It's a small but beautiful resort. Being pretty new, all of the rooms are in excellent condition. This isn't your typical hotel room, as the rooms are actually condos that have owners but are rented out. We stayed in a 1 bedroom condo that had a full kitchen, living room, and a full sized refrigerator. The condo we stayed in seemed like it was about 1000 sq ft in size. The floors were nicely tiled (Travertine I think) and we stayed in a swim-up suite. There were gigantic sliding glass doors leading out to the pool. Pro Tip: If you're staying for more than 3 days, pay the extra and go with the 1 bedroom condo, not the studio suite.
As nice as the rooms were, I really...REALLY want to give this place 5 stars...but I just can't. Granted the rooms are 5 star, I'll give them that. You'll fly into Cancun, and it's about an hour and a half drive to the Tulum area of Mexico. When we booked our reservation with the resort, we also paid extra for round trip transportation to and from the resort. Pro Tip: If you've never flown into Cancun before, when exiting the airport ignore EVERYONE who is offering you transportation. They are ALL timeshare people trying to suck you in. They will lie and tell you anything to get you to stop by your booth. The first one who approached us asked what transportation company we were using. We told them, and they directed us to a particular guy. Of course as soon as he pulled out a map I knew he was trying to bullshit us, and we walked away. Another "official" looking person approached us and pointed to a particular guy, and said this was the guy from our transportation company. Again another attempt at a timeshare. If you've booked private transportation, the guy will be waiting for OUTSIDE the airport and will have a sign with your name on it.
When we arrived, there were only two other couples staying there, and one of the couples left the next morning. So for three days there was only one other couple there, and then for our last three days we literally were the only couple there. It made for a relaxing time, but to be honest some days we got a little bored and wished there were people to talk to. So if you're looking for a fun week, I would suggest going on a week where there is a lifestyle takeover or a special event. You may also want to book a 1/2 day tour (we went snorkeling in a cenote, also went to the Mayan ruins) Also because of this, there was no free shuttle to take us to their nude beach.
One complaint is the beach owned by the resort is like 40 minutes away, and they said there is literally nothing there at that beach so we'd have to bring our own drinks and food. Also since no one was hardly there at the resort, there was no cook or anything so we had to fend for ourselves for meals. You can buy a weeks worth of food at the supermarket for about $100. Our room was only $160 a night, so I won't complain about this much. One of the days we took a taxi to a different resort so we could use their beach. Most resorts will charge you $10 a chair if you are not a guest, but they will serve you drinks and food. Usually with most of them if you order food and a few drinks they won't bother you about paying for the chairs.
One knock on the resort is that it's on a dark, isolated street. You'll have to walk a few blocks before you finally get on the main road where there are places to eat, and vendors. Just make sure you plan accordingly so you aren't walking back down that road in the pitch dark. I'm a guy who can handle myself in a fight, but I was nervous walking back to the resort with my wife because it's so dark, and thick bushes and trees are on each side of the street. I would honestly suggest renting a car because of this, and also the supermarket is about a 30 minute walk. Otherwise you'll want to get the manager to call a taxi for you.
Another knock on the resort is they have no cable or satellite TV. They do have free WiFi and they have Apple TV. Apple TV doesn't do any good though unless you already have a subscription to Netflix, Hulu, etc. Granted if there had been more people at the resort to interact with, we probably wouldn't have been in the room that much. I ended up doing a free month trial of Netflix just so we'd have something to watch. Also the tap water is not drinkable, so it can be a little bit of a hassle to brush your teeth. The water and ice from the fridge come from bottled water, so that's safe.
I hate to say it, but the resort had an ant problem as well. The other couple told us there were a lot of ants in their room when they checked in, and they made the maintenance staff spray for ants. We didn't see any when we checked in so we didn't really think about it. Then one evening we left a plate of cookies on the kitchen counter and left for a few hours to go shopping for souvenirs. When we came back, there were tons of ants everywhere, and there was a long line of ants coming in from the next room. Took us a while to clear out all the ants and we had to leave our garbage can outside because they were in there as well. Pro Tip: Put down a line of dish soap when you see where the ants are coming from. The ants won't cross that line.
Overall, I'm going to give this resort 3.5 stars. We're willing to give this resort another try since new resorts often have little problems to work out that will be gone by the next time you visit. I would suggest giving the resort a try because we've heard through the grapevine that they will be increasing their prices soon. I would also be willing in a few years the area they are in won't be so isolated anymore as other companies will start building there as well. Tulum itself is a great place to visit because most of the tourists are in Cancun and Playa Del Carmen so it's less busy and more laid back.
