IKAL Tulum Hotel — Hotel in Tulum

Brown Water Issues with strong smells of Chemicals, Bleach or Chlorine cost $3,000+ for stay Check in, Thurs-check out, Mon Ocean front suit with a plunge pool (14)

Friday: our first full day Water was out of services due to pump issues, we were able to shower after 11:30pm, due to the inconvenience.

Saturday: the water was starting to have a weird shade.thinking maybe it just a Mexico pipe thing.

Sunday: Last day; brown water was still coming out. I left it running thinking it would eventually clear out, but text front desk letting them know it needs service, no answer. I just assumed that the “luxury wellness ” resort at $600 USD a night would be quick to handle inconveniences.

My partner and I decided to rent bikes at around 3/4. I had asked if they had seen my text about the shower, he said “oh yes, I think I remember seeing a message coming through about that a couple hours ago, I’ll get someone on it now.” So the guy at the front desk just looked and my message and ignored it?! If I didn’t walk down it wouldn’t have been addressed??! The fact that ignored my initial request of service… a bit irritating. The guys told us that he would send someone right away and told him we would be gone a couple hours and he said great! It will be done when you get back.

Gets back hours later **water is getting darker brown.

Texted them at 6 to let them know it still brown.

Nothing, no reply. assuming they did what I they did with my earlier text and just looked at my text again and ignored it

Texted at 7pm again, asking if anyone would be able to stop by before 9 because we have a long travel the next day and one has come by yet.

Someone came by at 8:30, The water eventually ran clear but now the pressure was low and only dripping out sideways. I gave it 20 mins to see if maybe it just need to adjust it’s almost 9, we had to go to bed. We did not want to have to wait another couple hours for it to be completed., again. There was no trust in it actually getting serviced tonight, They kept saying they would send someone to fix it but they never did. My partner had to take a cold shower in an open air shower when the wind outside was blowing at 14 mph going through the shower room. Even a small turn of cold water would over powered the warm water. After she quickly tired to rinse off and went to bed extremely uncomfortable. They complained saying they smelled like a pool and chemicals, skin was extremely dry and itchy after that shower.

I stayed up a little longer to leave the hot water running for a couple of hours to see if it would fix it self and the VERY strong chemical smell was still coming out of the water would eventually run out, it didn’t.

Unfortunately, chlorine is most certainly not good for health and is extremely irritating to the skin and lungs. During bathing and showering we are especially susceptible to the potentially harmful effects of chlorine. Warm water opens the skin's pores allowing for a higher absorption rate of the chemical.

They tried to come into the room while my partner was sleeping which was completely inappropriate. I left the hot water running for a bit to try to get the smell of the chlorine/ chemicals out of the water. they kept saying they would send someone and the water pressure never changed and didn’t hear anyone outside trying to fix it.

We were unable to shower all day Sunday & Monday. In addition, The pool jets stopped working Friday, Saturday & Sunday and caused the pool to be dirty.

For $500/$600 USD a night and only be able to use the shower properly twice during our trips is unsanitary and inconvenient.

At check out, the lady at the front desk kept try to argue that someone did fixed it. we were unable to shower before our 13hr travel day so there was no sense in arguing that it was “fixed”. My partners skin has not stopped itching since the “shower” sunday night.

This was very unfortunate situation we were put in. As beautiful as the resort was a bit of a trap, not worth the money we spent since we were unable to use 75% of basic amenities...

It's amazing, with few small things I would change, but we still loved it! PROS: The hotel is deep inside the nature, where you can experience true relaxation, enjoy a beaut, or a drink in the pool. Very happy with the room. We were at the Tree House room, and loved it! Bed was super comfortable. There is a wardrobe which is good enough for 2 people. A safe is also available, but we didn't use it. The place is very safe, we didn't even locked the door at times. The room gave you a lot of privacy, even with the open space bathroom. We loved all of it. Position is excellent, close to the Mayan Ruins (you can go by walk), free beach in front of the hotel, and if you wanna go to Tulum it's just a few mins ride by car/taxi. The staff at the reception was welcoming, and explained everything when we arrived. 9 out of 10 cause for the price you would expect a bit more. But in general, we loved the stay. Air Conditioning was available in the room, which was perfect. Coffee maker available and free water refilled every day. Private pool was just nice and warm. Of course expect insect and mosquitos, in the end you are in the middle of the nature. Guests from outside were allowed to stay at the hotel pool but we didn't have any issue on finding our space/sun beds.

CONS: For the price you pay, you would expect a little more. The MAIN issue was TIPPING the staff at the restaurant. We never mind tipping (we do it in our own country) but the staff at the restaurant is kind of forcing you to tip for everything (even if you take just an espresso) and the tip is not a free value, but between 15 to 20% of the total bill. We tried to do not leave a tip once, since food was a bit late, but the waiter came back and asked twice why we didn't want to tip, and stayed until I ticked the value of the tip on the bill. I've never had a similar situation, especially in a hotel that's considered for luxury stays. They also ask for tips for small bills, like when you just take a drink or a coffee. OTHER issues: we knew we would encounter insects and mosquitoes and we didn't particularly mind them, but for the price, they could place mosquito nets around the bed, so at least you can have a better sleep. in the tree house, there is only 1 mirror, and it's placed in the bathroom which is located in open air in the balcony (we loved that) but the downside was especially for girls that need more time to prepare; a mirror inside the room would help in order to avoid the mosquitoes outside while putting make-up on. Bar Closing Time. The bar/restaurant closes at 22:00 so after that you have to go to other hotels or to Tulum for having a drink. I think the hotel is very beautiful and it would be nice to enjoy a drink even late in the evening without going far. Tulum is not far but a taxi ride was about 20$ one way. Also, if you come back late from a tour there is no availability of food/drinks in this case. There were road works when we went there (November 2023), and we spent about 20mins by car to find the place, a sign outside would help find the hotel. BIG DOWNSIDE: We booked the room offer with "Included Free Breakfast", but the items which were included were just few of them. From all the breakfast menu, you can literally choose 4 to 6 items - the simplest and cheapest. They were still tasting good, but in my opinion it’s better to advice the client during the booking what you can expect, as you can end up paying and extra fee for the included breakfast offer PLUS any extra item you are going to take while you will be there at the breakfast (which is not cheap!)

Apart of those small things, our stay was perfect and we loved it. I hope those things gets better with time!...

This place is great - but please make sure you do your research before booking... I would say it is not for everyone! TLDR: It is most definitely NOT your typical Mexican luxury resort, so if that is what you're looking for, do not book this. Also do not book this if you don't really love nature - while the accommodation is beautiful (I stayed in the tree house suite), it is still very rustic - there will be bugs and the AC doesn't work super great. You have to go outside to use the bathroom and the hot water wasn't the hottest (not a huge issue as it's hot outside). The service is also not the greatest... and the tipping culture here is weird. I always tip at least 20%... always, even for mediocre service, but I would say service here is really subpar if I'm being honest. Not one time during our entire stay (4 days) were we asked if we needed anything. We would be on lounge chairs and have to go into the restaurant and ask for the menu, then come back and place our order. They did bring our order out to us once ready, but then if you asked for something additional (say another drink), it almost always never came and you'd have to get up to ask again. I say this not as much to complain (although its definitely strange knowing how service usually is at a resort), but after all this, they would then ask if you want to leave 15 or 20% tip... tipping does not feel like a choice here and they should just automatically add it instead of pretty much forcing patrons to leave one, even if the service is not really deserving. The staff are nice enough, but definitely keep to themselves and don't really make additional conversation (again, this does not line up with previous resorts I've stayed at in Mexico). If you like to keep to yourself and are not looking for pampering, this is the spot for you. I saw several solo female travelers here that looked like they were having a super relaxing time and were definitely left alone. The fees are also something I feel they should mention upfront... they only tell you about the mandatory daily national park fee literally as soon as you press book (on the nonrefundable booking). All this being said, I did have a great time here but I think it's very niche and I would only recommend going if you are just looking to relax and unwind above all else. It is unique and beautiful. There are free daily yoga sessions on the beach, which is amazing. It's very quiet and there isn't much else around the hotel - everything would pretty much wrap up by 9 pm at night. Even though a lot of the reviews mention subpar food at the restaurant, I thought it was delicious! Going back to what I said about service though, they were out of something almost every day... one day they were out of chicken, steak, and shrimp with basically no apology. They were also out of ice cream the entire time we were there. Again, these are all little things, but I mention them just to say if you have been to Mexico previously and gotten over the top luxury and service, do not expect that here. I think they really are trying to focus on connecting with nature, unplugging, and unwinding... which I certainly did. Overall when I left I felt like I went on a retreat... I did yoga every day, ate healthily, was in bed early, had a massage on the beach, and took naps every day while listening to the ocean. If this sounds like your type of vacation, then I'd definitely recommend...