Akumal Ecological Center

The property is gorgeous and housekeeping was on point every single day. Big shoutout to Angel, Giovanny, and Blanca — they were genuinely great and made the trip feel special. I had arranged a birthday decoration setup for my boyfriend prior to arrival and it was beautifully done — and housekeeping kept it maintained throughout the rest of our stay. We had complimentary breakfast every morning which was a great perk — always fresh and a nice way to start the day. Food overall is on the pricier side, but honestly that’s just Tulum — coming from someone who lives in Los Angeles , it’s comparable. That said, a few things worth knowing before you book. We had no hot water for 4 out of 7 days, which was frustrating because honestly the shower was a highlight, once we had hot water. Also — the balcony pool never got warm the entire stay. We basically couldn’t use it, so don’t let that be a selling point for you. The most frustrating part was checkout. We tipped cash for room service every time AND were signing receipts, but when we asked what the receipts were for, staff brushed it off with “oh it’s nothing.” Then at the end of the trip, room service charges showed up on our bill. We had to go back and explain that we’d already been tipping in cash the whole time. Angel sorted it out, but it was an annoying situation that could’ve been avoided with just a little transparency upfront. If you order room service, ask questions before you sign anything. Bring pesos !

We visited here in 2009 and had the best experience ever, well 17 years later we hoped it would be much of the same. I can’t say our stay was horrible because it definitely was not. We were able to relax and enjoy ourselves, but it was quite a different experience this time around. A lot of restaurants closed on certain days, and even only being at 30% capacity we waited nearly 45 minutes at a restaurant the concierge made us reservations at, but they didn’t have it on the books. The seaweed made it impossible to even step foot on the beach. The clear blue water days are over, unfortunately. While we enjoyed our time, it just wasn’t what we remembered years ago. I’m not sure if they have gotten so big they are spreading themselves thin or if it truly is that they are so short staffed due to being 44% down on tourism. I don’t want be entirely negative of the resort - Kampai and Jade were our most favorite places to eat. Most of the service was excellent. Again, we can to relax after many stressful days at work, and that’s what we got.

I wish I could give it 6 stars