar.
Book a visitStart at the water.
This page walks the real masterplan, from the lagoon to a homesite of your choosing.
The lake of seven colours
Bacalar's lagoon runs for more than 50 kilometres through the jungle, from white-sand shallows to cenotes deep enough to read as black. Xul-Ha, at its southern headwaters, is sheltered from storms and from the brown water of the rainy season.
Older than the air
Living stromatolites line these shores, the same kind of life that first filled Earth's air with oxygen. The lagoon renews itself naturally every 72 hours, and because it is fresh water, sargassum never reaches it.
Where the sky is born
The Maya named this place Siyan Ka'an Bakhalal around 415 to 435 A.D. The name is often translated as "where the sky is born".
R01 to R11 on the plan
The shore belongs to Rodavento
A 45-room luxury adventure hotel from the multi-award-winning Rodavento group, with a signature jungle restaurant, a spa and a hydrotherapy circuit. Residents share all of it except the hotel guests' beach club. They have two beaches of their own.
Also from the adventure center
- Cenote safari and free diving
- Scuba at Banco Chinchorro
- Star bathing on the lagoon
- Sunrise paddle and yoga
- Mayan and open-fire cooking
- Fly fishing in Chetumal Bay
- Rodaventuras day camp for children
Above the trees
The amenities were drawn as places rather than facilities, out of sacred geometry, Maya astronomy and water. These four are by Jaime Peña Studio.
19Meditation Gompa. A bamboo dome built on the Flower of Life and the torus, for meditation, breathwork and sound. Render.
21Mayan Skywalk and Observatory. A walkway that rises above the canopy, aligned to the path of Venus, which the Maya tracked with remarkable precision. Woven nests and waterfalls for sunrise, sunset and stargazing. Render.
14Mayan Temple. Shaped as a butterfly around a waterfall, holding the three Maya worlds of sky, earth and underworld. A small amphitheatre and a sanctuary for melipona bees. Render.
7Sensory Labyrinth and Earthworks Playground. Earth-formed paths and terrain for children to climb, balance and explore. Render.
From the Skywalk you can see the whole plan.
Zoned and approved for
0 homesites 0 hotel rooms
Given back to the jungle
0 homesites 0 hotel rooms
XHO will build
118 homes 45 hotel rooms
The rest stays jungle
21 hectares of natural green area, joined for good to the wildlife corridors around it.
XHO Bacalar is zoned and approved for 400 homesites and more than 1,000 hotel rooms. It will build only 118 homes and 45 hotel rooms, and keep 21 hectares as natural green area.
Eighteen villages around 21 bio-pools
Homesites are gathered four to eight at a time around a shared garden or a natural, chemical-free swimming pool, so every house looks onto green. Lots run from 750 to 2,000 m².
Three houses, three architects
A light, elegant design that seems to float above the jungle floor. Its modules adapt to any lot size.
- Architect
- Gómez Crespo Arquitectos
- Bedrooms
- 1 to 4 bedroom configurations
- Character
- Pale render, timber screens, deep shade
Spacious, with natural wood throughout. Build up to five bedrooms, with options for a larger enclosed kitchen, staff quarters, a fire pit, an outdoor kitchen and two pool designs.
- Architect
- Gómez Crespo Arquitectos
- Bedrooms
- 1 to 5
- Built area
- 294 to 775 m², interiors, decks and terraces, across twelve plan variants
Composed from eleven housing modules: social modules, master bedrooms, guest suites and additions like a yoga or art studio, a fire pit or an outdoor kitchen. Four pool options, elevated or in-ground.
- Architect
- Jesús Acosta. Second place, Cemex Awards 2019 (Edification); first prize in Residential Architecture, Noldi Schreck Awards
- Modules
- 11, combined to suit the lot
- Pools
- 4 options, elevated or in-ground
- 1
Choose your homesite. From 750 to 2,000 m², by the lagoon side of the plan or beside one of the bio-pools.
- 2
Choose your architect and house. One of the approved architects, in custom 1 to 5 bedroom configurations.
- 3
Tailor it and build. Modules, finishes and layout, then permits and construction by XHO's in-house contractor.
In every house
Ceilings over three metres. Indoor and outdoor spa bathrooms. Bio-climatic, passive-solar design. Smart home system. Energy-efficient appliances and low-toxicity paints. Options for a private pool and jacuzzi, summer kitchen, EV charging and a temazcal. Two interior design houses offer local, sustainable furniture packages.
Land that feeds you and cleans its own water
- 21
- natural swimmable bio-pools
- 30m
- deep fresh spring well
- 21ha
- kept as natural green area
- 50+
- rare heirloom species grown
- 3km+
- of landscaped trails
4 · 9 · 11From XHO to your table
A working syntropic farm and food forests modelled on the jungle itself: dense, layered planting that rebuilds soil as it feeds the community. More than 50 rare heirloom species, a seed bank for native and endemic plants, orchards, and edible landscaping you can choose for your own garden. Every homesite comes with an inventory of the trees it keeps.
16Infrastructure that regenerates
- Solar. An AI-managed, decentralised solar grid, still connected to the main grid, built to lower residents' bills.
- Water. A 30-metre fresh spring well, treated and softened before it reaches each home.
- Wastewater. An odourless, chemical-free electroflocculation plant on site.
- Zero waste. Composting, glass reused in landscaping, plastic turned into building material.
- Mangroves. A nursery restoring the lagoon front.
The people building XHO
- Development
- Jasai Siliceo About nineteen years building conservation villages in the Riviera Maya, from Beyax to Canta Ranas.
- Álvaro Sánchez Entrepreneur and investor in more than fifteen companies; led IE Business School in Mexico for over two decades.
- Waldemar Franco Architect, founder and chairman of Hoteles Rodavento; founded Río y Montaña Expediciones in 1993.
- Master planning and landscape
- Rodrigo Larios Architect of eco-villages, residences and hotels across Mexico and Latin America.
- Juan Pablo Payró Director of MANAT, sustainable architecture and bio-construction.
- Luc Monzies Landscape architect and one of Mexico's leading specialists in regenerative landscape and bio-pools.
- Regenerative land
- Enrique Kaufmann Thirty years as an entrepreneur, twenty of them in agroecology and food systems.
- Lily Foster Founder of Fenix Farms, with more than 550,000 m² in agroecological cultivation.
- Hari Siliceo Permaculture teacher and bio-builder for more than twenty years.
- Architecture
- Gómez Crespo Arquitectos Residences, Rodavento Bacalar and amenities.
- Jesús Acosta Residences.
- Jaime Peña Studio Amenities.
- Waldemar Franco Studio Hotel and signature residences.
- Water, energy and advisory
- Andrés F. Ruiz Civil engineer; former head of Quintana Roo's water and sewage commission.
- Proxima Energy Sustainable energy.
- Javier Cortina Kalb, Gerardo Madrigal U., Santiago Vélez Suberbie Legal, finance and tax advisory.
Due diligence
A buyer's file is available on request. It includes the environmental impact authorisation (MIA) and risk study, the environmental management plan, the land-use approval and authorisation of the condominium regime, the registered deeds, and current property tax records.
Straight answers
When will XHO be built?
Permitting and the first regenerative phase ran from 2024 to late 2025. Infrastructure, Rodavento Bacalar, homes and amenities follow through 2027, with the last amenities in early 2028. Ask us for the current schedule.
Can I use my own architect or builder?
No. Homes are designed with XHO's approved architects and built by its in-house contractor, which keeps the community coherent and the build simple for you.
What is a village?
A group of four to eight homesites around a central garden or one of the 21 bio-pools, so every home has open views of nature in an already low-density community.
Can I rent my home out?
Yes, through XHO's rental management program, with guest vetting and a minimum stay of one week to protect residents' quiet.
Do residents use the hotel?
Yes: Rodavento's restaurants, spa, hydrotherapy circuit and kids' day camp. Rodavento's beach club is for hotel guests; residents have two beaches of their own, Serenity Beach and the Lagoon Beach.
Who will my neighbours be?
An international community. Every buyer meets the developer during the purchase, to keep the community aligned with XHO's values.
Is there sargassum?
No. The Bacalar and Xul-Ha lagoons are fresh water. Sargassum only affects the saltwater beaches of the Caribbean coast.
Is Bacalar safe?
Bacalar is a small, quiet town with a relaxed atmosphere, widely regarded as one of the safest places in Mexico to live and visit. It is not a party destination. XHO itself is gated, with professional security and video surveillance around the clock.
Where do the building materials come from?
Local, eco-certified sources wherever possible, including Yucatán bamboo farms and tropical hardwoods from ethical growers.
Choose your homesite
These are the 118. Pick one to see its size and what is around it, then book a visit to walk it.
Tap a white dot. Brown markers are amenities, numbered as on the plan.
Amenity key
- 1Holistic Commercial Community Village
- 2Open Air Cinema & Amphitheater
- 3Palm & Orchid Garden
- 4Outdoor Education Centre & Farm
- 5Island Clubhouse
- 6Butterfly Garden
- 7Sensory Labyrinth & Earthworks Playground
- 8Youth Center & Teen Lounge
- 9Tropical Community Orchard
- 10Mandala Garden
- 11Edible Food Forest
- 12Residents Clubhouse & Organic Juice Bar
- 13Sports Complex
- 14Mayan Temple & Stingless Bee Sanctuary
- 15Endemic Garden
- 16Recycling Center & Wastewater Treatment
- 17Geomantic Garden
- 18Garden of the Elements
- 19Meditation Gompa
- 20Medicinal Garden
- 21Mayan Skywalk & Observatory
- 22Lagoon Beach & Beach Club
- 23Serenity Beach
- R01Lagoon tents
- R02Jungle Lofts
- R03Reception, Lobby, Restaurant & Bar
- R04Luxury Spa
- R05Lagoon Club Restaurant & Bar
- R06Boat House & Adventure Center
- R07Event Venues
- R08Rodaventuras Kids Day Camp
- R09XHO Branded Residences
- R10XHO Premium
- R11Hotel Services
See you at the water.