About Us

Why Tankah and Why Casa del Perro Feliz?

We have been visiting this general area since the mid 1980's and found Tankah to have what we were looking for - a quiet area with astounding natural beauty, yet close to so many conveniences, attractions, places to visit and explore. Tankah has all of those qualities. The quiet, natural beauty, the bird watching, and our beautiful ocean view are all what we were searching for. We also love the great snorkeling and kayaking that we can do right in front of our own house. The name? We are animal lovers, and usually drive from Iowa to Tankah so we can take our dogs with us - they absolutely love it and it is the highlight of their year and ours, in addition, we have our Perro Feliz house dogs who found a place where they can live in the lap of luxury! We consider ourselves very fortunate to be able to have a property in Tankah, and are all Happy Dogs thus the name - Casa del Perro Feliz! We invite you to share our home and experience the magic and relaxation of Tankah and Casa del Perro Feliz for your next vacation.

Ann & Chuck Irvine

What some of our guests had had to say about Casa del Perro Feliz

Dear Ann, I wanted to write and let you know that our trip to Tankah Bay, and the stay in your beautiful home there was exactly the vacation we had hoped it would be. We were so struck by how thoughtfully your home and property were developed that it was nearly impossible for us to leave - in fact I don’t believe we ventured further than a few thousand feet away for the first three days we were there. It truly was our home away from home for the duration of our trip, and there are very few places I have been on vacation for which I can say this. Although the short spring/summer in Vermont had finally begun by the time we returned home, we are still missing Mexico, your home, and the tranquility of the Bay badly. The people who we met were extremely welcoming and eager to teach us whatever they could about the area. Ulises and Maria took exceptional care of us for the entire stay; from the day-to-day housekeeping to Maria's cooking, which was so splendid that we barely felt the need to go out and try the local cuisine. They are truly a blessing, and a big part of our happiness while in Mexico. The location was the perfect combination of seclusion and convenience. Close to many different beaches, restaurants and attractions if you wanted, but remote enough that barely a sound disturbed our long, relaxing days. I can’t even begin to count the many hours I spent each day lying in a hammock under the Palapa; my wife is sick of hearing me talk about building one “New England style” at our house (there is probably a reason we don’t see thatch roofs in New England, she says). The peace and quiet made our vacation. In fact you may recall that a few days after we arrived, Swine Flu broke out in New York City, and while the world around us was panicking, we were blissfully ignorant of the entire episode, thanks to the seclusion of your home, and the quiet nature of the whole Tulum area. I am pretty sure that if we had not returned to the airport in Cancun, we might still be unaware of it today. We are very appreciative of your willingness to open your beautiful home to us. I know that it takes a leap of faith to allow strangers into your home and trust that they will respect your property the way you would your own – it is a splendid casa and a wonderful place to rest while enjoying all that surrounds you. I wish we had accomplished even half of the things we set out to do during our stay, but alas we found that just having a few more hours to relax, kayak, snorkel or swim at the house was all we needed to accomplish for the week – perhaps in another visit we will expand our horizons a bit more, but somehow I think we will do exactly the same thing – talk about what adventure we want to embark on next, while instead opting to sit and relax with a cool drink and a good book. We will return, hopefully very soon! Thank you and please give Ulises and Maria our best! Sincerely, Doug and Sarah Mosle .

Hi Ann, I returned to California late last night and am currently going through Casa del Perro Feliz withdrawals. Your home is wonderful: the location, the views, the dogs, Ulises & Maria; wonderful, wonderful. The Tulum ruins are incredible, its beaches amazing. Thanks for the tips on the best timing, everywhere we went we seemed to be two steps ahead of the crowds. We especially loved the snorkeling in Cozumel and Luca at the Blue Sky and margaritas on the beach. Katie, Gray and I had a great vacation. Thank you. We hope you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving and wish you very Happy Holidays. Katie, Gray & Colleen P.S. I have a crush on Blackie. That dog is absolutely adorable :).

Ann and Chuck, We must thank you again for providing a wonderful vacation for us through the rental of your home in Tankah. Last year we rode out Hurricane Wilma in the casa which proved to be a formidable opponent to the hurricane. This year was less exciting weather wise and we got to take in the sun, snorkel and kayak the bay, experience the "gathering" of the parrots in the jungle in back of the casa and just relax this time. We love the way you have preserved and respected the environment that surrounds your home, be it letting the iguanas feast upon your garden or the palm trees that stand where they have grown by themselves. Casa del Perro Feliz will always hold a special place in our hearts and memories! Shall we book a third time now? Irene and Bobby , Old Bridge, NJ

We visited your home Nov. 28-Dec. 7th with two other couples from Bozeman, MT. We all fell in love with the house, the beach, the area, your caretaker family, the puppies, and we're all dreaming about how we can get back to the area SOON! The whole experience rates as the best vacation ever, and we've had some good ones, so that's really saying something. Ann, Please feel free to use my comments. We could go on and on. We are still wishing we were back there, especially today with the very wintry weather we’re having! We cannot imagine even looking at another house. Yours fit our needs so perfectly. Thanks so much. Happy New Year!

"Ann & Chuck, Wanted to say thank you for opening your home. Then setting is beautiful as is the house. This is the perfect place to escape to. Very quickly we found our natural rhythms and stress was completely forgotten. Julian & Maria were excellent! All in all, a wonderful experience, we are tan, happy & relaxed and not at all ready to return to the land of information overload."

"Ann & Chuck Wow, you've created the perfect retreat! A work of art! It was simply amazing to see how things have changed from our last visit in Feb. 01. Thanks for allowing us to soak it all up for a few (too few) days-"

"Casa del Perro Feliz will always hold a special place in our hearts after our week here. Your beautiful home has given us gifts of sun, sea, peaceful relaxation & shared laughter. Abundant thanks to you!"

"Dear Ann & Chuck and Julian & Maria, We had a week in Paradise. The house, the beach, the bay, the hammocks and most of all Maria & Julian.... it was simply perfect. We tried to snorkle at different places like Xcaret, Yal-Ku, but only to confirm that the best snorkling is right here. Everything is so untouched. Maria & Julian took care of us and our children like family/friends. We felt so safe and everything was so clean. We will always keep Casa del Perro Feliz in our hearts and will return as soon as possible. Thank you for everything and sharing your paradise."

Aug. 10 ,2004 "Dear Ann, Chuck, Maria & Julian, Thank you so much for our wonderful week in your little Paradise. We all had so much fun and everything was nice and comfortable. We enjoyed the beach, the kayaks & snorkeling, right here at your casa the most. We had never seen water so clear and so very turquoise in color. I made it up most mornings to enjoy the sunrise and we all enjoyed the beautiful sunsets together. Maria & Julian were wonderful!"

Casa del Perro Feliz

Tankah Bay, Tulum, Mexico