A couple of visitors weary of the artificial tourism scene at the usual resort destinations traveled here recently and found a tropical setting that lifted the spirits and fired the imagination. For Chacala offers not only pristine beaches and a thick tropical rain forest but also a cultural voyage into the soul of small-town Mexico. Talk about getting away from it all. We pulled into Mar de Jade, a combination vacation retreat, medical training facility and Spanish immersion school that rises from the volcanic rocks at the south end of mile-long Chacala Bay. A spirit of community and volunteerism sweeps through daily life here, giving Mar de Jade the air of a bilingual, consciousness-raising commune.
Visitors can choose the kind of vacation they want.
I've been there twice now, and on both occasions I've encountered weekend vacationers who wanted merely to be left alone to wander Chacala's empty beaches or steamy jungle trails. Others readily embraced the family spirit of the place, learning the names of staff members and other guests, then joining in for a midnight bonfire on the beach under a velvet canopy of twitching stars.