Mayazul Lodge – Ascension Bay Mexico – Leisure Time Travel – Grand Opening

Mayazul Lodge – Yucatan Peninsula – Ascension Bay Mexico
World Record Permit Fishing

Exploring Mayazul Lodge: A Review of the Grand Opening in April 2024
By Edward Johnston of Leisure Time Travel – Crystal River Florida

Introduction

This wonderful new beach-front luxury lodge is located on the north side of Ascension Bay in the sleepy fishing village of Punta Allen  in the Mexican Yucatan province of Quintana Roo which shares its borders with Belize and Guatemala.

This is a prime location for Ascension Bay Flats Fishing and chasing the elusive permit. The Mayazul lodge is strategically located within the protective boundaries of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve.  This 1.3-million-acre natural reserve is operated by the Mexican government and surrounds Mayazul Lodge from the outside world. If you want to visit the region give us a call, we have visited Ascension Bay and Espiritu Santo Bay forty-four times since 1990.

Travel Experience

The flight over on American Airlines was uneventful as it should be. The flight was fine and my luggage and tackle made it.

This was my forty-fourth trip to this side of the Yucatan, so to say I enjoy this place would be an understatement. I have spent a great time of quality time at Ascension Bay and Espiritu Santo Bay. Lots of great memories with the many friends I have met along the way..

My driver with a Mayazul sign in his hand welcomed me to Tulum. “como esta usted Sr. Johnston?”…..”estoy bien, gracias, y tú?….. ”bien gracias”. And we were off.

The journey through Tulum provided an excellent opportunity to enjoy the scenic beauty and tropical atmosphere.

Traffic is concentrated around the airport and again through the “laid-back Bohemian District” so it takes a while to arrive at our launch site just inside the entrance to the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. From the dock at Ultimo Maya it is a pleasant one-hour boat ride through the backcountry intercoastal water way to the sleepy little fishing village of Punta Allen. We disembark, and lodge manager “Paulo” loads our gear, then it is a quick 10 minute ride to the new Mayazul Lodge. Total journey Tulum to Punta Allen and the lodge was just under 3 hours.

The beach front lodge is gorgeous. The lodge itself is a beautiful structure of stained wood, finished with comfortable sofa-filled lounging rooms, thoughtful amenities and four en-suite double bedrooms with queen size beds and air conditioning. In addition to the dining and living areas there’s a quaint bar and fly tying area, and plenty of outdoor porches overlooking the sea.

It was early, breakfast was behind us and the sun was rising across a colorful blue sky, spreading a warm, golden light across the Sian Ka’an.

So, with excitement of a beautiful day, I contentedly boarded the panga in the calm waters off the small fishing village of Punta Allen on the north side of Ascension Bay.  Pedro and Carlos were my guides on the first day. The lodge has two guides per boat, usually a senior guide and a junior apprentice guide.  I can unquestionably say the Pedro and Carlos  were both seasoned guides and either of them were more than capable of guiding our boat and finding fish.

As we motored away from the beach, the tranquil breeze gradually increased as we gained speed.   The sea water of the bay gently tapped against our hull, making a soothing sound. We went halfway across the bay and stopped by a string of mangrove islands.  I was on the bow less than ten-minutes when a nice group of about six permit were spotted. One cast and I was hooked tight which is a very nice way to start a fishing trip. I had the honor of catching the first permit at the new Mayazul Lodge. Looking back it was a lucky start as we saw many more permit that first day, however the others were not interested in my fly.

Back at the beach in front of the lodge, Pedro and Carlos helped carry my bag and rods. Lodge Acting Manager, Caroline Coco had a tray of cold facecloths and a fancy drink ready which I enjoyed.  Pedro and Carlos set my rigs on the rod rack and spayed them down with fresh water.

We had a variety of meals for dinner while I was there. Snapper, pork belly, lobster, steak, ravioli, and more delicious fish. Mayzul does give you two choices every evening so you do have a variety and If you would like something special, no problem, just give the chef advance notice.

The breakfast menu has a variety of things, including cereal, muffins, eggs cooked in a variety of ways, pancakes, etc. Fresh coffee is ready by 5:30 am,  and if you are up before that there is a single serve coffee maker.

For lunch there is a menu and you just check off what you would like for food and drink.  The lodge has an open bar with beer, decent wine and good liquor. You may want to indulge in one of the Mayazul specialty drinks such as the “Last Cast Splash”, “Slow Strip”, “Grand Slam Spritzer”  or the “Permirita”.

Ascension Bay World Record Permit Fishing

Ok, on to fishing. Day number two was almost a repeat of the first day. Alex and Rodger were my guides. We ranged more toward a string of islands in the middle of the bay which I call Esperanza (hope in Spanish).  We poled along over a white colored bottom for thirty minutes and spotted a single large permit.  Again, one cast and I was hooked tight, another nice fish. However this day was different. We did did see a few fish, but nothing like the quantity first day (that’s fishing!).

On the third day I was back with guides Pedro and Carlos again. I told the guides as soon as we caught a permit we could call it a day and go home. By mid-morning I scored a small permit. I asked the guides if they were ready to go home and both said “NO”. So, we stayed for a while longer and then headed in.

Fly Fishing in the Wild Yucatan

I walked back to Punta Allen to find my first guide at Ascension Bay, “Benito Camal”.  Benito and I fished tougher on three trips in the early 1990’s. In fact, I caught my largest ever permit with Benito, a giant more than 42″ long. In 44 trips to the Sian Ka’an I have not caught another permit that large. I asked around and was able to find Benito at his home. Benito leaves guiding to the younger generation, however he reinvented himself as a first class marine mechanic.

I asked Benito how many permit he guided his angling clients to over the years. Benito’s answer was “thousands”.

As I mentioned, Benito and I fished tougher at Ascension Bay in the early 1990’s. Benito surprised me when he  showed me a picture on his cell phone of a permit we caught together in the early 1990’s. Picture of Benito on the right in a orange shirt. Very cool!

Back in the early 90’s there where only two lodges in village of Punta Allen located on the north side of Ascension Bay. The Ascension Bay Bonefish Club where Benito guided from and the Cuzan Guest house. That’s was it. Most of the time the two boats from Ascension Bay Bonefish Club were the only fishing boats on the bay!

There were two other fishing lodges, Boca Paila and Pez Maya, both a solid 30 minute run by boat north of Punta Allen and they rarely would make the run down to Ascension Bay. In those days I don’t recall seeing any other boats on Ascension Bay, however my good friend, baseball all-star Ted Williams, who I fished with twice at Ascension Bay Bonefish Club (and many other places) said he had fished at  Boca Paila in the early 80’s and they would occasionally make the run down to Ascension Bay, but only fish the norther coast due to time constraints.

New Acquaintances

I have met anglers who have caught who caught more permit on a fly than I have. As of this writing I have 152, however I really try not to dwell on the quantity, but focus on the quality of the experience as it should be. On my last day at the lodge I met angler “Carlos Cortes” who has landed in excess of two-hundred permit on the fly. We had a lively discussion on the fine points of the sport. I do hope I cross paths with Carlos again.

Carlos caught the first “Grand Slam” at the lodge which is a permit, tarpon and bonefish – all in the same day.

I met another angler who was at the lodge when I arrived “Sebastian Jance”. Sebastian is an excellent angler and has sought and caught permit around the globe.

Sebastian caught this very Nice tarpon while we were there and the first tarpon at the new Mayazul lodge.

 Final Thoughts

I was excited to visit Mexico’s  Yucatan Peninsula and this time through the new international airport in Tulum. The new airport, about 90 minutes south of Cancun, has just opened to much fanfare, US flights from Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte and Huston are available.

However, the Mexican Government  built a state-of-the-art airport but did not improve the road infrastructure through the town of Tulum to support it. Traffic delays are upwards of over one hour; not yielding any meaningful reduction in travel time when compared to the drive from Cancun. So check your flights as you have two good choices; Cancun International or Tulum. Both airports have multiple direct flights from the USA or other countries as well as connecting through Mexico City. One caveat; your ground transfer fee will be higher from Cancun.

In Closing

It is worth a visit to this part of the Mexican Yucatan peninsula, the beach front lodge is gorgeous, the staff at the lodge are very accommodating, the food is good, and of course – world record permit fishing.

Thank you for reading this report. If we can help you in any way please let us know.

Edward Johnston, of Leisure Time Travel, has visited this part of the Yucatan peninsula 44 times in the past thirty four years. Whether you are serious angler or just looking for an enjoyable fishing itinerary, call us! There is no substitute for first-hand experience!

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Amazing light tackle fishing at Mayazul Lodge

Caroline Coco and Lodge Manager Pablo Calo both caught  their first permit during the second week of April 2024

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