Kuukum Tulum Hotel

The staff were polite and tried to help, and the property itself is beautiful. But the stay was a letdown because the amenities I was counting on weren't available. The upstairs pool and bar were being repaired, so there was no pool for my birthday trip. I’d stayed in Tulum the year before with a private pool and was especially looking forward to having an even bigger one this time. Our room’s private pool was filthy, as if it hadn’t been cleaned or maintained. I could see workers in the neighboring room’s pool, and that one looked cleaner than ours. The advertised bottle of wine never arrived, even after I asked more than once. Although the room had a sofa bed, there were no linens for it. Staff did their best and brought us several sheets when we asked for a blanket, but it wasn’t what we needed. Having no pool at all really affected my vacation.

The garden is lovely and the design is decent, but I wouldn’t rate this anywhere near five stars, or even four. Getting to the bedroom meant climbing a very steep, narrow staircase, and the rooms and corridors weren’t comfortable. The bedroom view was completely blocked. The shower barely worked properly: the water pressure was weak and warm water was a problem. The hotel is far from both the city center and the beach. Phone reception was poor and the WiFi slow, so getting online was difficult.

We paid AUD 11K for seven nights for five people and expected far better service. There are better serviced apartments nearby that actually provide service. I wouldn’t spend your time or money here. We had repeated problems with hot water, an uncleaned room, rubbish bags, no kitchen towel, and internet that stopped working. The rooms weren’t serviced daily unless we asked, and even then the toilet was left filthy. One day there was no toilet paper, so we bought our own. The towels didn’t seem clean and some sheets were filthy. We also asked for an iron and ironing board four days ahead because we were attending a wedding. They said they could provide an iron but no board, and nothing was done about it. Most of the time there was no receptionist, just a very friendly security guard who could only take notes and pass things on. I speak Spanish and was with a group of Australians, so I translated our requests for them. After we’d been out for eight hours, nothing had been fixed. I had to make a fuss, and all they asked was that we be patient because guests were arriving. If they can’t handle the demand, they need to improve or hire capable staff.

One thing to keep in mind if you’re driving is that the roads are dark at night. Still, I’d recommend staying here if you’re renting a car. Our room was clean and really nice, the staff were very welcoming, and we had hot showers throughout the stay. Room service cleaned every day.