Lemurian Embassy Eco Retreat Chichen Itza

I must give this place one star simply because, when I visited the "retreat" its only inhabitants were a generous and loving English-man, five malnourished dogs, a cat and a french couple on their way out after only being there one day. My wife and I stayed there a week for the sake of the dogs and the English-man who felt compelled to care for the dogs despite having no money. You could tell the dogs were starved at one point and missing a lot of hair in many places from scratching flea bites and other bug bites. There was no regular staff, or group of people volunteering at the embassy. According to the english guy staying there the last group of people left angry and distraught from the conditions of the place. It is not "eco-friendly" at all. All of the structures were built with cement and by local workers. The composting toilets were not built correctly, and the water is pumped from underground using a gasoline generator. There is no cenote on the land. Additionally, the plumbing has several leaks. The six palapas, two of them being bathrooms, are structurally sound except for the roofs on them containing holes, which is not much of an issue since it does not rain much and there are not many bugs either. However, the kitchen is not enclosed and has only a tarp roof. Overall this place is not an embassy. It is upgraded camping at best. There are several hammocks and a lots of camping gear lying around. It is basically free to stay there, since there is no regular staff anyone can come and go as they please but resources are needed to make a living there. One needs to purchase gasoline and oil for the generator, food for the dogs, food to eat and water unless you have a filter system or simply boil water from the tap. All cooking must be done over an open fire. By far the weirdest thing was people regularly showing up expecting different things based on their research or contact with the owner who is also apparently never present at the embassy. In the one week we were there 18 people showed up from nine different countries all of them unprepared for what was waiting for them. Some couples showed up thinking the place was a hotel with electricity and completed facilities with a staff and some amenities. And still others came from gatherings like rainbow gatherings expecting a community of people growing food and meditating and doing daily yoga. It is a very peaceful save for the ongoing barking of the dogs who are in desperate need of attention and care. The road is also not safe for most small cars because it is paved with large rocks you also do not want to walk down it at night without a light. The most discouraging stories we heard about the embassy and the owner while being there came from the locals living nearby. They did not have many good things to say about either despite the fact the embassy's website makes it seem like many of the locals help out and are friends of the owner. If you do plan to visit bring dog food and your own food or perhaps reach out to assist in finding them a permanent home. I do not know the owner Guillermo and I never got to meet him despite being in contact with him and even in the same city for a week. We even tried to meet up with him but he unexpectedly left for South Korea without giving any indication or warning. Honestly, I would not believe anything he says. Please help those poor animals who have been abandoned.

Awesome place