At Artist Sandra Pérez Lozano’s house, guests live in harmony with the natural world, promoting consciousness and respect towards the environment – the inhabitants and the culture of Holbox island
Ser Casasandra: a boutique hotel in the Caribbean Sea
Ser Casasandra is a boutique hotel located in Holbox, an island in the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Mexico, less than two hours northwest of Cancun: «It is a safe place for body and soul, a secret place with no cars, a sort of oasis where Mayan traditions still live».
Motor vehicles are forbidden on the island, which also lacks paved roads. The only means of transportation allowed on Holbox’s sandy roads are golf cars and bicycles, to avoid pollution. The hotel overlooks the seaside and is situated in the only town of the island, which was founded by four families of fishermen committed to traditional sustainable fishing practices: «You can feel ancestral spirits in the ocean breeze of our island, spirits of ancient pirates and Spanish conquistadors».
Ser Casasandra belong to Cuban visual artist and hotelier Sandra Pérez Lozano, who visited Holbox for the first time in the Nineties, when she was working in the music industry. Stunned by the natural beauty of the island, she purchased a house and in 2003 decided to turn it into a boutique hotel. It thus became one of the first hotels on the island.
Ser Casasandra: staying in an artist’s house
Ser Casasandra was designed as an artist’s house: «The idea was to invite guests to Sandra’s home and if you could pay a visit to her present house, you would notice that it is similar to the hotel. It is difficult to name Ser Casasandra’s style, because you can find a mixture of different styles, just like in most people’s houses. Sandra personally chose every detail in order to create a luxury artist’s house, which mirrors the same eclectic vision that characterizes her visual art».
Ser Casasandra is scattered with works of art – some made by Sandra herself – «but not just on the walls. All the furniture has been specifically designed by Cuban, Mexican and international artists. And you can also find works of art on the tables, in the court, even on the kaftans we give to our guests on their arrival and on the services used in our restaurant». These works of art celebrate Holbox’s Mayan heritage and Sandra’s Cuban roots. Moreover, everywhere inside and outside of the building music is to be heard: «Sandra chooses all the playlists herself».
Ser Casasandra has sixteen rooms and suites, whose design and interior décor were inspired by the atmosphere and nature of Holbox island itself. Characterized by a boho-chic style, all of the accommodations purposedly exclude televisions, telephones, alarm-clocks and radios in order to promote a complete relaxation and turn a sea holiday into a healing experience for mind and body. With mainly wooden and textile furniture and a predominance of white and pastel colors, all the interiors of the hotel were realized using organic materials, which combine local and international influences, such as wood from the Mexican city of Solferino, linens from India and fine cottons from Egypt.
Ser Casasandra has three pillars: spirituality, art and community
Ser Casasandra’s mission may be resumed in world harmony. On the one hand, the hotel aims at making guests connect with their inner self, promoting harmony between body and soul: «A consciousness is born. The awareness of the self that is always present. Your true nature transcends. Connect with the elements and the senses. It is unity with consciousness, a blissful state of connectedness. If you are not who you think you are, then who are you truly? A divine spirit, a vibrant pulsation, an endless presence. Here, you will reconnect with truth, with your true being, you will return to the beginning».
On the other hand, visitors are invited to live in harmony with the natural world, promoting consciousness and respect towards the environment, the inhabitants and the culture of Holbox island: «Our objective is not just to be a hotel, but a change in awareness. A space with a creative design, far from the stress of everyday life. Ideal for sharing and unifying art, culture and spirituality».
Cuban artist Gustavo Pérez Monzón and Ser Casasandra
«We take part in various projects to empower the local population, boosting education, healthcare, culture and employment». Many of these initiatives are linked to art, such as La Isla Residencia, financed by Sandra, where international artists are invited to come to Holbox and create works of art inspired by the island. Within this project workshops for local children and teenagers are organized to make them discover art, something they would not be able to do on the island otherwise. From twenty-two November to five December 2022, Ser Casasandra will work with the Cuban artist Gustavo Pérez Monzón.
Ser Casasandra also participates in charity programs and holds fundraising campaigns for the local animal shelter and mental health center: «We are concerned with local people’s spiritual and psychological well-being». Sandra is now launching a new initiative for the local community: since there has never been a newspaper on the island, she decided to start one, where to include just neutral news, such as traditional food, art and history.
To share the local cultural and natural heritage with its guests, Ser Casasandra organizes a series of activities and excursions inside and outside Holbox Island. Guests can go on boat trips around Holbox to meet its fauna – such as flamingos, pelicans, ducks, crabs and iguanas – or explore the three nearby islands: Isla Pasión, Isla Pájaros and Cabo Catoche. They can ride horses, snorkel, take part in fishing activities or swim with the whale shark. Archaeological trips to discover the millenary culture of the Mayas are also available and include the ruins of Ek Balam and Chichen Itza, the latter named World Heritage Site in 1988 by UNESCO.
Ser Esencia and is directed by chefs Roberto Solís and Andrés Fernández
Ser Casasandra features a gourmet restaurant, a pool bar and a beach bistro, which are united by the desire to enhance local specialties and make guests experience ancestral culinary traditions.
The restaurant is called Ser Esencia and is directed by chefs Roberto Solís and Andrés Fernández. The cuisine they created especially for Ser Casasandra consists in a modern reinterpretation of traditional Mayan flavors. In the morning, the restaurant serves breakfast in the garden, with classical music playing in the background: «And you can also hear birds singing all the time». For dinner guests can taste meat and fresh fish, while listening to either classic, traditional or jazz music, in an environment that was specifically designed by Sandra: «The atmosphere of Ser Esencia is part of guests’ culinary experience too».
The beach bistro, called Mojito’s Beach Club, serves launch directly on the beach, offering a combination of Mexican and Cuban dishes: «Since Sandra is Cuban, she shares the culinary tradition of her homeland». And, as suggested by its name, at the Mojito’s Beach Club guests can also drink the traditional Cuban cocktail, while listening to Cuban music.
For those who prefer to sit by the pool rather than on the beach, Maiz Pool Bar also offers lunch and cocktail menus in an environment decorated with objects coming from all over the world. Every Saturday, Ser Casasandra organizes a Cuban night, with a special menu created by Sandra and her chefs with only Cuban specialties and Cuban live music. Most of the raw materials used in Ser Casasandra’s kitchens are fresh and local – from fish and seafood to fruit and vegetables – and those which cannot be found in Holbox come from nearby cities.
Ser Casasandra features a holistic center called Ahal, which is the Mayan word for awakening
«The recognition of our self, a glimpse of our infinite potential». Here guests can find a range of therapeutic and beauty treatments: osteopathy, restorative physiotherapy, meditation, yoga, healing with Tibetan bowls, dynamic synchro, massages, aromatherapy, Mayan cleansing.
At Ahal holistic center two therapists work full time and, when in town, Sandra also conducts some activities under her spiritual name, Habiramy: «Spirituality has been a part of Sandra’s lifestyle for over twenty years. For her spirituality and wellness are not to be found just in yoga or meditation, but also in ordinary yet extraordinary moments such as chilling on the beach or having a meal with your family».
Ser Casasandra is now launching a new project, called Ser Retreats, which consists in special spa retreats organized in collaboration with foreign experts, which will take place in the holistic center and promote spiritual development as well as physical and psychological well-being: «This initiative was conceived by Sandra to give people the opportunity to take a break from their daily busy life and explore their feelings and their inner self, to understand how their mind works and which obstacles it may encounter».
The first Ser Retreat is going to take place in December and three more have already been scheduled for 2023.
Ser Casasandra
Ser Casasandra, Calle Igualdad, next to Sec Tec. 77310 Isla Holbox, Mexico, is a boutique hotel on the beach, former house of Cuban visual artist Sandra Pérez Lozano. It has sixteen rooms and suites, a restaurant, two cocktail bars and a holistic center. It organizes spa retreats and charity initiatives for the local community.
