The history
El Pueblito Beach Hotel was an all-inclusive resort located on the best beach in Cancun, it was claimed to have been the perfect enclosure combining a traditional Mexican atmosphere with the vanguard and ecological development of a cosmopolitan environment. The colonial style architecture and traditional activities will were alleged to have made you live the experience of a Mexican atmosphere in the Caribbean.
The Hotel offered a selection of daytime activities as well as a variety of water sports. The Hotel consisted of 29 small buildings with 3 or 4 floors surrounded by gardens, each building has 3 or 7 rooms per floor, with superior and penthouse rooms. In total the hotel boasted a total of 350 rooms. 5 cascading pools ran through out the hotels grounds with a central bar for those important shots of tequila.
Then Hurricane Wilma hit in October of 2005
At the time Hurricane Wilma was the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. 62 people lost their lives as the hurricane topped 183mph at its peak. The hurricane lasted for 11 days and caused huge destruction.
Like the rest of the hotels in Cancun, the El Pueblito was hit hard by Hurricane Wilma. The hotel had hoped to be fully operational by May 2006, but this didn’t happen and it still sits stripped and ruined.
The explore
Well I was never going to be able to go to go to Mexico for a family wedding without having a nose around...
We stayed in a place about 30 minutes from Cancun town, in fact about 30 minutes from anything lol
But before I flew out I had a nose around the Internet for some Mexican derp. Hmmm I read stories of cartels and bandits but kinda took that with a pinch of salt.
I found two things, this being one and a crane on a nearby construction site being the other.
After a 45 minute walk along the seafront in the dark. I arrived at the crane to find it surrounded by what appeared to be Mexican pikey caravan’s lol fail!!!
So this is what I was left with.
After trying to explain to the local taxi company that I wanted a taxi to El Ray to see a derelict hotel I changed my story and just asked for a taxi to a nearby hotel. Bobs your uncle and I was off.
Although it’s was the Mexican winter it was still 28 degrees so with lashings of suntan cream and a dodgy tourist baseball cap I was off.
I got dropped of outside what I can imagine was once the top notch resort of El Pueblito.
I could imagine this place was something else when it was open and I made my way up the sun bleached and slightly over grown drive.
Now I was aware that I may meet some overzealous security here, they carry guns so I had been informed a number of times by my worrywart of a mother, what I wasn’t counting on where the big fuck off lizard things.
Half way up the drive I bumped into this guy.
He didn’t move I didn’t move. A Mexican stand off if you will. Now I wasn’t sure what to do. Inside I was frantically shitting myself as I had no idea if they attacked humans. They wonderful thing that is hindsight came into play here telling me that maybe I should have read up on them. So I whipped my phone out only to have no internet signal.
Hmmm
I looked at him, he looked at me.
We stood there for what seemed like ages and at this point I’m contemplating just walking around him.
But
If I walk in front of him will he bite me?
If I walk behind him will it freak him out and will he spin around and attack me?
FFS we don’t have to deal with this shit in England.
Eventually I thought fuck it, I’ll walk in front of him and I’ll have a chance of at least kicking him in the head if he takes a bit at me.
I stepped forward and he ran off. For fuck sake!!
So with this I walked up to the front of the hotel and looked for a way in. As I peered through the front door I could see a security guard asleep on a sun lounger. On a plus note he didn’t appear to have a gun. I had a hunt around but couldn’t find a way in so I decided to sneak down the side. Of course this meant going back down the drive and past our scaly friend again. This time I just nodded my hello and carried on around the outside of the complex.
By the time I reached the beach and found a way in I’d met a fair few lizards who all seemed to either be scared of me or were enjoying the sun too much to move.
I climbed over the sea wall and made my way around the various pools and water chutes. Snapping away as I went. This place looked as though it had been amazing when open and it really was a sad state.
I made my way into the rooms and eventually onto the roof. Sadly the whole place had been stripped of any fixtures and fittings but you got the impression that this wasn’t any kind of budget hotel.
I eventually made my way to what must have been the main hall and the area where I had seen the security guy asleep. I figured I’d sneak around him and take a few pics before I bounced and left him too it. As I approached the area I had seen him in I could see he wasn’t there anymore. Had he seen me and was looking for me? Had he gone home?
Erm no
He was standing to the left of me
Doh
Ola he called
Ola I replied
That was me done I couldn’t speak anymore of his native tongue and he couldn’t speak any of mine. I bumbled along in English asking if I could take come pictures. I’m not sure what he said but he waved me into the main building.
Off I went, but not before I open my bag and handed him one of the cans of coke I’d grabbed from the mini bar when I left the hotel. This was greeted with a big smile and I knew I had nothing to fear.
I snapped away for a bit longer but the heat was becoming unbearable. I made my way to the main road and flagged down an air conditioned taxi to take me back to my resort.
Anyways enough of my ramblings, enjoy the pics
El Pueblito Beach Hotel was an all-inclusive resort located on the best beach in Cancun, it was claimed to have been the perfect enclosure combining a traditional Mexican atmosphere with the vanguard and ecological development of a cosmopolitan environment. The colonial style architecture and traditional activities will were alleged to have made you live the experience of a Mexican atmosphere in the Caribbean.
The Hotel offered a selection of daytime activities as well as a variety of water sports. The Hotel consisted of 29 small buildings with 3 or 4 floors surrounded by gardens, each building has 3 or 7 rooms per floor, with superior and penthouse rooms. In total the hotel boasted a total of 350 rooms. 5 cascading pools ran through out the hotels grounds with a central bar for those important shots of tequila.
Then Hurricane Wilma hit in October of 2005
At the time Hurricane Wilma was the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. 62 people lost their lives as the hurricane topped 183mph at its peak. The hurricane lasted for 11 days and caused huge destruction.
Like the rest of the hotels in Cancun, the El Pueblito was hit hard by Hurricane Wilma. The hotel had hoped to be fully operational by May 2006, but this didn’t happen and it still sits stripped and ruined.
The explore
Well I was never going to be able to go to go to Mexico for a family wedding without having a nose around...
We stayed in a place about 30 minutes from Cancun town, in fact about 30 minutes from anything lol
But before I flew out I had a nose around the Internet for some Mexican derp. Hmmm I read stories of cartels and bandits but kinda took that with a pinch of salt.
I found two things, this being one and a crane on a nearby construction site being the other.
After a 45 minute walk along the seafront in the dark. I arrived at the crane to find it surrounded by what appeared to be Mexican pikey caravan’s lol fail!!!
So this is what I was left with.
After trying to explain to the local taxi company that I wanted a taxi to El Ray to see a derelict hotel I changed my story and just asked for a taxi to a nearby hotel. Bobs your uncle and I was off.
Although it’s was the Mexican winter it was still 28 degrees so with lashings of suntan cream and a dodgy tourist baseball cap I was off.
I got dropped of outside what I can imagine was once the top notch resort of El Pueblito.
I could imagine this place was something else when it was open and I made my way up the sun bleached and slightly over grown drive.
Now I was aware that I may meet some overzealous security here, they carry guns so I had been informed a number of times by my worrywart of a mother, what I wasn’t counting on where the big fuck off lizard things.
Half way up the drive I bumped into this guy.
He didn’t move I didn’t move. A Mexican stand off if you will. Now I wasn’t sure what to do. Inside I was frantically shitting myself as I had no idea if they attacked humans. They wonderful thing that is hindsight came into play here telling me that maybe I should have read up on them. So I whipped my phone out only to have no internet signal.
Hmmm
I looked at him, he looked at me.
We stood there for what seemed like ages and at this point I’m contemplating just walking around him.
But
If I walk in front of him will he bite me?
If I walk behind him will it freak him out and will he spin around and attack me?
FFS we don’t have to deal with this shit in England.
Eventually I thought fuck it, I’ll walk in front of him and I’ll have a chance of at least kicking him in the head if he takes a bit at me.
I stepped forward and he ran off. For fuck sake!!
So with this I walked up to the front of the hotel and looked for a way in. As I peered through the front door I could see a security guard asleep on a sun lounger. On a plus note he didn’t appear to have a gun. I had a hunt around but couldn’t find a way in so I decided to sneak down the side. Of course this meant going back down the drive and past our scaly friend again. This time I just nodded my hello and carried on around the outside of the complex.
By the time I reached the beach and found a way in I’d met a fair few lizards who all seemed to either be scared of me or were enjoying the sun too much to move.
I climbed over the sea wall and made my way around the various pools and water chutes. Snapping away as I went. This place looked as though it had been amazing when open and it really was a sad state.
I made my way into the rooms and eventually onto the roof. Sadly the whole place had been stripped of any fixtures and fittings but you got the impression that this wasn’t any kind of budget hotel.
I eventually made my way to what must have been the main hall and the area where I had seen the security guy asleep. I figured I’d sneak around him and take a few pics before I bounced and left him too it. As I approached the area I had seen him in I could see he wasn’t there anymore. Had he seen me and was looking for me? Had he gone home?
Erm no
He was standing to the left of me
Doh
Ola he called
Ola I replied
That was me done I couldn’t speak anymore of his native tongue and he couldn’t speak any of mine. I bumbled along in English asking if I could take come pictures. I’m not sure what he said but he waved me into the main building.
Off I went, but not before I open my bag and handed him one of the cans of coke I’d grabbed from the mini bar when I left the hotel. This was greeted with a big smile and I knew I had nothing to fear.
I snapped away for a bit longer but the heat was becoming unbearable. I made my way to the main road and flagged down an air conditioned taxi to take me back to my resort.
Anyways enough of my ramblings, enjoy the pics
