Casa de la selva — Hotel in Alfredo V. Bonfil

This place is the product of an extremely passionate person who just wants to share Mexican culture with people around the world. You really aren't staying at a hotel / motel/ etc here. You are getting to see and experience a glimpse of someone's hard work and dedication to design, building, accommodation, and history. Our host Saul is that man, and Dos Equis used a different actor to play him in the commercials but when they were definitely talking about him. He regaled me with tales and tastings from his incredible gardens, we exchanged beers from our cultures, we discussed photography and our travels, and we collaborated our love's of cooking on some Mexican smash burgers in his outdoor kitchen. Now that you know the main reason why this place is so great, here are some of the other wonderful things.

The rooms are huge, unique, and feature open concept designs. Showers are private, but outside. Every space here and the new ones on the way feature designs and art from their theme. Most of the "rooms" are entire apartments 50 - 75' apart from the next one down a jungle path.

You will be so immersed in the experience of jungle life and living that you'll start to wonder if there are modern amenities, but there always is. Outlets, wifi, and hot water don't look like they belong here but they're all present. There are plenty of fans to keep you cool but AC would be impractical due to the outdoor open type concept throughout the property. You will be very happy you went without it to experience this.

Saul also knows the local tips and tricks so if you will be coming here or going from here to the airport you can communicate with him and he'll get you a ride without the insanity that is Cancun Airport shuttles and taxis. This is a massive help.

There is zero chance you wont enjoy your stay unless you insist on the ultimate luxury and would lose your mind if you saw a cobweb, in which case why are you even looking at a place called "Jungle Lodge"....

Pros: Saul is an excellent host who absolutely wants to make sure that you feel at home. He gave us a very warm welcome and had great stories to tell. He designed his jungle house himself, and the details are amazing. Although we didn't swim in the pool, it is one of the best parts of the house! The dogs were very friendly too. The location is conveniently close to the airport, but you need to drive a very rough dirt road to get there. With the right expectations of this place, it can be a wonderful stay!||||Cons: We booked the place so we could sleep close to the airport to catch our early morning flight. However, we both didn't sleep one minute. The bed was too small and not very comfortable, also a mosquito net would have been great (Saul does provide repellent though!). I had not realized that our room would be in a loft area, with a bathroom only downstairs. The house is very open so it's like sleeping outside, you'll hear sounds constantly (barking dogs, birds, mosquitoes, the guests in the other room). At one point during the night there was suddenly a cat going through our bags (?!). Another thing to realize is that you need transportation to be able to go have...

Saul’s house is incredible... completely hand crafted, self-sustained and beautifully decorated. He was warm and welcoming and spent the evening with us talking and cooked us a delicious dinner as an added bonus. The room we stayed in was a loft and it was clean and he made sure everything was in order before we went to sleep. We had an early flight and he had our taxi arranged for us with no hassle. I couldn’t have asked for a better last...