If you’ve been on this site before, you’ve probably seen the beach rentals and hotels listed in our Accommodations Overview. And there are more Xcalak rentals on Airbnb. But wait!
Before you start hitting Airbnb’s “Request to Book” button, there are a few things you should know.
Here’s how to book an Airbnb rental in Xcalak so you can get the best accommodation for your vacation.
Use the Map to Search
When you search “xcalak” on Airbnb, a grid of available rooms will pop up on the left side of your screen and a map of their locations on the right. It might be tempting to start by skimming through the accommodations in the grid. Do not do this.
Instead, check the map on the right.
Here’s a screenshot of what it looks like:

You should see a cluster of Xcalak rentals in the village, and others scattered along the beach roads. Before you get into the details for your accommodations, zoom the map in on Xcalak.
Zooming in puts distances into perspective. Traveling 12 kilometers (8 miles) on the rough beach roads sometimes takes up to 40 minutes.
Part of deciding where to stay is deciding how far you’re willing to travel to your accommodation. Using the map feature in Airbnb makes it easier to narrow down acceptable choices without getting distracted.
Check the Listings for Hotels and B&B’s
If you’ve already read Choosing Where to Stay in Xcalak, you’ll recognize many of the listings. Why’s that? Because pretty much all the Xcalak hotels and B&B’s offer their rooms on Airbnb as well as on their website.
Airbnb usually shows a listings like a room in a house or a private apartment, right? Well, not the Xcalak rentals.
The vast majority of the Airbnb listings are for individual rooms in Xcalak hotels. And since they have several types of rooms, they have several listings (they’re easy to spot because most of them have the same photo).
This is a problem if you’re not looking for a hotel or B&B type of accommodation.
But don’t worry – there are still rooms and private homes for rent on Xcalak Airbnb. You’ll have to read the descriptions for each listing to find them, but they’re there.
Read the Reviews
We cannot stress enough how important it is to read the reviews for Xcalak Airbnb rentals. You can usually trust reviews by other travelers, but as always, take reviews with a grain of salt.
Read all the reviews. Property reviews should make you feel like you’ll be comfortable, safe, and taken care of. If a rental has 3 reviews: one gushing, one scathing, and one lukewarm, that doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
You shouldn’t be thinking “well, it’ll probably be ok if I book it…”
Keep in mind some negative comments aren’t that important – if people complain that there were too many mosquitoes, well, that’s life. But if they complain that the water ran out and they couldn’t flush the toilet for 3 days, well, that’s a problem.
Be sure to read all the reviews (yup, repeated it three times because it’s that important), and use your good judgement to prepare yourself for what you signed up for. In Xcalak, independent accommodations can get pretty rustic.
Check Often
Airbnb listings appear and vanish without warning. We’ve seen new Xcalak rentals appear on Airbnb, and some disappear forever. It’s worth checking back a few times. That way you can see if anything appears and to make sure that something you had your eye on is still there.
The government has set strict rules when it comes to development in Xcalak, including new accommodations. We expect there will be more house and room rentals on Xcalak Airbnb in the future, as opposed to new hotels or B&Bs.
Conclusion
If you’d prefer staying at a place that’s not at an established hotel or B&B, Airbnb is where you’ll find it.
Use the map to search, read the listings to see if they’re for a house or a room, and check back often to see what’s changed. Remember to read the reviews, and have fun. You’re in for a great vacation.
Before choosing a rental, be sure you read Xcalak Beach Hotels: What to Expect.