La Colección Casa Ceiba

Casa Ceiba is one of the three private beachfront residences of La Colección on Isla Mujeres, standing on the sheltered Sac Bajo shore with its own heated pool and jacuzzi, direct beach access and a private dock looking across the calm Bahía de Mujeres to Cancún. A ceiba — the sacred tree of the Maya — stood on this plot, and it was kept while the house went up around it. Casa Ceiba is the green one: forest-toned interiors, hand-painted jungle murals, timber beams and a curved pool beside a palm-thatched palapa lounge.

The stay is fully staffed and fully catered. A private chef and a cook prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, at times you confirm and from menus planned with you before arrival — Mexican breakfasts with a daily special, signature lunches such as a ceviche bar, a taco bar or a pizza workshop at the wood-fired oven, and dinners from Italian to Caribbean, plus special dinners on the beach or the terrace. Snacks, soft drinks and national beers are included, and a concierge, a waiter-bartender, daily housekeeping with turndown, beach assistance and 24-hour security complete the team.

Its layout is the collection’s most generous at ground level: a living room under an arched mural, an indoor dining room with a bar, a terrace with the grill bar and wood-fired oven, the palapa, a gym, a laundry and a multifunctional room that works as a seventh bedroom, a massage room or an office. Upstairs, two king suites and four rooms with two queen beds each look out to the sea or the lagoon, and an elevator connects every floor — easy for grandparents and small children alike. The house sleeps 12 in the rate and up to 16, with Sonos sound, smart TVs and high-speed Wi-Fi throughout, and kayaks, paddleboards and bicycles ready on the beach.

Casa Ceiba can be booked on its own or together with its two neighbours, Casa Coral and Casa Azul, as a full buyout of La Colección for up to 48 guests. The concierge arranges a private SUV and yacht from Cancún International Airport to the dock, boat trips to Playa Norte and Isla Contoy, whale-shark swims in summer, massages and yoga at the house — a staffed luxury villa in the Mexican Caribbean where every meal is cooked for you. Rates start at US$4,400 per night for up to 12 guests, with the chef, three meals a day and the full staff included, and Villa Experience handles the reservation from the first question to the moment you step onto the dock.