IKAL Tulum Hotel

Wonderful chilled hotel. Rooms are beach style cabins with everything you need. Location is stunning and staff friendly. Beach bar/restaurant serves good local food and drinks right on the stunning beach. Thanks to Alan for his help and advice. 😊

Lina and Alan were very helpful at the front desk! The emplacement of the hotel is perfect, the beach is pristine. You are steps away from the clear blue sea. I loved the yoga classes with Arun, the staff at the restaurant was very nice. My room was cleaned daily with fresh linens and towels, the showers had hot water. It is very quiet at night, not a party hotel at all, the vibe is very chill, quiet, relaxed and meditative. Overall amazing experience.

What a unique experience! The bungalows are gorgeous and the beach was incredibly stunning. Turquoise waters and soft, white sand were the features that we adored that were right outside the main area of the hotel. The bed was comfortable and the features of the bungalow were elegant and hipster/rustic/fun/unique. The service upon arrival/departure by Alan and Eliana was efficient and helpful. Thank you! Highly recommended!

Stayed here for 3-nights with my partner and here are my pros and cons: Pros: -Super beautiful, right on the beach, love the decor. -Complimentary yoga class when staying in a suite. -Beautiful accommodation (Mayan Plunge Pool Suite). -Yummy cocktails and lovely pool overlooking ocean. Cons: -Not very friendly serving staff and they quite literally chased us down when we didn’t leave a tip - yea I wonder why? -The front reception put us in a different room thinking we wouldn’t noticed only until my partner noticed we didn’t have a balcony as the Mayan Plunge suite stated, we were then moved rooms the following day but felt a bit shady to me they weren’t up front about it in the first place. -Ridiculous prices $$$ and the meal portions are meh. -Location is very secluded. No other restaurants around and to enter the park daily is a $60 peso fee (this feels like a fee the hotel should maybe cover for guests). Would I stay here again? Probably not. Had a very nice stay, as I said the place is very beautiful, but this place charges ridiculous prices for sub-par services.

The location and the ambiance are impeccable. Very peaceful and holistic in nature. However, we rented their two bedroom villa, and upon turning off the lights, the entire upstairs was SWARMING with bitting and flying ants and rats. Gut-wrenching experience! The next day they sent maintenance to address. Ants were gone for 1 night and came back. The rat never left. I wasn't to throw off because of it understandable remote location. However I was disappointed in how the staff managed this obvious big issue that made half of what I paid for unusable. They offered me nothing off for the inconvenience. Just a free night next time I take a 3rd International trip to stay back in a rat nest.

We booked Ikal for our honeymoon and we had an amazing time. Overall we would really recommend to anyone wanting to visit Tulum. However, in the interest of fairness to potential customers and for the hotel to have some constructive feedback, here is a summary of what we thought while we were staying there for three days. Rooms: the treehouse room was amazing. Huge comfy bed. Fridge and espresso machine. Outdoor bathroom was very cool (although, you can see other people if they are using their balcony while you shower or use the toilet). However, we solved this by hanging up a couple of towels for extra privacy. Beautifully clean. The private pool was pretty cold, and perhaps not the most comfortable for a swim, but fun nonetheless! The resort is so cool. Laid back Tiki vibes. The beach view is phenomenal and really elevates the entire experience. Ikal is definitely the nicest hotel in the area. The downside is that the food and drinks are very expensive relative to the rest of Mexico or downtown Tulum and it is very difficult and pricey to travel back into town to eat or drink ($30 entry, then $6 per day if you come in and out per couple). Cocktails are around $13.50, a burger with fries is around $18. A beer was around $6 for a 250ml bottle or 355ml can. This makes sense given the location but the food is very average tasting and the cocktails are not the best (the breakfast was actually better). Importantly there is a major tipping culture so you have this bizarre system where instead of just grabbing your drink from the bar you have table service.. this means that you wait around for someone to spot you, then wait again to get a menu, then wait again to order the drink, wait for it to arrive and then wait to ask for the bill, wait to get the bill then finally wait to get the card machine or sign to your room. The whole process takes forever. Then as compensation for this huge wait you are asked to give a tip, which starts at 15%. This might be common in some parts of the world, possibly because the staff are poorly paid and need tips? But I am unsure how you can excel at carrying a beer from the fridge to a table? Particularly if you recognise the horribly inefficient system I have just described. Annoying but, it is what it is. It won’t be any different anywhere else in the area though. If I was the hotel, creating an efficient system and lowering the prices or upping the quality would be a good way to set themselves apart. The staff were quite aloof, they are clearly busy and have plenty of annoying customers to deal with. Again, in five star institutions the staff tend to hide the pain a bit better, and are very keen to do any little thing for you or sort any small inconvenience so you don’t feel uncomfortable asking for things, BUT these staff are typically well paid to compensate! If you set your expectations accordingly you won’t regret staying here!

This hotel is an insta worthy hotel location. The rooms/cabins are fantastic looking, but do have a couple of weaknesses due to their construction form (wooden sticks). We had a problem with the nespresso Machine in the room, which didn't work, and the Wifi was not working on one of the days we stayed. The service was hit and miss. They respond very well to Whatsapp...which great if the wifi works (as there is no phone reception). The Restuarant food was good, but very expensive, and the serivce is hard to get their attention (or was on the few times that we ate there). There was also a heavy focus on us giving tips of 15-25% on top of the expensive small meals - as a guide four small tacos were about $430 MXN. Tacos were fine as a snack, but not really anything to write home about. Because the cabins are outside, noise travels very easily, and so we were kept awake until the early hours of the morning with our neighbours having sexual relations and then talking loudly until 3am. This was constant from multiple neighbours. The insulation in these cabins really needs to be better. Checking out of the hotel was painful also - as they had to wait at least 15 mins to check out fridge to see if we had been drinking from the minibar..... Despite informing them that we hadnt and requesting them sort the bill out in the meantime, they refused to do so until they received confirmation. Having traveled around the world, and stayed in 5 star hotels in multiple continents that was unessesearily aggressive and did not have a customer first mentality. Ultimately this final engagement really damaged our experience with the hotel. To sum up. Stay here for the cool insta worthy cabins. But only buy on discounted rates, because the full rack rate certainly is over priced for the service standard, and the discounted rates are questionable value.

IKAL is fantastically set in the natural park, the jungle is just amazing and the bungalows are very well integrated into it. The attention for the materials and the architecture wood crafting offers comfort by remaining low impact for the surrounding. At our arrival Lisa upgraded us and placed in a fantastic private suite loge. If you like to be in the nature, have one of the most beautiful beaches of the Caribbean see at few steps from your bungalow, walk to Tulum archeological site directly from the beach do not hesitate to book! Food at the restaurant is excellent (a bit pricey!! But considering where you are is acceptable)

Wonderful chilled hotel. Rooms are beach style cabins with everything you need. Location is stunning and staff friendly. Beach bar/restaurant serves good local food and drinks right on the stunning beach. Thanks to Alan for his help and advice. 😊

Lina and Alan were very helpful at the front desk! The emplacement of the hotel is perfect, the beach is pristine. You are steps away from the clear blue sea. I loved the yoga classes with Arun, the staff at the restaurant was very nice. My room was cleaned daily with fresh linens and towels, the showers had hot water. It is very quiet at night, not a party hotel at all, the vibe is very chill, quiet, relaxed and meditative. Overall amazing experience.

What a unique experience! The bungalows are gorgeous and the beach was incredibly stunning. Turquoise waters and soft, white sand were the features that we adored that were right outside the main area of the hotel. The bed was comfortable and the features of the bungalow were elegant and hipster/rustic/fun/unique. The service upon arrival/departure by Alan and Eliana was efficient and helpful. Thank you! Highly recommended!

Stayed here for 3-nights with my partner and here are my pros and cons: Pros: -Super beautiful, right on the beach, love the decor. -Complimentary yoga class when staying in a suite. -Beautiful accommodation (Mayan Plunge Pool Suite). -Yummy cocktails and lovely pool overlooking ocean. Cons: -Not very friendly serving staff and they quite literally chased us down when we didn’t leave a tip - yea I wonder why? -The front reception put us in a different room thinking we wouldn’t noticed only until my partner noticed we didn’t have a balcony as the Mayan Plunge suite stated, we were then moved rooms the following day but felt a bit shady to me they weren’t up front about it in the first place. -Ridiculous prices $$$ and the meal portions are meh. -Location is very secluded. No other restaurants around and to enter the park daily is a $60 peso fee (this feels like a fee the hotel should maybe cover for guests). Would I stay here again? Probably not. Had a very nice stay, as I said the place is very beautiful, but this place charges ridiculous prices for sub-par services.

The location and the ambiance are impeccable. Very peaceful and holistic in nature. However, we rented their two bedroom villa, and upon turning off the lights, the entire upstairs was SWARMING with bitting and flying ants and rats. Gut-wrenching experience! The next day they sent maintenance to address. Ants were gone for 1 night and came back. The rat never left. I wasn't to throw off because of it understandable remote location. However I was disappointed in how the staff managed this obvious big issue that made half of what I paid for unusable. They offered me nothing off for the inconvenience. Just a free night next time I take a 3rd International trip to stay back in a rat nest.

We booked Ikal for our honeymoon and we had an amazing time. Overall we would really recommend to anyone wanting to visit Tulum. However, in the interest of fairness to potential customers and for the hotel to have some constructive feedback, here is a summary of what we thought while we were staying there for three days. Rooms: the treehouse room was amazing. Huge comfy bed. Fridge and espresso machine. Outdoor bathroom was very cool (although, you can see other people if they are using their balcony while you shower or use the toilet). However, we solved this by hanging up a couple of towels for extra privacy. Beautifully clean. The private pool was pretty cold, and perhaps not the most comfortable for a swim, but fun nonetheless! The resort is so cool. Laid back Tiki vibes. The beach view is phenomenal and really elevates the entire experience. Ikal is definitely the nicest hotel in the area. The downside is that the food and drinks are very expensive relative to the rest of Mexico or downtown Tulum and it is very difficult and pricey to travel back into town to eat or drink ($30 entry, then $6 per day if you come in and out per couple). Cocktails are around $13.50, a burger with fries is around $18. A beer was around $6 for a 250ml bottle or 355ml can. This makes sense given the location but the food is very average tasting and the cocktails are not the best (the breakfast was actually better). Importantly there is a major tipping culture so you have this bizarre system where instead of just grabbing your drink from the bar you have table service.. this means that you wait around for someone to spot you, then wait again to get a menu, then wait again to order the drink, wait for it to arrive and then wait to ask for the bill, wait to get the bill then finally wait to get the card machine or sign to your room. The whole process takes forever. Then as compensation for this huge wait you are asked to give a tip, which starts at 15%. This might be common in some parts of the world, possibly because the staff are poorly paid and need tips? But I am unsure how you can excel at carrying a beer from the fridge to a table? Particularly if you recognise the horribly inefficient system I have just described. Annoying but, it is what it is. It won’t be any different anywhere else in the area though. If I was the hotel, creating an efficient system and lowering the prices or upping the quality would be a good way to set themselves apart. The staff were quite aloof, they are clearly busy and have plenty of annoying customers to deal with. Again, in five star institutions the staff tend to hide the pain a bit better, and are very keen to do any little thing for you or sort any small inconvenience so you don’t feel uncomfortable asking for things, BUT these staff are typically well paid to compensate! If you set your expectations accordingly you won’t regret staying here!

This hotel is an insta worthy hotel location. The rooms/cabins are fantastic looking, but do have a couple of weaknesses due to their construction form (wooden sticks). We had a problem with the nespresso Machine in the room, which didn't work, and the Wifi was not working on one of the days we stayed. The service was hit and miss. They respond very well to Whatsapp...which great if the wifi works (as there is no phone reception). The Restuarant food was good, but very expensive, and the serivce is hard to get their attention (or was on the few times that we ate there). There was also a heavy focus on us giving tips of 15-25% on top of the expensive small meals - as a guide four small tacos were about $430 MXN. Tacos were fine as a snack, but not really anything to write home about. Because the cabins are outside, noise travels very easily, and so we were kept awake until the early hours of the morning with our neighbours having sexual relations and then talking loudly until 3am. This was constant from multiple neighbours. The insulation in these cabins really needs to be better. Checking out of the hotel was painful also - as they had to wait at least 15 mins to check out fridge to see if we had been drinking from the minibar..... Despite informing them that we hadnt and requesting them sort the bill out in the meantime, they refused to do so until they received confirmation. Having traveled around the world, and stayed in 5 star hotels in multiple continents that was unessesearily aggressive and did not have a customer first mentality. Ultimately this final engagement really damaged our experience with the hotel. To sum up. Stay here for the cool insta worthy cabins. But only buy on discounted rates, because the full rack rate certainly is over priced for the service standard, and the discounted rates are questionable value.

IKAL is fantastically set in the natural park, the jungle is just amazing and the bungalows are very well integrated into it. The attention for the materials and the architecture wood crafting offers comfort by remaining low impact for the surrounding. At our arrival Lisa upgraded us and placed in a fantastic private suite loge. If you like to be in the nature, have one of the most beautiful beaches of the Caribbean see at few steps from your bungalow, walk to Tulum archeological site directly from the beach do not hesitate to book! Food at the restaurant is excellent (a bit pricey!! But considering where you are is acceptable)