Balabamba Beach Club — Restaurant in Tulum

IF YOU’RE A WOMAN TRAVELLING ALONE READ THIS!!!!

Where can I start. Me and my partner went to Balabamba with reasonable expectations. Balabamba was recommended to us online and it looked incredible, however some friends staying in Tulum also warned us of some rumours and their experience in there. Nether the less we went to try it.

From the outside the place looks great, inside is equally as nice. The food was ok, not as good as some of the local restaurants down the road. The staff seemed ok, slightly arrogant however what happened next we were disgusted to see.

Many women travelling alone and friends with partners mentioned that some of the staff were a bit sleazy and shameful towards women and that many of the people we spoke to who had visited didn’t feel safe in there. But what we saw next was disgusting.

When leaving a couple of women were leaving their car with the parking valet and upon bending down to get their bags we saw a member of the front desk taking pictures up their skirt. We were horrified but what was worse was the blonde lady on the desk seemed to be in on it and laughing about their actions. I turned around and said to the staff it was unacceptable.

Please avoid this place at all costs, people especially women have a right to feel...

Stunning beach club that has everything you need. Comfortable beds, beautiful pool that you can look out at the sea from and similar setup if you want to lie out on the beach beds themselves on the main beach, which is among the nicest in Mexico. Main reason for the top score here is the service though, not sure I’ve seen better in all of Mexico. Oliver was brilliant and checked on us so regularly, even seemed to know when we were short on anything, and his timing was perfect. Sergio too was great and very helpful if we needed anything! They even mixed in some complimentary bits for us that were unexpected but class! Would definitely go back, unlikely to find a better one in Tulum. Front desk girl was also super friendly and welcoming. Food was top class too and they brought it all down to the beach for us when we moved down there, which was as nice of a setting as you can get. Price was very reasonable, we were there all day and got dinner there, so I was actually expecting it to be more expensive than it was, so very happy with that too!

All in all 5/5 for everything!...

Visited today at 10.30am (opening time is 10am), we were told they wouldn't be open for another 30mins as they were still cleaning and setting up. Went for a slow and over priced drink over the road, then came back to be greeted by two seemingly unmotivated and not interested staff who simply told us 1,000mxn minimum per person (they also offer 1,500 day pass that includes drinks and non-meat food until 7pm I think). Walked through to a sargaso / seaweed covered beach, with no attempt to clear it and on a day other beaches have none. Ended up sat on a sunlounger by the pool next to super loud music. Wifi doesn't work. No cell signal for data. Left again after 5minutes without ordering anything. This would probably be a good spot for a large group that's just looking to get drunk as a group by the pool. But as a place to party with just a couple of people, it's pointless as it's empty.. To relax, also pointless as it's incredibly loud and beds are uncomfortable. Not the worst place on the beach, but certainly not the best (even...