Zamna Tulum — Hotel in Quintana Roo

I noticed that many of the negative reviews are based on situations that are outside of Zamna's control as an event venue and hotel. I'll elaborate but the TLDR review is that if you love music you should visit Zamna! It is obviously the result of an amazing group of passionate people putting an enormous amount of creative talent and energy into building something truly unique for you to experience.

To address the negative reviews: Yes there are armed police and military personnel in the venue… this is literally an identical experience to walking through downtown Tulum. Same goes for reviews about local prices or infrastructure. If you are naïve to travel or the area educate yourself first for the safest and most comfortable and affordable experience, but don't stay within the confines of an all-inclusive resort and miss out on Zamna!

I am half way into a two week Zamna backstage experience and I have nothing but praise for their venue and event staff, with a special call out to Karen who is beyond incredible. Any time I have run into an issue or asked a question Karen has been eager to assist and any concerns or misunderstandings have been handled fairly and professionally. I hesitate to even mention this since it sets unrealistic expectations but during my stay I have reached out to Karen between the hours of 10am and 5am (a 17 hour window) and she has consistently responded in a minute or less. It is obviously not a shared line or automated service and I've seen her at the venue and hotel working outside of those hours as well. She is clearly a passionate and driven person and Zamna is lucky to have her. Call outs to Samantha for being an amazing and attentive hostess and to John for incredible table service as well. Overall I've been super impressed with the staff and their attention to detail, it all shows in the Zamna Experience which has been unforgettable and worth every penny. You definitely don't have to get backstage to have a great experience though, it's just the tip of the iceberg. I've been travelling with several groups of friends so I've spent most of my time in the GA areas of the festival, if I had spent all of that time backstage I would have missed out on most of what Zamna has to offer. The shuttle service is nice and creates an opportunity to meet new people and share stories on the way to/from the festival, but if you enter/exit through the Zamna Experience shuttle entrance make sure to visit the walkway to the front entrance because there are some very cool art exhibits along the sides and the Zamna sign at the front makes for an iconic group photo.

The venue itself is a vibe, it is very unique and fully embraces the culture of Quintana Roo and its Jungle location. Arrive early so you can explore the venue and enjoy the lounge areas before it gets crowded. There are little areas you will discover that are tucked away and very intentional in their design to make cozy and elaborate spots for individuals or small groups to go when they want to rest or unwind. The staff are constantly evolving the layout to cater to each show and it is impressive how much will change between two events.

Each stage is very unique. The island stage is the smallest and most intimate with lounge areas by the water that are by far my favorite. I've walked 30 minutes through throngs of people just to spend 5 minutes decompressing by the water... kudos to whoever designed that. The garden stage size and layout really brings out the DJ and visuals for a great rail riding or dancing experience. The arena stage is a visual feat and the speaker array at the rail is insane. It towers over the crowd and looks like a Mayan ruin with a stargate in the middle. The backstage of the arena is beyond worth it, you can stand directly behind the DJs which is INCREDIBLE and makes for unforgettable photos and memories.

In a world that is becoming more and more corporate and generic Zamna stands out as an absolute gem, 11/10 will experience...

I recently attended an overbooked event organized by Zamna in Tulum, and I am beyond frustrated with the entire experience.

Overcrowding Issues: The venue was unbearably crowded, making it uncomfortable. I stepped outside for fresh air, but re-entry was prohibited. With a 14-hour event and no clear re-entry policy, this became a colossal inconvenience.

Lack of Re-entry Information: The absence of clear signage about the no re-entry policy was infuriating. It was only buried in small print on the e-tickets, and despite my complaints, the staff remained unhelpful.

Parking Challenges: Paying an extra $30 for parking organized by locals added to the dissatisfaction.

Customer Service Experience: Zamna's customer service was shockingly poor, showing a complete lack of empathy and assistance. My frustrations were met with indifference, leaving me unsupported.

Overbooking Issues: The event being overbooked was evident and contributed to the chaos. Considering the hefty amount I paid for a flight from Canada and the already expensive event tickets, this was unacceptable.

Re-entry Restrictions: Despite my pleas and the absence of clear re-entry signage, staff members heartlessly refused re-entry. I flew all the way from Canada, spent a fortune, and was allowed in for a mere half-hour.

Positive Aspect - Music Quality: On a positive note, the music was fantastic, but even that was overshadowed by the overcrowded conditions and overall frustration.

In conclusion, my experience at the overbooked Zamna event in Tulum fell far below expectations, leaving me incredibly frustrated. The issues with overcrowding, lack of communication, poor customer service, overbooking, and restricted re-entry turned my vacation into a major disappointment. I hope this feedback prompts serious improvements for...

Went to Zamna for afterlife, bought tickets over six months ago and was really looking forward to this, flying over from UK (10 hour flight)with my partner to attend.

However, the actual experience was such a disappointment. The sound system and DJs are good, we knew a few already. But the drink and money situation makes the experience so frustrating you just give up trying - you have to load your bracelet with money, then go to a separate desk/queue to buy a drink which is deducted from your bracelet, and is only small measure spirits or water, for 350 pesos, designed no doubt to legitimately steel money from those leaving money on bracelet - we left with 300 on it and no way to get it back!. At one point we loaded ours with 500 pesos then the bar persons machine didn’t work and said the WiFi was not working in this area and to walk to bars around main stage, which we did to queue for again for ages. I wanted to buy wine, not possible, I was even happy to pay for champagne, not possible, so unless you drink spirits, bad luck.

There is only one place you can actually sit down, no where to eat, no cash machines despite everyone wanting a bribe for something. We thought we’d try VIP but at 10000 pesos decided against it!

And if you are female, be aware, you’ll spend the majority of your evening in a queue for the few female toilets, which because I didn’t want to lose her in crowd, meant I spent most of my evening standing waiting. The queues, the cost, the processes and the overt nature of the capitalism ruins the experience. And unless you enter with tons of drugs so you are completely oblivious to the issues, it’s going to end up being a very expensive over-hyped...