Peace at Paloma Lake
A bucolic respite just outside the city
A triad of alligators glide across the lake, moving perfectly in tandem with the grace of prehistoric synchronized swimmers. On the opposite shore, a great blue heron stands motionless in the water, scanning the shallows for prey, ready for a lightning strike. At every turn the lake is alive, dragonflies helicoptering along the surface and a low rumble of cicadas and frogs filling the twilight air.
Although this is a scene played over and over at lakes around the state, this particular bucolic setting is in Braithwaite, a riverside community in Plaquemines Parish just thirty minutes southeast of downtown New Orleans. Welcome to Paloma Lake, Chalyn Perez’s realized vision for outdoor adventure and hospitality. Opened Labor Day weekend 2019, the property includes five A-frame glamping cabins and two raised lodges with a full menu of amenities geared to families and celebration events, all built into a landscape of ancient live oaks and native plantings. Outdoors, there’s a full array of activities: kayaks, bikes, and games like horseshoes and bocce aimed at getting kids of all ages outside, away from screens and into nature.
[Read Beth D'Addono's story about how to spend thirty-six hours in nearby Thibodaux here.]
Paloma Lake is also a tribute to Perez’s father, Chalin Perez, who died in 2003. The family patriarch went to Braithwaite to buy a horse back in the 1950s and wound up buying sixteen hundred acres of pastureland, the horse thrown in as a lagniappe. “It’s where we all grew up, spent summers and holidays away from the city,” said Perez, who is named for his dad, with the changed spelling of “Chalyn” as a nod to his mom Lynn. The -lyn suffix is shared by all of his siblings. “We grew up fishing and hunting and really enjoying the outdoors. My childhood was spent getting lost with a fishing pole. I’d fish in a puddle if I thought I’d get a bite.”
Although he comes from a family of lawyers, Perez, a graduate of Jesuit High School with a law degree from Loyola University, ultimately decided he didn’t want to sit behind a desk. Instead, he invests his time and efforts in business ventures that keep him outdoors, including Paloma Lake.
“We grew up fishing and hunting and really enjoying the outdoors. My childhood was spent getting lost with a fishing pole. I’d fish in a puddle if I thought I’d get a bite.”
—Chalyn Perez
As he’s developed the project, keeping his dad’s love of the outdoors and Plaquemines Parish at the forefront was paramount, said Perez.
[Read about Bonne Terre Artists' Retreat in Acadiana here.]
“He used to tell us stories of going hunting in Mexico where he would meet and interact with bird boys down there,” he recalled. “Whenever a dove would fly over they would shout ‘paloma paloma!’ which means dove in Spanish.” Doves are also a symbol for peace, making Paloma a fitting name for a place to find peace away from the craziness of city life.
Because Perez sold the dirt excavated to create the fifty-three-acre manmade lake to Plaquemines Parish to shore up the east bank of the levees, the two-year job extended into an eight-year ordeal that was finally completed in 2017.
With the help of landscape architects and fish biologists, Perez, an avid fishman, aimed to create a trophy bass fishing lake, stocked with F1 bass. The resident alligators weren’t part of the plan; they just showed up. Today, Paloma Lake exists as an oasis that draws a startling variety of migrating birds and waterfowl.
“Whenever a dove would fly over they would shout ‘paloma paloma!’ which means dove in Spanish.”
—Chalyn Perez
Geared to multi-gen families and milestone events, Paloma Lake offers two different kinds of stays, depending on what you’re looking for. Take the right fork in the road at the end of the long driveway, and you’re going to be gently roughing it in one of the small cabins, sleeping on a queen-sized memory foam mattress, with a little AC window unit keeping it cool. Think a tent with walls, and you get the idea. Everything is brand new, including a bathhouse with showers, toilets, and outdoor sinks. There’s a screened-in picnic area and places to grill.
Take the left fork in the road and you’re heading for the raised lodges, which can be rented in total or by the suite. These each have four sleeping areas and a central gathering space with a full kitchen, television, WiFi, and comfy couches for lounging. A large second floor back porch lined with rocking chairs offers lakeside views. Underneath the raised structure, outdoor furniture looks out onto the lake and an outdoor kitchen is outfitted for group cooking. If you’d prefer to leave it to the pros, the town of Violet is about fifteen minutes away, with eateries like Charlie’s Restaurant dishing up homestyle New Orleans specialties and seafood.
Onsite, a menu of concierge services is available, offering everything from stocking the fridge with groceries to delivering a private chef experience, along with hunting and fishing guides. There’s a crawfish pond to provide mudbugs for boils and the chance to go crawfishing with the kids if that’s a whim. Skeet shooting, archery, UTV tours, and citrus picking can all be folded into the experience with additional fees.
Notwithstanding the hiccough of a global pandemic, business is picking up. Assuming that things take off, Perez has plans to build more lodges and glamping cabins, including an ADA compliant lodge with an elevator.
“This place is extremely important to all of us,” said Perez. “It was our family property and we want it to be there forever.”