Alea Tulum

The staff were very friendly, and I feel bad they had to handle our complaints. They offered another room, but by then we were already unhappy. Our room was worn out, with mold on the curtains and bathroom silicone, a broken closet, and an air conditioner so noisy I slept only three hours. We wanted to leave after the first night and get a refund for the remaining four, but they wouldn’t let us out of the stay. The property also felt poorly maintained, with no one taking ownership of cleaning and upkeep. The value was way off. They advertise big discounts to bring in guests, but even the discounted price felt far too high. The beach was nothing like Tulum beach, and wasn’t good for walking or swimming. The road in was ridiculous, almost funny the first time, like a safari, but after driving it ten times it stopped being amusing. The sunbeds looked so bad I didn’t want to use them.

The sunrises and room views were amazing, and my family and I were comfortable here for all five nights. The staff were attentive and caring. We’re Mexican Americans and were surprised by how many foreigners were staying, but we felt at home. We’re VIP guests because of our traveling, and the hotel made us feel that way. Erik at the front desk was a great help, and the cooks made some of the best breakfast. Definitely recommend staying here if you want to feel comfortable in Tulum. Thanks!

We lost our money, and the whole thing turned into a frustrating back-and-forth with a hotel that wouldn’t take responsibility. We booked Alea Tulum through Booking.com and had the cancellation terms in writing. Shortly before we were due to arrive, they told us construction was underway and offered a move to a partner hotel. We weren’t happy about it, but reluctantly agreed. Later, we canceled within the period when Booking.com’s terms entitled us to a 50% refund. The hotel refused to follow those terms and falsely claimed we had asked for an upgrade. It feels like they’re counting on the refund being too small to make legal action from abroad worthwhile, and on guests giving up while they keep the money. If you’re unsure about staying, I’d avoid it. The risk of being scammed is real.

The food was very good, and the wait staff were good too. That was about the only bright spot. The front desk staff and management were terrible, and refused to refund us when we asked right after arriving and seeing the property. We’d booked at the last minute through Expedia and had to pay in advance. The room and the view were decent, but everything else was awful. The dirt road in was a mile long and so damaged that I worried it would hurt our rental car. Our safe and hot tub were broken, and the pool was dirty and freezing. We’d deliberately booked a swim-up room because we like being able to get in and out of the water, but couldn’t enjoy that. The beach was unpleasant, covered in algae and seaweed, and a rock shelf stretched about 100 yards out, making it dangerous to walk into the water. Nearby properties had built docks so guests could swim past the rocks, but this one hadn’t. Many outdoor dining chairs were broken too. The electricity was out all day on the fourth day of our six-day stay, so we left the next day. They still wouldn’t credit us for that day.