Which hotel in Tulum, Mexico

The best hotels in Tulum are all lined up along one strip of beach, just outside of the main town. With so much to see and do in this trending little Mexican town, it was important for us to find somewhere that we could just go back to at the end of the day and relax. Tulum is bursting with luxury hotels, and Toto, we’re not in our usual ‘budget’ accommodation anymore! After trawling the internet for beach hut that wouldn’t cost a quarter of a months salary a night (yes, really!), I finally stumbled across the Bali beach huts in Ahau Tulum.

There is nothing budget about Ahau Tulum. The hotel has it’s ample share of enormous expensive beach cabanas. However, in amongst the row of resort hotels on the beach strip, I found a total gem of a location (that suits a more budgeted traveller).

Despite our backpacks (and rather dishevelled appearance), we were checked in with the usual glass of fizz treatment by two fantastically friendly reception staff. It’s worth enjoying that the check-in vibe of the hotel was very different to the usual stuffy resort check-in. Staff are free to be casual, tattoos on show, fitting in with the boho jungle feel of the resort.

The Bali beach huts were what we came here for. Adorable little luxury beach huts, seconds from the beach, kitted out with create little extras to make them feel as hotel room like as possible.  We took a ground floor huts, meaning that when 6am came, I could quite literally roll out of our of bed and down the path to the sunrise.

What I love about these huts is that, despite being smack bang in the middle of a resort, there’s nothing pretentious about them. Rooms are small, but spotlessly clean. Hawaiian print eye masks and cloud soft beds greet you on arrival. The shower and toilets are privately located at the back of the hut, with tropical sand flooring and stepping stones to your shower. The heat in Tulum makes this a pleasure (rather than an inconvenience), and I can’t imagine the huts being as quirky without the outdoor set up.

Why is Ahau Tulum the best hotel on the luxury strip? I spent a lot of my time in Tulum strolling around the big hotels looking for perfect Instagram shots (sounds sad, it possibly i, but it’s also a great way to explore). There’s a lot of (American) money kicking about these hotels, and prices reflect this. Looking over menus, Ahau definitely has one of the lower priced menus, but never seemed to compromise on quality. The Spa here is reasonably priced and a lot friendlier than some, with one spa actually telling me they wouldn’t accommodate me as I wasn’t spending enough their $175 minimum.

There are plenty of places to eat in Tulum, but Ahau is the only hotel on the strip to host an on-site vegan cafe, RawloveTulum, as well as accommodating vegans into their normal restaurant menu. Non hotel guests are welcome, and each day we sat down to chit chat with off the street yogi’s, all lining up for one of the cafe’s infamous smoothie bowls. Swinging hammock chairs, carved wooden seating, and the quiet background sound of crashing waves adds to the slightly hipster feeling lazy day vibes. Staff are equally delightful, taking a genuine interest in their menu and your order. Needless to say, we had breakfast there every day.

The Tulum beach strip is magnificent. Ahau’s private beach beds jut out just far enough from the resort that they catch the ocean breeze, taking the burn out of the midday heat. A running supply of 50 pesos coconuts delivered to my bed may also have helped!

After currency conversion, our Bali hut hotel room cost us around £80 a night, £40 each (subject to change of the hotel and season). As I said, this is more than our usual backpacker spend, but it’s an absolute steal if you’re on a ‘normal’ holiday budget. Be sure to plan way in advance if you’re hoping to acquire one of the bungalows, during my last search they were booked up 9 months in advance.

Did you fall in love with Tulum like I did? Where did you stay? Heading to Tulum and have more questions? Drop me a comment below.

 

 

Note: I was not in any way commissioned by Ahau Tulum for this post. I rarely write a full post on a hotel alone, but in this case, felt the experience they gave us was enough to do so.