You may or may not have noticed that I took a week off. We had a family destination wedding in Tulum and I simply set my phone down. It was a lovely break to just be present and focus on getting memories directly into my onboard hard drive (aka brain!). But you just know I had to share a review of the place we stayed.
Getting There
Our travel to Zorba Tulum Beach Homes started with a flight to Cancun Mexico and then a van ride to Tulum. Tulum is about 2 hours south of Cancun so you definitely need to plan out transportation. The hotel staff is incredibly accommodating and they will help set up transportation. Since we were a giant wedding group, the bride handled all of the arrangements.
Just a couple of tips on getting the transports from the airport.
- Be sure you know which service you are looking for. Our service contracted back out to other services, so we didn’t know who to look for.
- Look for both the group name and individual names. We were also told a different name would be on the sign. This threw us for a loop. Had we thought to look for the names of the people in the party, I think we could have found our driver faster.
- Listen for the cues from your driver. Our driver was great – offering to stop for road snacks, restroom breaks, and even a quick grocery stop (we totally should have taken him up on that!) before we arrived.
The Property
I presume that usually you can rent an entire Villa without renting the whole property.
For the wedding, we took over everything. The property has a lovely pool with a water feature, a small onsite taco stand that makes awesome food for breakfast and lunch, outdoor tables to eat at, lounge areas, hammocks under trees, and beach chairs out on the beach.
There are five buildings on site: Villas 1-5 and a penthouse. Villa 5 faces the ocean and has the bonus of a semi private pool. “Semi” because in this case we were all there together and could certainly access it but if you rented a single villa, you would need to select Villa 5 to get the private pool.
Each villa has some type of different outdoor living areas. We were in Villa 3 at the front of the property (towards the road). Our villa had more shade than others which would definitely be a bonus in the hotter months. Villas 5 had virtually no shade at all which made it a very warm place to hang out during the day. Perhaps that’s why they get the pool!
Each villa (and the penthouse) had three separate suites, a common living area and kitchen, and access to the entire property. The kitchen comes with a coffee maker, kettle, full size fridge, drinking water replaced daily, pots and pans. It actually has pretty much every you could need to cook.
Do you remember when I mentioned before that the driver offered to stop at a market? Well we should have taken him up on it. You can order groceries for delivery but we found out there is a cost minimum ($100) and the quantities got lost in translation. A bag of limes was NOT simply a dozen or fewer. It was a hundred limes! More limes than you could use in the five days we were all there!
Our plan was to walk to a local market to buy groceries when we landed. That could have worked great had we figured out how far the store was. On the map it looked close – only a mile or so. But the road, lack of sidewalks, and general area didn’t lend itself to a grocery run. The bottom line is, if your driver offers to stop for supplies – he probably knows something you don’t. And please don’t forget to be generous with a tip.
Room
While we were a little hesitant to share the villa with four other strangers, we soon figured out it was really no big deal. We never felt like we were cramped or uncomfortably close.
The room we were assigned came with a king bed. The best I can tell is that in each villa, there are two rooms with king beds (the king bed on the top floor of each villa has a penthouse feel with outdoor lounging and outdoor showers!) and one room with bunk beds and a queen bed. So in total, you could sleep seven people in each villa. Each room has its own sink, toilet and shower. While each room is a little different, they share a common feel and aesthetic.
The open shower concept took a minute for my head to wrap around because it felt like it could be messy. It was wonderful.
No, the bed did not get wet when we showered, but you certainly didn’t have any privacy. If you’re traveling with a partner, it’s great. If you have a roommate, you may need to coordinate. The blend of stucco finishes and live edge wood accents really made the place feel simultaneously luxurious and rustic.
The bed was king size for my super tall guy and it was firm. The fan kept us cool most of the time, but the in-room unit could cool it down for sleeping if the day was too hot.
When we were in the room, we really couldn’t hear people in other rooms, which was a bonus for privacy.
The Neighborhood
if you walk out of the front door (which looks like a massive repurposed door), you have things to see to the right and left.
There are TONS of cute little boutiques, small eateries, large eateries, massage and spa centers, and so much more! There are a few small markets and pharmacies scattered about as well.
It’s worth noting that you need to stay vigilant when you are walking. The street isn’t wide and has a lot of potholes and speed bumps. There are only a few tiny sections with a little pavement you could call a sidewalk, but those come and go pretty quickly. You will need to be ready to jump out of the way of cars, scooters, and bikes.
I’m on a self-imposed shopping moratorium or I would have needed an extra suit case to get home. If you want hats, beachwear, gorgeous clothes for dinner or an event, you will not have to look far. There are also beautifully made jewelry and trinkets galore.
There are so many interesting places to eat that we had trouble selecting. We had dinner (as a reception dinner) at Le Zebra and they served the best shrimp tacos I’ve ever eaten. I’m daydreaming about them now and I’m not even a huge shrimp taco fan!
We had an incredibly romantic and memorable meal at The Funky Geisha as well. This is asian inspired cuisine and their service is impeccable. I don’t remember having a more delicious meal. They had a great techno lounge vibe that set the mood for the evening. I would go back in a heartbeat!!
Things to Consider
It was an amazing trip and a beautiful wedding. There are things I would do slightly differently if I went back (I would LOVE to go back!) and things I wish I had known before I went.
- I would stay longer. Getting there is a bit of an adventure and I could have easily taken two or three times as long to enjoy BEING there.
- I would wear bug spray every night. I wasn’t getting bitten at all on the property, but when we went out to eat, I got eaten up pretty spectacularly. I BROUGHT bug spray but I didn’t use it. That’s on me.
- Please note that Tulum is off grid. Electricity is made onsite or nearby and is often augmented by diesel generators. I would LOVE to see them go more solar! Part of being off grid also means that they have septic systems. You need to throw waste paper (like toilet paper) into a small basket they have next to each toilet. This may sound off putting but it’s really not a big deal once you accept it. I just think it’s nice to know before you go.
- The water shouldn’t be considered potable. This means you need to pay attention to where places are getting their ice and what water sources you use. I’ve been to a number of places like this so it takes a day to adjust and then it’s no big deal.
- Currently you need a COVID negative test within 24-hours of travel to return to the US. This is inconvenient but the ZORBA staff can help bring a health care professional to you AND if you walk out the front door, you will find a COVID testing spot every 100 ft (it seems). This stressed us out but it didn’t need to. There are plenty of places for rapid tests!
- If you love beautiful things, leave space in your bag as you pack. Shockingly we came back empty handed but we have so many wonderful stories and memories.
- We did NOT see any of the ruins but it is one of the special things about Tulum. If you go, plan time to go visit at least one. This will be TOP of our list when we get back there one day!
Have you ever been to Tulum or are you itching to go? Does this make you crave it more?
