Casa Viejo Chac Lodge

Only 108 miles from Cancun, yet a world away from its hustle and bustle, Casa Viejo Chac is located in Punta Allen, a scant 200 yards down the street from the beach. It offers six, clean and comfy rooms, all with private bath and nicely furnished, with carvings of permit on the wooden headboards of the beds to remind anglers of the main reason they came calling. A group of wooden chairs—beautifully carved by the same local craftsmen—line the entrance, where the guides enjoy a cup of coffee before meeting their anglers in the morning and you can take a load off and chill with your favorite drink after an action-packed day on the water. The ground floor incorporates the kitchen, a bar, a spacious dining room, and a pool table with ample room around it for hanging out, watching another guest put the nine ball in the corner pocket, or just exchanging fish tales over drinks. Upstairs, guests find their rooms surrounding an expansive, covered patio with two distinct seating areas with enough sofas and chairs to accommodate a full house. The food is authentic Mexican and delicious, and the portions are generous. The bar is well-stocked, and you get good service, always with a smile. 

Casa Viejo Chac is situated in Punta Allen, a small village at the north end of famous Ascension Bay, which along with the nearby mangrove lagoons and inland river system, offers a range of prolific waters inhabited by permit, bonefish, snook, tarpon and several other inshore species in astonishing quantities. 

Although the abundance of permit is the area’s main draw, and the guides tend to make those black-sickle-tail phantoms the primary target, anglers may choose to go after another or various other gamefish. After all, this part of the Yucatan is known for producing flats slams with striking regularity.

At Casa Viejo Chac, it’s the norm to have two guides on every boat. The more seasoned usually takes the helm and handles the push pole, the other one helps with fish-spotting and also aids anglers with their tackle rigging and fly line management to maximize fishing time and boost the odds for success. 

Although visiting anglers here do much of the fishing from the forward deck of a panga propelled quietly from the stern by a guide with a push pole, wading is both possible and encouraged in various spots. It’s common practice, in fact, for the angler and a guide to hop out of the boat together to stalk a sighted permit on foot. That’s why bringing flats-wading footwear, which ensure good footing and protection against any sharp coral and rocks, is highly recommended. 

Fishing Schedule

Every fishing day begins at 8:00 am, shortly after breakfast and a short 3-minute walk with the guides to a nearby mangrove cove where the pangas are kept. The boats return at around 4:00 pm, and there is always an ice-cold beer or cocktail waiting for you at the lodge to celebrate any memorable catches.

Boats 

As is the case with most fishing lodges in the Yucatan, the guides at Casa Viejo Chac are equipped with 23-foot super pangas, an open-boat design commonly used throughout coastal Mexico and Central America. They are roomy, seaworthy and pretty lightweight, so they also float shallow and don’t require a large outboard to carry two anglers and two guides, the usual load. Plus, the pangas feature a spacious casting deck at the bow, comfortable seats and gunwale rod racks. 

Loaner Gear

The lodge does NOT have any fly outfits to lend guests, so you must bring you own gear (and at least one spare rod and reel), as well as plenty of flies, leaders and other essentials, like a rain jacket, flats-wading footwear and polarized sunglasses.

The lodge has four double rooms and two singles, all nicely furnished and equipped with private baths, ceiling fans and air conditioners to keep you cool even on warm summer nights. The bar, the adjacent dining room, and the gathering spaces upstairs and outside are cheerful, roomy and inviting, featuring a pool table and generous seating with tables, perfect for rigging gear, playing cards or nursing that perfect margarita.

Cuisine

When you come to Casa Viejo Chac, you get to enjoy arguably the best authentic Mexican dishes in town. The owners ran a restaurant in Punta Allen for years, so they know how to prepare food that will put smiles on the faces of patrons. Anglers here begin their day with fruit juice and coffee or tea, and a hearty breakfast that includes fresh fruit, eggs to order (do consider their specialties, like Huevos Rancheros, before making up your mind), bacon or other meats, toast or tortillas, and beans or other tasty accompaniments. For lunch, your boat’s cooler will be filled with sandwiches, fruit, chips, cookies or another sweet treat, bottled water, soft drinks and beer, if you request it. Mouthwatering appetizers make the rounds once anglers get back from fishing, and ice-cold beer and margaritas or the cocktail of your choice await at the bar. At dinner time, guests get to sample a number of regional faves, featuring fresh, local fish and seafood like grouper, snapper, lobster and shrimp, as well as chicken, pork or beef, prepared in a variety of ways, always flavorful and with just the right amount of spice to please your palate. By the way, Casa Viejo Chac will gladly meet most dietary restrictions, simply make sure your needs are conveyed to the lodge at least two weeks prior to your arrival. 

Connectivity

Cell service from certain U.S. providers may work in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and even Tulum, but it is bound to become spotty at best well before you reach Punta Allen, when you enter the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, the vast tropical forest and marine reserve in which the village is located. Nevertheless, the lodge offers complimentary Wi-Fi so you can stay connected.

While Casa Viejo Chac is a fishing lodge first and foremost, certain non-angling activities, like snorkeling excursions and guided tours of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, an extraordinary tropical forest and marine reserve with hundreds of species of fauna and flora, can be arranged with a little prior notice.

Anglers headed to Casa Viejo Chac should fly to Cancun International Airport (CUN); several airlines offer direct flights from major U.S. cities. Once you have retrieved your luggage and cleared Mexican immigration and customs, you’ll want to head over to the airport’s lobby and reception area, where you’ll be met by a representative of Casa Viejo Chac who will direct you to an air-conditioned vehicle for the drive to the lodge. To ensure a relaxed and timely transfer back to Cancun airport for your return home, please book a flight departing after 2:00 pm. 

No visas or inoculation are required for U.S. citizens to enter Mexico, but they must have a valid passport that will not expire within six (6) months of the trip dates, has at least two blank pages remaining, and is not torn or damaged in any way. All minors (under 18 years of age) traveling to Mexico accompanied by only one parent or legal guardian must have a notarized letter from the other parent granting permission to travel. Single parents need a notarized divorce decree or death certificate of the spouse. Unaccompanied minors require a notarized letter of consent signed by both parents. 

Midcurrent’s services are completely free, so you never pay more than if you booked directly with the lodge or outfitter. All rates are per person and listed in U.S. dollars.

2023 Rates

Double Occupancy (shared room and boat)
7 Nights / 6 Days Fishing $3,890 per person
6 Nights / 5 Days Fishing $3,350 per person
5 Nights / 4 Days Fishing $2,800 per person
4 Nights / 3 Days Fishing $2,250 per person
3 Nights / 2 Days Fishing $1,690 per person

Single Occupancy (single room and single angler per boat)
7 Nights / 6 Fishing Days $5,600 per person
6 Nights / 5 Fishing Days $4,800 per person
5 Nights / 4 Fishing Days $4,100 per person
4 Nights / 3 Fishing Days $3,400 per person
3 Nights / 2 Fishing Days $2,750 per person

Included:

• The number of nights lodging specified in the package 
• Daily guided fishing
• Breakfasts and dinners at the lodge and boat lunches
• Complimentary evening cocktail, beer and appetizers
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve entry fees
• All applicable Mexican VAT and hotel taxes
• Fishing License 

Not Included:

• Airfare to Cancun, Mexico 
• Hotel in Cancun (if necessary)
• Airport transfers 
• Gratuities for fishing guides and lodge staff
• Alcoholic beverages
• Laundry service 
• Fishing tackle and flies
• Additional tours and non-angling activities

Bookings are confirmed with a 50 percent deposit, made no later than seven days after booking a trip. Balance must be received no later than 90 days prior to the first day of the trip. Notification of cancellation must be received 90 days prior to the first day of the trip in order to receive partial or full credit for an alternate date. All payments are final and nonrefundable, with the exception of a medical or family emergency, deemed reasonable at Midcurrent’s discretion.

Booking a trip or making a deposit represents that the client accepts all terms and conditions. Midcurrent’s terms are in addition to any terms and conditions of each individual lodge that Midcurrent represents. Please read those terms carefully—lodge terms, which may differ from Midcurrent’s terms, supersede any agreements between Midcurrent and a client.