Driving here can be extremely frustrating because most streets aren't marked. If you make a wrong turn, you'll end up in the crowded hotel section of Tulum. Basically, when your driving from Playa Del Carmen and you see Dreams, you've gone too far. Look for a small gravel road with only a few markings for hotels (none of them show O Tulum). Drive about a kilometer and look for a road block with guards, who'll let you pass with a reservation. Look for the cenote and you're almost there. I highly recommend having your own transportation, because the hotel is very isolated.
Views and location are absolutely amazing for this little boutique B&B. All eleven rooms are less than 20 feet from a pool overlooking the ocean or the hotel's small sand beach. The ocean is too rocky for swimming or wading, but your other four senses will enjoy the sea immensely.
The rooms are very comfortable with many amenities. More than half of them have ocean views. They do run a tad on the small side and ours didn't have a soaking tub. The toiletries and spa essentials are a nice touch and very aromatherapeutic. The linens smell amazing and are extremely fluffy. Two complaints: 1) The whirlpools are not heated, which made them virtually unusable for a major part of the tourist season. 2) The showers spill right out into the room. There's a drain located under the shower's floor and sink, but water still runs under the glass door, out to bathroom, and into the room. We had to place towels on the floor to soak up water before it reached our shoes next to the bed.
Every table at the restaurant has breathtaking views and there are 2-3 tables actually on the sand. The breakfasts are complimentary and spectacular. You'll receive coffee, juice, fruit, and one main entree with a choice of a side. My wife loved the Chilaquiles, but was a little upset that you had to chose between egg or chicken. She's accustomed to the dish being served with both, but the waitress said that you could only get one or the other. Hands down, the best dish is the Potato and Caribbean Shrimp Omelette; the actual omelette is made out of a potato-quiche and filled with shrimp (see picture); we highly recommend it.
Dinner here was very disappointing. If we had stayed longer, we would have driven into town for the rest of our meals. Our main complaint is that the restaurant is open to the public. On the only night we ate here, there was a large group that walked from their rental next door. They were rude, boisterous, drunk, and pigs. The three couples that were actually staying at the hotel received very poor service because of this party monopolizing the one waitress: Our orders were placed/delivered by the bar tender, it took 45minutes to receive our food, and our choices were very limited because the restaurant hadn't anticipated the large group consuming most of the menu. One couple even received their main courses 20minutes apart. Additionally, the restaurant doesn't offer local dishes (excluding guacamole, which was out of stock) and the menu is limited to pastas, cold water fish, and beef. The Caribbean is full of great options. For example, the local Snapper is amazing, so why import Salmon and beef. To quote Frasier, "There's an ocean full of fresh fish not fifteen feet away, but why not try a slab of artery-clogging, hormone-injected, frozen red meat instead?!?!" To make things worse, the steak was mediocre, almost horrible. I ordered mine Medium (something I typically do in MX, but never in the States) and received a Rare (frigid in the center), underseasoned, and paper thin cut of meat. Half of the "Ribeye" was inedible due to unrendered fat. My wife ordered Salmon and her meal was just bland. The "indulgence, peace, and tranquility" from the hotels description just wasn't experienced during our meal.
The Bar: We suggest that you pass on their margaritas and the beer selection is very limited. We highly recommend their mojitos, until they run out of mint. Whether in the pool, sitting at the beach, or lounging in a chair, the staff will bring you anything that you order. Unfortunately, unlike most 5 Star hotels that we've visited in the area, the staff will never check on you. If you want something, you have to walk up the bar and order it. We might sound picky, but every hotel in Cancun we've patronized has servers that check on their guests every 10-15minutes.
Complaints: 1) The website claims that they offer complimentary Artisan Water. We received two at check-in and in the room. We were charged 60MXN for additional ones at the bar and our room was never restocked. 2) The Nespresso machine was empty. We asked the Butler for capsules on three occasions and never received our coffee. 3) Lack of shades or umbrellas in the restaurant. 4) Balcony pool had algae.
Overall, we enjoyed our stay, but glad it was only for two nights. There are a few kinks that need to be addressed before we'd return. read more