Hotel Shibari Tulum — Hotel in Tulum

We had a marvelous time at Shibari in February 2024. We knew Tulum would be crowded at that time of the year and the Shibari, based on its website and reviews, looked quieter than other places in the area, with the bonus of the cenote. The hotel turned out to be a welcome refuge from the main road in the hotel zone. Our interactions with the staff also gave us a memorable human experience.

We booked a Tsuri Jungle Deluxe room. Our room was at the back corner of the property on the second floor. We liked the location. The elevation caught any breeze and provided a sweeping view of a largely undeveloped area, not a particularly beautiful vista but we could see sunrise and sunset as well as ample stars. We like being around wildlife, and the location provided viewings of egrets, black hawks, herons, flamingos, and pelicans, usually just one or two at a time transiting the area. We would watch for them while having our morning tea on the terrace. There was also a variety of smaller birds, including an entertaining mockingbird.

We spent time on several days in and around the cenote. It was a low-key party atmosphere with a DJ providing music that generally wasn’t overwhelming like the constant nighttime dance beats emanating from elsewhere in the zone. The water was beautiful, and the area was particularly entrancing at night.

Being older than the average tourist in Tulum, we didn’t take part in the nightly revels around the Shibari, though we did go out to observe the partying crowds. Better than TV. Because of this we ate at the hotel three of the four nights. Though the menu wasn’t extensive, the food was excellent. Very few other quests were present, so it was like having the whole nighttime cenote area to ourselves.

At dinner we met servers Leo and Miguel and talked with them extensively during and after our meal. They were also both present on our last evening along with some of the kitchen staff and DJ Gilio, who played an interesting array of music. We turned him on to David Byrne and the Talking Heads; the phrase “This must be the place” on a sign at the front of the hotel is the title of an early Talking Heads song. We talked with the staff, danced on the platform next to the cenote, and one of the Mayan staff demonstrated fish calling when some big ones appeared in the illuminated cenote. A truly memorable evening.

We enjoyed the breakfasts, where we met Karla, the morning hostess. She is a fairly new employee with wonderful people skills, is conscientious and helpful, and has a beautiful smile!

The three butlers Diego, Reuben, and Geraldo were helpful, friendly, and pleasant to talk to. Diego was especially attentive, going out of his way to improve our stay, and Reuben arranged for our transportation back to Cancun for our flight home. Natalia in registration was also very helpful in providing information before we came.

There were some things that could be improved. We knew that Mexican beaches were open to the public but found it hard to locate the supposed public access nearby, so on the morning we wished to visit the beach we just walked into one of the beach clubs and told the greeter we wanted to visit the public beach through their property and though she looked surprised, she let us through. Shibari management should do more to inform guests that the beaches are open to all tourists and locals and provide better information on access. We drink tea in the morning, but the room contained only coffee; luckily we’ve learned to travel with tea bags and used the Nespresso machine to heat the water. Some of those containers of half and half would have been an improvement on the powdered creamer. The hotel can’t do anything about the dance beats booming from the hotel zone every night except maybe supply ear plugs. Two minor issues: our room (65) had a wobbly table and on two occasions we heard a noise as if a bird was scratching around in the wall.

We definitely recommend the Shibari and would gladly return, especially if we could spend more time with the wonderful people...

Let me start by saying if you are thinking of staying at Shibari 100% DO IT!! This was a bucket list resort experience. You are completely surrounded by nature throughout the resort.

We felt extremely safe as there was the police station based right next door to the hotel and there was hotel security at all times with a gate to enter the premises. We never once felt unsafe, even walking around the nearby strip.

There was cleaning service twice a day. One around lunchtime to refresh towels, amenities, rainforest purified water and make the beds. Then around 6pm there was a turnover service when they came to prepare the bed for the night. On the last night they left us a beautiful dreamcatcher as a parting gift. It’s really the attention to detail that pleasantly surprised us and made us feel special.

From the moment we arrived we were greeted by Jonathan with warm towels and mimosas. We had mentioned when booking the reservation we were celebrating our anniversary so the staff went above and beyond and surprised us with a bottle of prosecco, strawberries and the most decadent chocolate.

We were told to Whatsapp the team at any time should we need anything. In the mornings they would help us plan our day, make reservations at local beach clubs/restaurants or find excursions. There were yoga classes offered every morning which I loved starting my morning off with. They had cooking classes on site as well and a spa.

Day one the Cenote was closed due to the hurricane that hit the area a few days before but the team was quick to provide alternate solutions which were acceptable for us. We were extremely lucky day 2 that the Cenote was open and ready to use. It is necessary for the Government to inspect post storm before the Cenote is useable and we’re very happy we were made aware of the situation from the beginning of check in.

The hotel has connections to the nearby beachfront hotels and they can arrange a free booking to any beach club on your behalf (normally just to book a club for the day would be around $50 from what we were told).

They have a Tropical House DJ by the pool restaurant area which is a perfect addition. In the morning during breakfast there was a traditional Mayan musician which we was an amazing experience.

The food here is absolutely excellent and coming from NYC, we are used to eating a high caliber of food which the Chef at Shibari definitely provided us with the most amazing level of sophistication and quality of the dishes. We both have severe food allergies my partner (nuts, coconuts) me (gluten) and we were a bit worried it might be an issue but the kitchen was so professional and worked within our limitations. We were able to order exactly what we wanted and wasn’t an issue since the menu was labeled with all dietary preferences which made it easy to order. We will definitely miss all the amazing meals and would hope one day Atta would open in New York and beyond so they can share their excellence with the world. There were so many restaurants to choose from in Tulum and we chose to dine at Atta every single time. Upmost compliments to the Chef!!! It was a pleasure meeting him and we were surprised at how humble he was!

Staff on hand were all so wonderful. Huge thank you to the following staff that went above and beyond expectations: Jonathan, Gustavo (Tavo), Leo, Carlos, Gerardo & Mirna.

The hotel has bikes and vespas available from 9-6 pm that we enjoyed. We borrowed a vespa to visit the Tulum Ruinás and nearby Cenotes (with caves).

Overall, we had a great experience and we truly appreciate everything from start to end! We were so pleasantly surprised by the amazing service, attention to detail and attentiveness. We will definitely be recommending the hotel to everyone! Can’t wait to visit again! We will be missing you all so much! Thank you for welcoming us into your resort and making us feel like home. Looking forward to our next stay at the Shibari Hotel.

With...

We really enjoyed our stay here. The #1 best thing about our stay was the people who work here. Vanessa, Paola, Ali, Mauricio, Mariana, and everyone else we came into contact with were so incredibly friendly, welcoming, professional, and helpful. The grounds are beautiful and the bedroom was awesome (we loved that we were given 2 Nespresso coffee pods and 2 large glass bottles of water per day, so we didn’t have to get these things ourselves). The staff gives you a welcome bag with travel size cenote friendly sunscreen, bug spray, and after sun spray, which was a nice gesture. You also get a welcome drink (beer, water, or non-alcoholic refresher/spritzer) and goodbye drink, as well as a goodbye gift and little bracelet that serves as your room key while you are here.

The cleaning staff comes in and cleans your room daily, as well as provides a turn down service at night. We had a small problem not getting hot water one night, and they sent someone immediately who replaced the entire hot water heater for us. There is a TV in the room with a few complimentary movies to choose from. We were happy to see Top Gun on the list. :) The bed in the room is HUGE and so comfortable, with the highest quality sheets and comforter. Robes were also provided in the room, as well as really nice smelling lavender and mint toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and body lotion). It smelled like the spa! The hotel staff is at your fingertips 24/7 with a WhatsApp service that you can message for questions, recommendations, retrieving your car, etc. It rained a lot while we were there and they came out with umbrellas for us—wow! Unfortunately we were unable to use the beautiful beds by the cenote (they were all soaked due to the rain), but there was a hot tub that we enjoyed several times during our stay.

The hotel is also very safe and secure feeling. We never once felt in danger during our stay here. I included a picture of the front entrance so you can see. There are cameras and security guards who have to validate all visitors before opening the doors to the resort.

A couple small things to be aware of though— there must be a concert hall or something nearby, because a loud booming noise (music bass) was constantly heard from our bedroom, which was quite annoying. We were able to drown it out with white noise on the bluetooth speaker to get some sleep.

The other thing I didn’t love was the hidden fees that were not mentioned until we got there. I booked directly on the hotel website where the final total was given (including taxes and fees, it stated). However, once we got there, we were informed of an extra $35/night charge for groundskeeping and butler service, as well as a 15% additional service charge for anything you consume at the restaurant, including the free breakfast. I think these fees need to be clearly stated on their website at the time of booking, so there’s no surprise fees for guests when they arrive. Additionally, we had dinner one night at the restaurant and the food was very good, but expect small portions with a high price tag.

In conclusion, we 100% recommend this hotel and truly cannot say enough good about the incredible people who work here. They are WONDERFUL. Vanessa specifically was a huge help to me when our rental was broken into and our bag stolen in Tulum Centro. She called our car rental insurance company for us and was very supportive, kind, and helpful. She truly went above and beyond. Thank you Vanessa!!!

If you book here, you can relax and rest assured knowing you will be very well...