Mistiq Temple I

The loft gave us loads of privacy and an amazing view over the vegetation. The whole place has a cool jungle feel. Mistiq Temple is only 200m from the main beach road, though the area is still being developed and the roads aren’t great. Construction is still going on, but the buildings block a lot of it, so noise and dust weren’t really an issue here. The restaurant and gym are great too.

The rooms and pool are nice, but the lipstick-on-a-pig feel is hard to ignore. It’s in the middle of the jungle with no proper roads, and all the elevators are broken, so you have to haul your luggage up five or more flights of stairs. Construction from several nearby properties brings constant noise and dirt, so if you want to relax, this isn’t the place. There’s a shop and a restaurant, but they close early without notice and are shut on Sundays. If you don’t plan ahead, you can be left without food or water. A cab to Tulum costs $600 pesos for a five-minute ride because nobody wants to drive out here. There’s zero security, and no one on the property speaks English, including the “concierge,” who seemed untrained and just shrugged and smiled.

We were there for two weeks and got just one towel per person plus a small hand towel. They wouldn’t provide fresh ones when we asked, and room cleaning costs 60USD. The place was dirty, the couch was gross, and the shower leaked. There wasn’t even a bath mat or kitchen towels, and the gym had no towels, water, or cleaning supplies for wiping down the machines. No hairdryer or iron either. Construction noise began at 9am. The walls and doors do nothing to block sound, so I could hear neighbors going up and down the stairs. They’re putting up huge “luxury” apartment buildings but haven’t fixed 300m of road. When it rains, getting home is like sailing. A friend’s door lock broke and they were stuck waiting until 2am to get back into their apartment.

The place looked nicer online than it was in person, and being a newer hotel, it still seemed pretty disorganized. We chose it because we were told there was a restaurant and a free shuttle to the beach, but there’s not much else nearby. The hotel arranged a car from the airport for us, and we got into an accident on the way. Then they dropped us at the wrong Mistiq. This happened to other people we spoke with too, so double check which one you’re going to. We were sent to two other Mistiqs before finding the right one, and paid 25$ for a 5 min ride with no offer to cover it. I travel a lot, and this was my second visit to Tulum. Before we arrived, the hotel replied quickly on WhatsApp. Once we were there, responses took hours or stopped altogether when we needed help. WiFi is already a problem in Tulum, but here even getting mobile data to work was worse. The roads around the hotel are rough, with construction noise all day. The dirt road to the main road takes about 5-7 mins on foot. After 5pm, you’ll need a car or pay a lot for a taxi if you want food or supplies. Towels were another hassle. They said we’d get fresh ones every 4 days, then on day four told us “if we have clean ones.” Bring your own iron, hairdryer, soap, and beach or pool towels. We had to add one night, and they helped us switch to a different room, but it had mold everywhere and smelled strongly of it. The AC fan was broken and noisy. After 5pm, only security was working, and they weren’t much help beyond ordering taxis. Our first room was nicer, and we tried to make the best of the stay, but the online description was misleading. I wouldn’t return. I had a much easier stay at a villa before, even though it was farther from the beach and had no shuttle. I’d suggest renting a car or hiring a driver and staying nearer to shops and restaurants that don’t close early. Paying 50$ USD sometimes for a 10 min taxi ride adds up, even if a car or driver costs more upfront. Good luck!