Jade Tulum

The price was ridiculous for the terrible standards here, and I spent half my stay trying to sort out problems. Expedia listed it as a hotel, but when I asked about fresh towels or having the garbage changed, staff said it wasn’t a hotel and I had to contact the administrator. The administrator was hard to reach, slow to reply, and unprofessional. Hospitality was zero. The room itself had a filthy toilet seat, a broken WiFi connection, and a dirty jacuzzi that didn’t work. Neighbors could see the jacuzzi clearly. It smelled of sewage and drained very slowly. Water sprayed out of the sink and went everywhere. The roads on the way there are awful and could damage your car, and the power went out several times. Don’t be deceived. Save yourself the trouble and pick somewhere else.

We enjoyed our stay, and the hotel looks just like its online photos. The front desk staff were attentive and helpful, though they don’t speak fluent English. Tulum Ave, with its restaurants and shopping, is under ten minutes away by taxi and easy to walk around. Popular beach clubs are also less than ten minutes by taxi. The hotel is right on a dirt road, with little to see nearby, and there’s a lot of construction in the area. The on-site restaurant was closed most of the time. Room service came by bike from a sister hotel, couldn’t be charged to the room, and tips had to be cash.

The suite had a nice setup and furnishings, and the TV and WiFi worked well in the room, including Netflix. Outside the room, like by the pool, the WiFi is hard to use because it’s specific to each room. Cleaning was poor. The hot tub was dirty and the water smelled, so I didn’t use it. The suite wasn’t very clean when I arrived and wasn’t cleaned during my stay as I’d expect at a hotel. There was only half a roll of toilet paper, so I had to ask for more. Service was mediocre, though not awful. You can’t really walk to Tulum center from here. I’d arrange transportation and rent a bike, scooter, ATV, or car. Taxis are also usually available outside the “hotel”.

The look of Jade Tulum is gorgeous, and its proximity to Tulum’s main areas is ideal. I’ve seen other reviews about the elevators and hot water, but those issues seem to have been fixed recently. My partner and I are staying here now, and the noise has been ridiculous. Staff talked, yelled, and played games in the courtyard until 3 a.m. The walls are so thin that you hear people coming and going. Privacy isn’t what it seems. Balconies face each other, and some overlook other balconies, so the private pools and hot tubs are more or less shared. If you’re hoping for a romantic soak at night, expect your neighbor to be able to see you. I came down the stairs to the lobby this evening and ran into a man using his tub on his balcony. Awkward and uncomfortable for both of us, I’m sure. Our room wasn’t especially clean, and there were cigarette butts in our pool. The door has only a small lock, and neither safe in our room had power. Given other reviews about things being stolen, I’m not very surprised. We read online that there was a hotel restaurant, but the lobby told us there was only “room service.” We checked in late and thought that was our best option. The menu looked good online, but the food took over two hours to arrive. It was gross, cold, and soggy, and they still added a mandatory tip. The “restaurant” is actually downtown Tulum and delivers here. Skip it for your own sake and your digestive system. The biggest thing people should know is that there’s a “tent city” for unhomed people just beyond the exterior walls. Some quite impoverished areas are about two blocks away. My partner and I travel a lot and both live in large cities, but we felt unsafe there. We wouldn’t stay again. There are much better options.