Jungle Keva Tulum Villa/ Lodges & Venue — Hotel in Quintana Roo

I have absolutely no words.... I got in touch with Kendall, the host at Jungle Keva, months before my bachelorette party with one million questions about the villa, safety, transportation, amenities, etc. Kendall was the perfect host from the very beginning (even before I met her). I still remember one of my biggest concerns for a large group of girls was safety. I wanted to make sure we felt secure in our villa. Kendall reassured me that she has never had a safety issue and the area we were staying was very safe. Even before we arrived to Tulum, I knew this was going to be a trip to remember. And that is all because of Kendall and Jungle Keva!

When booking Jungle Keva, Kendall becomes your PERSON. She put me in contact with Rob who helped me plan my transportation to and from the airport. We had two separate groups coming in to Tulum so he was great enough to arrange all of our transportation according to when we all arrived. Kendall on the other hand helped us plan all of our dinner reservations, our daytime activities, our transportation inside of Tulum itself, and so much more. One thing that stood out about this experience was Kendall's attention to detail. I had mentioned that it was my birthday during my bachelorette and Kendall did everything she could to make me feel so special the entire weekend!

When we arrived, we had previously purchased the Tequila and food package. Everything was laid out so beautifully (see photos) and she even made us a delicious drink to go with our food!! Not to mention, the FOOD..... UNREAL. She has amazing resources for local vendors to supply such great fresh foods for any occasion!

The next day when we woke up, Kendall was already in the kitchen helping prepare our breakfast that we had purchased in a package. But again with the detail she had made us her homemade banana bread that was AMAZING, we ate it all! The avocado toast was also the best Ive ever had!! Kendall also made us some great French pressed coffee that was delicious! Later on, Kendall gave us the recommendation to go to Vesica cenote (day club) which she had helped us reserve. This place was STUNNING. But what really stood out was that Kendall went the extra mile and told the people who worked at Vesica that it was my birthday. They came and found me and brought me a cake and even sang to me! How precious!

That next morning, we were at it again for breakfast and this time, we had a fantastic chef come in and make us the best breakfast including chilaquiles, fresh fruit, waffles, and pastries! Each breakfast was better than the last! The chef service was another recommendation from Kendall and we were so grateful for it! Kendall also gave us the recommendation to use a specific boat company for our boat day and they did NOT disappoint! Her recommendations were on point every time!

Lastly, our dinner on the last night with a private chef (also recommended by Kendall) was second to none. Kendall had helped set up the dinner table with candles, greenery, and beautiful place settings. She really went the extra mile with everything she did and I can tell she really loves what she does!

I can't say enough good things about this villa/venue. It was truly a dream and if you're thinking about it, DO IT!! You will not be disappointed! The villa was the most beautiful place I have ever seen, even better than the photos! I really hope to come back some day and revisit this beautiful sanctuary. Kendall, if you are seeing this, thank you for EVERYTHING you did to make my bachelorette the best...

We booked Jungle Keva because we wanted to stay at a boutique hotel given our travel during covid and the U.S. travel restrictions. When we booked back in July, I realized my passport had expired and the US passport agency was extremely backed up due to covid. Realizing the booking was non cancellable, Booking.com called the hotel and asked could we rebook to October to give me time to deal with my passport. That involved no refund because we were only changing dates. The hotel representative told both myself and the booking.com representative that it was ok and rebooked us to October. Two days later, booking.com contacts me saying Jungle Keva said I can’t change my dates AFTER they already said we could. That was probably the most unprofessional move I’ve ever experienced by a hotel or any company I’ve dealt with. Booking.com agreed and felt so bad that they offered to cover the entire cancellation cost if I no longer wanted to stay with Jungle Keva due to how they handled the situation. We strongly considered it. Thank goodness we hadn’t changed our flights yet. Whomever was communicating with us (me and booking.com) over email was really aggressive about their position and unapologetic for their change of mind.

By the grace of God I got my passport renewed in time. We arrive really late because it’s about 2 hour ride from the Cancun airport and off the beaten path. There are other hotels back there and it seems to be a developing area. We arrived around 9p and was met by security. Apparently all staff and the owner leaves and security is left to deal with guests, which was really weird to me. I’m platinum and gold with most hotels and just wasn’t used to this type of set up.

We checked in and settled in our room. Rooms are very modern, nicely decorated and really give that peaceful zen vibe. About 5 minutes in we realized our sink was clogged. That wasn’t the worse thing though. About 10 minutes later I notice a huge shadow above our bathroom sliding door and it’s a tarantula the size of my hand. THE SIZE OF MY HAND. He disappears somewhere into the room and now we can’t sleep. Finally we see it and wait for it to crawl out of our door. The next day the owner did nothing for our inconvenience. She said we’re in the jungle so we’ll see things like that.

Not a good response. We paid to stay at Jungle Keva, not to have the jungle inside our room. We realized there are gaps under the door where the tarantula most likely entered. And to spare you the suspense we had yet another tarantula in our room the next night in the shower. Again, the owner, a woman from Texas, casually shrugs it off like that was part of the hotel package we booked, smh.

The food was good and the chia tea is a must try. I believe the food is a tad overpriced but given the location of the hotel you don’t really have much of a choice.

The hotel grounds are really nice and the yoga room is peaceful. The pool is more to look at then to swim in, in my opinion.

Overall, I wouldn’t stay here again. Customer service is critical and they lacked in meeting that on several instances. Don’t believe me then read the owners responses to some peoples reviews.

The hotel is cute but I can’t do tarantulas in my room. You already have to deal with mosquitos outside so they need to pick their struggle. We enjoyed our short vacation either way and look forward to heading...

I wish I could give this place ten stars.

It is obvious from the minute that you walk through the doors of this hotel that this it’s a good one - and it was.

Kendal the owner, who is one of the loveliest people I have met has definitely built this property from her heart. Owning a small hotel is obviously something she has dreamed about for a long time and now everything has come to fruition for her - and the results show as the detail is just great.

As I travel most of the year I can quite confidently say this is one of the best hotels that I have stayed at in terms of speciality / boutique lodging.

In terms of location, obviously like any normal person should do, I did my homework on the location before booking. This is not on the beach and it’s not smack bang in the middle of downtown and for me this was fine, if not better. Some days I went to the beach but I also enjoyed the convenience of been close to downtown, where I dined most nights (personally I think the restaurants are better there than the beach). The hotel is secure. Just because there are houses with tall fences with electric wire doesn’t mean the area isn’t safe - it’s more a ingrained cultural design element that they do all over Mexico no matter what or where. The few street dogs (street dogs are all over Mexico and are fat and spoilt in most cases, especially in Tulum) are fine and speaking from experience of myself being in Mexico often, street dogs are definitely not vicious here for the main reason that many children play on the street so any dog that displays aggression is moved from the area to protect the local kids. There is also a security guard on site and I could see him from my room doing checks of the grounds in the evening.

Finally, the staff are all great. They all pitch in and help each other. I think Jose the gardener needs a shout-out as the gardens are perfect. He is very proud of the work he does. But all the staff are are caring and helpful.

Anyway that’s my review, I can’t...