Zenote — Restaurant in Quintana Roo

This place used to be buuts ha cenote. It was gorgeous, everything spotless, beautiful tulum style decor, working sunbeds and sun umbrellas, cushions, loud electronic music. I didn’t like the music but loved everything else.

When I heard it was changing owners/admin with the change to name “Zenote” and that now it was pet friendly it seemed like a great idea! Loved the place and was looking for somewhere to chill for the day, not to party.

I went today with my dad. We arrived, they changed the entrance, where you come from, a bit lost but ok. We got there the guy said it’s 300 pesos entrance and you get a free gin tonic or like a fruit water.

We entered to be disappointed. The place that was gorgeous looked completely abandoned. Most wooden sunbeds were broken, all linens cushions hammocks looked dirty, half broken, old, they gave us towels that looked very old and used too, lots of umbrellas not working, and NO ONE ELSE there.

The water had a weird coat of something, so it looked really dirty and not taken care of. Didn’t make us want to swim there at all.

I asked for a lemonade, only for him to tell me there were no limes. We looked around and decided to leave.

I told the waiter why, and he told me I could speak to the person in charge.

I went then to speak with this lady, in a friendly way, to explain the expectations and why we were disappointed. I told her I’d been there before and that the way it is now is not presentable for 300 MXN entrance. Maybe until they fix it it could be free entrance, or 300 consumption, or make some promotions on food, WHATEVER, but make it something worth our money. Other Cenotes charge the same and are better. She basically said the place has been abandoned for 1 year and it took a toll on things and that in about a month should be fixed. I told her, well, that’s not my problem, but you shouldn’t advertise something as “ready” when it’s not. Maybe keep it closed, so the renovations and then properly open. She basically kept giving me excuses but didn’t really want to listen to take in the criticism. I told her I would t recommend it to anyone I know because it is a little drive from tulum only to be disappointed. Totally not worth it

They should: either make a massive promotion while the place is not “ready”, to justify going Keep it closed until is possible to be there.

Not surprised there was no one there, and whoever goes won’t come back. Such a pity, I hope they fix it soon!

But for...

We visited this cenote about 20 minutes from Tulum, expecting a vibrant, nature-meets-party vibe—kind of like a natural oasis with music and atmosphere. The location itself is beautiful and serene, surrounded by nature, giving it that hidden gem kind of feel.

When we arrived around 11am, we were told a DJ would start at 2pm and that the place would fill up with people. Unfortunately, that never really happened. At most, there were 7–8 guests total, which left the place feeling more empty than lively. It was disappointing, especially since we stayed in hopes of catching a vibe, but instead just ended up hanging out with the staff (who were actually very friendly and enjoyable to talk to).

What made it worse was that we were told most tables were reserved, and it felt like the staff oversold the experience to get us to stay and spend money on a day pass and drinks. Honestly, it didn’t feel worth the price—if there’s no party or energy, charging for a day pass didn’t make much sense.

There are definitely areas for improvement: • The furniture needed maintenance—many of the cushions were unzipped or had broken zippers, which gave the space a run-down feel. • The cenote water didn’t look very clean. We saw others swimming, but between the mosquitoes and unclear water, we decided to skip it. • Drinks were okay, but to make the most of it we ended up buying a bottle of tequila—pricey, but it gave us something to do. • The washrooms were clean and spacious, which was a plus. • Parking was nearby, but be prepared for a bit of off-roading—the signage is there, but it’s not a paved or polished road.

Overall, it has potential—it could be a great party spot if they actually delivered the vibe they promise. But right now, it feels a bit like a missed opportunity. If you’re looking for calm, maybe it’ll work for you. But if you’re expecting energy, music, and a social scene, you might want to...

My plan was to have lunch and some drinks after swimming at the cenotes. A very nice gentleman (he was awesome) welcomed me and told me to sit anywhere that a waiter would come with menus and that I could eat wherever I pleased. Also explained me about swimming at that cenote, and that I needed to tell my waiter to arrange everything for me. After I sat down tho, nobody approached me for about 15-20 min. I had to get up to catch their attention to get me menus and basically had to beg them to place my order. All the staff around me were on their phone and even smoking. I wanted to order more things but they never came around to check on me. Now, there were some people siting somewhere close to me and the waiter was there the whole time following all the steps of service. I wonder if it’s because I’m not white or “European like”. I honestly felt like I was not welcomed there. I ended up asking for the check that took forever to arrive, with 15% tip included. The server even told me it was policy to “suggest 15%” (but not really because it was already added to the bill) but I could leave more if I wanted to. Which I would if the service was actually good. It’s a shame, because the place is beautiful, and have a great vibe. The concept of a cenote club is genius, I wish I had a better...