Palais Tulum by the Spot Rentals

My room was fine, but that was because it was an Airbnb. The building is unfinished and poorly maintained, and it’s obvious corners were cut during construction. The developers should be ashamed. There’s no CCTV anywhere, and the place is on a dark, dirt road in an area with construction sites. If I were a woman or a novice traveler, I’d feel unsafe.

There were ants on the kitchen counter, and we had three power outages during my stay. The weather was lovely with no storms, but no one could explain why the electricity had gone out or when it would be fixed. I arrived with two large suitcases and found the elevators had been out of service for over a week. The taxi driver had to go around to the parking area because mud and rocks blocked the main entrance. Walking out of the building every morning was a hike.

There’s ample parking, and the place is close to both the beach and city center, with plenty of food and activities nearby. Great spot. I’d highly recommend renting a bike, ATV, or car.

If you're coming to relax, I'd choose somewhere else. From the street-facing rooms, construction runs from 8 a.m. to around 4 or 6 p.m. on weekdays, often with nonstop jackhammering, and sometimes you hear hammering on Sundays too. A local told me it could continue for three years. First the buildings need finishing, then the roads have to be built. If you're here for a party or a short holiday, it might not bother you as much. The videos show both a quiet period and active work, though I think Google has lowered the volume because it sounds louder in person. I stayed for two to three weeks and there was a strange smell coming from the shower drain. The rain shower head also has weak pressure. Service is mixed: my Airbnb host took over ten days to bring hangers and tried not to honor a discount we'd agreed on. The people downstairs were friendly and answered my questions, so that's who I'm rating. Few people speak English, so bring a translation app if you don't speak Spanish. Some of the other reviews seem to be rating the architecture, and might be from friends or investors.