Celestun Destination Highlights
- Wild flamingos
- Quiet, white sand beaches
- Relaxing & laidback
- Affordable food and lodging
- Amazing seafood
- Very few tourists (for now)
The afternoons can often get a bit breezy in Celestun, but that’s perfect to cool you down on the hot summer days or let you live your Beyoncé fantasy.
Join us on a private boat tour of the Reserva de la Biosfera Ría Celestún featuring wild flamingos and the mangrove forest. The best time to see the flamingos is in the Winter when they come to Celestun to find a mate. You’ll also want to schedule your tour during low tide when they are very active feeding.
You can find some of the best seafood in Celestun. We love the stone crab, ceviche, and octopus at Los Pampanos. It is also incredibly inexpensive – for comparison, stone crab in the US usually runs around $50/pound for the medium sized claws, whereas you can get the largest claws in Celestun for a mere $15-20/pound (depending on season). But please, save some for us.
Here are a few of our favorite spots to eat and what to get (stack ranked by preference):
- Los Pampanos – This beach front palapa restaurant is open for lunch and early dinner (they close around sunset). We love the ceviche and stone crab and we generally avoid the lobster (overcooked) and other appetizers (not that great).
- Loncheria Los Negritos – On the main square, we typically come here for tacos when Pampanos is closed. We typically pick up a couple of beers across the street from the “Super Del Mar” before we arrive and you won’t want to miss the Yucatan habanero hot sauce in the nondescript ketchup bottles. This place is also incredibly inexpensive.
- El Lobo – There is no place in Celestun with colder beer than El Lobo. Sol, the gal who runs the place is sweet and welcoming and the food is okay – we’ve enjoyed the pizza and pasta in the past, particularly after many of the aforementioned cold beers (the food gets better the more you drink).
- Random Street Food – On our most recent trip we found a random popup restaurant on a side street that was selling tacos al pastor. They were some of the most delicious tacos we’ve had in a long time and cost almost nothing. This would rank higher on our list, but they open/close on random nights and its very unpredictable.
Playa 55 is the best place to stay in Celestun. Nico and Jess who own and run the hotel are gracious hosts. This is always where we stay when we come to Celestun. Enjoy this glimpse into the sights and sounds you can expect.
How to Get to Celestun
Located on the western shore of the Yucatan Peninsula, the easiest way to get to Celestun is to fly directly into Merida (MID) airport. From there you can rent a car, hire a driver, or take the bus.
Renting a Car
We always rent a car because driving in the Yucatan is easy, just watch out for potholes (“baches”) and speed bumps (“topes”) which are prevalent. If you decide to rent a car in Mérida, we highly recommend contacting Xootrip rental car . Laura has been great every time we come down and their cars are in good condition. Tell her Matt sent you!
Celestun LGBT Safety Check
As an openly gay bi-racial couple, we have always felt safe and welcomed in Celestún. The staff at Playa 55 have welcomed us with open arms. Restaurants in town do not show any signs of discrimination.
