El Pez Hotel Tulum — Restaurant in Tulum

My wife and I are travel freaks and have been almost around the world. El Pez was right at the top. The service was simply outstanding, Four Seasons level. The staff is seriously committed to adding value to your stay. Everyone is so friendly and anxious to be your "Dream Merchant". They live for "Special Requests". My phone charging cord malfunctioned and the front desk charged it for me every night. My wife had some cocktails on an empty stomach and a pretty good buzz on and was dizzy. She had trouble eating her dinner and as she sobered up back at El Pez. She was starving and craving a fantastic Churros desert they make. The Kitchen was closed, my wife was totally bummmed. Within minutes Will, the manager, opened up kitchen and presented my wife with best dessert she ever had on the veranda of our Bedroom. Finally, on the first morning of breakfast, I had ordered : Eggs Benedict and requested VERY CRISPY English Muffin/Toast. When it arrived it had soggy/soft bread. They of course went and shortly presented me with crispy bread. 4 days later, I ordered same Eggs Benedict, the manager Will asked me if the waiter had gotten my toast the way I liked it. I had no idea that he even knew about my toast not being crispy that first day, or that he would cared. Well he did, and I wondered how the heck he would/could remember that. He did! These folks pay attention to the details and made us feel special, welcome and happy.

This Tulum area is hot and happening. The night life is crazy wild. A bit much for us. There is just tons of Beach Clubs and hotels right next to each other and the energy is over the top. The location, beauty and serenity is second to none. No Hotels to the South and only one to the North that is a couple of 100 yards away and the beach main area is around the protective cove at El Pez. By far the least congested beach hotel in the area.

A fantastic private villa that has a great dining area just steps from the water. ALL the food was fantastic and the rooms and vistas are first class, The secluded pool is a gem that some folks don't even know about. Private, comfortable with views of the Ocean. Tea delivered at night and a pot of coffee at your door in the morning .Always a smile from the staff. Concierge services can book you wonderful tours of the Ruins, the fresh water caves, transportation, and diving/snorkeling, of road vehicles, and bikes. Denise, Arturo, jesus,Gilbert and Will (plus others) were the best!! What a great relaxing place with an outstanding staff, outstanding food and BEST location. We will be Back!!! Peter and Lydia...

I am not a "review" kind guy but, there are some things about this spot I thought were pretty sweet and some that were strange.

We ended up at El Pez because the hotel we booked for our trip to Tulum was boarded up and closed for some sort of "non payment"... at least that's what the security dude in front of our initial property told us when we arrived.

In a panic, I called American Express, (who I did not go through directly to book this property) and told them my situation. They recommended I go to El Pez because they were a partner with American Express.

We arrived to the El Pez and the staff was extremely cordial and inviting... they have a bit of a process they take you through upon arriving to introduce you to their restaurant and bar staff which, in hind sight, was good. I just had limited patience after what I went through after learning the initial property we booked was closed.

While I was checking in, the desk clerk refused my American Express as payment.. she asked me for a different type of payment. I asked her why American Express would tell me to stay at their property but yet, they do not except AMEX? I gave them some serious attitude about their refusal to take my card that got a bit heated..

The girls eventually took my payment but, it started off a little strange that they would turn down AMEX as payment when AMEX was why I was the only reason I was even at their hotel? I was irritated, to say the least.

Arrived at the room, the staff brought us hot tea and the view was beautiful. Large balcony with comfortable seating..No TV in the room (which isn't really that bad) and super comfortable beds..

Now, the amazing part... I dont know WHO they have as the chef at that place but, the food in that place was incredible. The tempura shrimp tacos were amazing, the avocado toast has to be seen to be believed, Chilaquiles were perfect (and I am from Texas so, I know what I am talking about here) and oh my, their French Toast was the best I have ever eaten.. I will be thinking about their French Toast for the rest of my life...

Just dont order the Quesadillas late night..unless you want to re-live your high school or college days with a piece of baloney, a slice of sandwich cheese folded into a microwaved tortilla... (obviously their star chef doesnt work the late night shift.)

The hotel was a bit off the main beach, has a great spot on a small cove with an amazing view out of every room.. I grew to really dig the place the longer I stayed there. I will...

We stayed at El Pez for the last 3 days of our 9 day honeymoon. Our first 6 days were spent at two incredible Airbnbs near downtown Tulum. We were so excited and anticipating our stay at El Pez, as it was our only stay on the beach. But unfortunately, upon arriving, we were very disappointed. Mounds and mounds of smelly sargassum seaweed sat in front of the beachfront room we splurged on— and men with pitchforks were actively making piles and hauling it onto trailers pulled by ATVs: the opposite of a romantic, relaxing environment we expected for our honeymoon. The men were out there sun up to sun down all 3 days of our stay. I credit their hard work and understand that this isn’t something el Pez could have prevented, but nonetheless- it was frustrating and a big elephant in the room our whole stay. El Pez never acknowledged the seaweed or tried to make up for it in any way. The room itself was also disappointing; the pictures make it look better than it is. The other two places we stayed in Tulum (which were 1/3 of the price) were immaculately clean. By comparison, our room at El Pez was rundown and felt very lived in. Damp rugs made of rough, dry grass were on every side of our bed— which was a huge turn off. I immediately rolled them up. That revealed big spots of floor finish that had been chipped off. I imagine the rugs were meant to cover that up. Also within our first few hours, our key didn’t work to lock our room, and the replacement set given broke in the lock. The hot water in the shower also didn’t work. All that said, the staff at El Pez could not have been nicer. They were very prompt at addressing our concerns like the keys and water. Ultimately, with the abundance of beautiful, clean, reasonably priced lodging options Tulum has to offer, El Pez has work to do in meeting the standards and expectations of its guests. The saving grace of our stay at El Pez is that we were able to enjoy beaches and views with very little to no seaweed of their sister properties— La Zebra and Mi Amor. I’d recommend people stay at one of those...