Holistika Hotel — Hotel in Quintana Roo

Holistika is a beautiful, charming, unique and magical hotel located in a peaceful jungle setting on the outskirts of Tulum town. I stayed here in the Beehive mixed dorm for 6 nights from February 22-28, 2020. It has been, by far, one of the most amazing places I've stayed during all of my travels and has such a positive vibe.

The dorm was so gorgeous! There were two dorms in a separate building on the property and the grounds were scattered with cute cabins for the hotel guests among the jungle. The dorm was a circular shape with bunk beds around the outside of the room. There was a separate washroom and shower area attached to the dorm with a few showers and separate toilets and a room full of extra lockers and purified water. There were beautiful floor to ceiling windows behind each bunk with views of the jungle outside. Each bed had a large locker at the end of the bed, multiple outlets, reading lamp, and privacy curtains. There was AC which was beautiful in the nighttime. For half of my stay at Holistika, I had the entire dorm to myself which was so amazing. It was also great to meet other people as well though.

The setting of the hotel was absolutely stunning! The grounds were beautifully cared for and there were winding pathways through the jungle that were fun to walk, explore and discover. There were two swimming pools (The first one was behind the restaurant and had comfy lounge seating, a waterfall into the pool, and relaxing hammocks over the water. The second one was on the opposite side of the property behind the dorms with lounge chairs as well. Both pools were gorgeous to swim and relax at), an art walk (this was located near the back of the property with winding pathways leading to various unique and colourfully painted murals and art installations in the jungle), a super cute treehouse, yoga shala, and more. I really loved all of the signs around the property with positive and encouraging messages written on them. There were about 9 cats that called Holistika home and I loved bonding with them. So cute and friendly! The atmosphere at Holistika was always so peaceful and calm and it felt like an oasis. When I first arrived, I could immediately sense the serenity and relaxation.

The staff at Holistika were super friendly and welcoming and always available to help out.

The location of the hotel was just outside of Tulum, along a quiet street. I rented a bike from a shop in town and it was about a 7 minute bike ride along the main highway to the town. I felt safe cycling during the day (I did not go out after dark) and there was plenty of room for bikes along the side of the highway. There were taxis available as well.

Holistika had a fantastic offering of yoga and meditation classes and special events like cacao ceremonies and temazcal. They had the schedule posted at the entrance of the hotel. As a guest at the hotel, you get to attend one free class and then receive a great discount on various packages to attend more classes. I purchased the 5-class pass and tried a different class every day during my stay. I loved the variety of classes and the vinyasa and yin were among my favourites. The yoga shala was a beautiful, open space with lots of windows around all the walls. They supplied the mats and props. If you're not a guest, you can still attend the classes too.

There was an on-site restaurant called Tierra, which served a completely plant-based menu with creative and nourishing food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There were vegetarian, vegan and gluten free meals which were all clearly marked on the menu. The seating was outdoors surrounded by jungle. I absolutely loved the food here and ate here daily! The variety of vegan tacos were incredible, the tofu scramble, and chickpea curry were all very tasty. The service was always friendly and cheerful, though sometimes it was a bit slow.

I would highly recommend staying at Holistika if you're into peaceful jungle vibes, plant based food, relaxation and yoga. Such a lovely place and I will be sure to return again on a future...

(I have a much longer, more thorough review posted on TripAdvisor)

Having explored numerous wellness resorts globally, I feel like I have enough experience to provide critical feedback and comparisons. While Holistika caters to those seeking a trendy atmosphere with Instagram-worthy spots, this review targets serious wellness enthusiasts. Holistika fell short in all areas. There were staff issues, group activity disruptions, lack of bundled packages, lack of Zen vibe, and issues with room cleanliness.

Wellness Staff: The front desk staff, while polite, failed to remember guest names, creating an unwelcoming atmosphere. This lapse may be attributed to the property's openness to the public, leading to frequent non-guest interactions. This contrasted sharply with distinguished wellness resorts like Kamalaya and The Retreat, where personalized service and staff efforts to remember guests enhanced the overall experience.

The wellness staff's lack of guidance on classes and activities reflected a disconnect with guests' needs. Attempting to achieve energy cleansing and healing, I encountered difficulties in obtaining information about treatments, resulting in an underwhelming holistic massage experience. The lack of recommendations for yoga classes, especially regarding difficulty levels, showcased an area where Holistika could improve to align with the needs of serious wellness seekers.

Group Activities: I really enjoyed the two yoga classes I took with Kayla. However, this was overshadowed by two disruptive group activities. The Temazcal ceremony, led by Monica, was marred by a fellow participant's persistent farting, impacting the intended healing environment. Similarly, the Reiki + Sound Healing session suffered from latecomers and a talkative participant, hindering the meditative trance crucial for optimal healing.

These instances highlight the need for Holistika to refine its group activity management, ensuring a more controlled and curated experience that aligns with the transformative goals of serious wellness seekers.

Lack of Packages: Holistika's approach of booking individual classes and activities, without offering bundled packages, poses an inconvenience for serious wellness seekers. The absence of cohesive offerings tailored to guests' needs detracts from the seamless and goal-oriented experience provided by other wellness destinations.

While the resort may justify this practice to ensure fair compensation for yoga teachers, it fails to cater effectively to the committed guests seeking a purposeful and cohesive wellness journey.

Environment: Holistika's visual appeal leans towards a "cool, hip vibe" rather than a serene and relaxing ambiance essential for serious wellness pursuits. The presence of screaming children during meditative walks in the Art Walk contradicts the desired tranquil atmosphere.

Nighttime disturbances further detracted from the wellness experience, with loud music shaking the walls during two nights of my stay. This contradicts the commitment to quality sleep, a crucial component for serious wellness seekers. The front desk staff went home at 11, so there was no one to assist.

Room: Despite generally satisfactory accommodations, cleanliness issues indicated lapses in housekeeping. Discovering dead insects and a sizable hairball post-shower raised concerns. While promptly addressed by the front desk, these issues should have been caught in pre-arrival cleanings.

In conclusion, Holistika Wellness Resort falls short for serious wellness seekers due to identity issues, staff concerns, group activity disruptions, lack of bundled packages, environment/vibe inconsistencies, and room cleanliness lapses. While suitable for a younger, hip demographic, the resort must undergo a comprehensive review to align with the needs and expectations of those genuinely committed to improving their mental and physical well-being. As of now, other wellness destinations provide a more transformative and fulfilling journey, making Holistika a suboptimal choice for a healing and...

Had an expectation this place was going to be an amazing sanctuary filled with people who are loving, friendly, and as they love using "mystical" - they really fell short of this. When we checked in, the front desk staff have this confused attitude like why I am standing in front of them - we weren't really greeted and welcomed with smiles and beaming faces. Another worker gave us a tour and he seemed bored and as if someone had forced him to show up to work. They were helpful but the interactions were always awkward and done without smiles - like they are just going through the motions, doesn't really go with the yogi vibe and the rest of hotel's affirmations and theme. I agree with other reviewers as well the staff at the the Tierra restaurant are also not overly friendly, the food/menu is really great though - loved the vegetarian/vegan based. The pool area as well as the grounds are a bit run down. The room was very nice and spacious, great water pressure and hot water (although it was salty and I don't know why) . They made a huge deal on checking out pool towels which was not mentioned when checking in. They charge you 200 pesos for renting our their sh*t bikes, there's no hand breaks. You can't use your credit card to pay for any classes or bike rentals, however, you could use your cc it at the restaurant. They online website was very glitchy and you cannot reserve single yoga classes nor does the hotel guest discount apply online. The higher level management workers were more pleasant, all the yoga instructors were amazing - I enjoyed trying new classes, there was so much variety, like Kundilini, cacao ceremony and we did the Temazcal which was extraordinary! Meet some other hotel guests who were all very nice. Unfortunately, location wise was poor - it's much further to the downtown main streets and not really walkable (so sweaty) and the taxi drivers will use this broken bumpy non-road without lights if you want to go to the playa/hotelera zone area and it will break your back. I would recommend coming for the yoga classes but not to stay here.||||ART WALK - was nice||they have a fire pit area BUT they did not have nightly fires, shame||RECOMMEND...