Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya All-Inclusive Resort

You’ll read on different forums, mainly Reddit, that Tulum is not family-friendly at all and there are not many accommodating hotels for such a travel party. The Hilton Tulum all-inclusive turns that thinking on its head. The property is in Akumal, basically half-way between Playa Del Carmen and Tulum, so you decide how long you’ll want to be in commute to the airport and it’s going to be an hour or so. Laid out in such a way that you can experience the property for several days and not get bored, you’ll have several private pools, a main party pool, a lagoon and a children’s water play area that definitely over-delivers. There’s also a churro counter and several restaurants on the waterfront to choose from if you’re hungry. Rooms are big enough to feel like you have some space and balconies are generous. Mini-fridges are stocked with 6 beers, snacks, plenty of water and even some juice. Nice surprise on quality of the items, actually. The property has abundant wildlife, with hermit crabs, birds (saw 5 different kinds, fish (saw 6 different kinds) and iguanas everywhere. The tram is efficient and steady, coming every 10-15 minutes, so don’t fret if you’re not staying in the first two buildings, you’ll manage easily. Restaurants offer a forward perspective on meals, so be adventurous and don’t expect the chalk menu of most all-inclusive hotels. Staff is friendly, resort is clean and the entertainment is actually entertaining!

Wonderful resort, modern clean rooms and lovely grounds- great resort if you have celiac disease the staff couldn’t have been more helpful - Vela Norte and Vela Sur, the buffets, were so accommodating thanks to Sebastian, Gilberto, Moises, Oliver, Oscar the head chef at Vela Sur also Estefany and Lizbeth (the wonderful hostess greeters) breakfast couldn’t have been any better at Vela Norte with Israel and Egardo looking after us. Top the list after the buffets are the Italian (gf pasta and pizza!) the Mediterranean (wonderful sea views - this is Vela Sur in the day) and the steakhouse- fabulous on site coffee shop with staff to match! I wish I could list all the staff as they do make this resort very special - A great gym and sunrise yoga was fabulous too!

We had an excellent time during our early-April visit! The hotel property is beautiful and thoughtfully designed. We had a few reservations after reading some of the reviews online, but ultimately had an excellent experience and would highly recommend this resort for your next stay in the Riviera Maya. 1. Location: The resort is a bit far from the Cancun airport, but there are so many transfer and shuttle options available--frankly, this is a non-issue. Those who are looking to spend time in the cities are looking at a 30+ minute cab ride. However, you are only 10 minutes from the incredible Xel-Ha park, 10 minutes from the Akumal turtle sanctuary, and about 20 minutes from the Jaguar National Park, home to the Tulum Mayan Ruins. It's between 400 to 600 MXN in a cab ($20-30) to get to these destinations. Depending on your vacation, this resort is actually in quite a nice location! 2. Food: For guests not staying in the Enclave section, there are 5 a la carte dinner options and 1 buffet dinner, 2 breakfast buffets, a 24-hour cafe/coffee shop, 2 a la carte lunch options, pool bars which serve snacks and drinks, and a gelato/churro stand. There is also 24-hour room service which you can order from the app or the phone. The mini bar in your room is stocked with snacks and drinks each day. You won't go hungry here, even if you aren't accessing the Enclave exclusive restaurant and lounge! Far and away, our favorite dinner restaurant was Auma, the steakhouse. We also enjoyed our meals at the Italian restaurant (La Luce) and the Mediterranean restaurant (Vela Sur). The Mexican chophouse (Maxal) and the Japanese restaurant (Noriku) were also good, but we felt that the menu options were a little lacking there. Everywhere had delicious desserts and cocktails. We started nearly every morning with a delicious coffee from Azulinda. We sometimes returned there later in the day for a scoop of gelato or a sweet treat. The breakfast buffets (Vela Norte and Vela Sur) both had a variety of yummy international options, including staples like chilaquiles, tamales, and empanadas. There was also an omelet station where you arrange your mix-ins on a plate and a worker sautés them to perfection with fresh eggs. Staff will serve you coffee and drinks, and there is a delightful mimosa cart making the rounds! For lunch, we ate at Seasalt (by building 2) and Azulinda (the lobby bar). Our favorite dish at Seasalt was the ribeye tacos or the grilled cauliflower. At the lobby bar, we liked the corn ribs, the pork flatbread, and the hummus. There is also a lunch buffet at Vela Sur. We did find that the lunch options were a bit lacking and would have liked another a la carte option. We were impressed by the number of vegan options and the attentiveness of the staff to food allergies. Tip for ordering room service: order ahead of time using the app! The staff delivered our food right on time. The portions for the room service options were a lot bigger than in the restaurants, so no need to over-order like we did...or do! It's all included! 3. Service: Each staff member we interacted with was kind, friendly, and welcoming. Like others have shared in reviews, the pool service is the only place that we felt was too slow, BUT the waiters are covering a huge area so it makes sense. There were a few times where someone approached us and took our order but then never brough our drinks. That said, it was no problem to walk up to the bar at Seasalt and grab a few drinks to take back to our chairs. Check in and check out were a breeze. We arrived several hours before our room was ready, and the front desk set up our wristbands so we could get something to eat and enjoy the pool. We indicated that we were celebrating our anniversary when we booked the room, and the front desk upgraded us from "Jungle View" to "Partial Ocean View" without us even asking. That was a very pleasant surprise! Even though it was described as "partial," our view was only blocked by a few sparse palm trees--otherwise, we had full sight of the Caribbean Sea out our window. We were not pitched an up-sell like a time share or Enclave experience one time, which was very nice compared to other resorts we have stayed at in the past. There were a few people pitching photo packages or spa services, but they took no for an answer and were very respectful. Housekeeping kept our room immaculate and well stocked. 4. Pools & Beaches: In the past, we have stayed at resorts where you have to wake up at zero-dark-thirty just to reserve a pool chair. At the Hilton, there were tons and tons of available beach and pool chairs and umbrellas no matter which pool you wanted to visit. The trade off for this is slow drinks service, but as I said earlier, you can always stroll over to the bar and order what you want. You can also bring beers, waters, and sodas from your room's mini fridge. There were half a dozen or so pools you could choose from, including a lively "activities" pool with games and exercises, a kid-friendly splash pad down by the family area, and a quiet adults-only pool in front of building three. There were also a few hot tubs, and showers and restrooms available in each pool area. It was quite windy during our stay, but things did calm down enough for us to dip into the ocean. The main beach swimming area is outside the main lobby, and again, there were plenty of chairs and umbrellas up for grabs. The staff did a nice job of keeping this area clear of seaweed, although the majority of the beachfront elsewhere on the property is inaccessible due to rocks and seaweed. The sargassum isn't their fault of course, and they had a tractor each day going by and trying to manage it. It's amazing how quickly it builds up, and unfortunately it was a little smelly when the wind blew the wrong way. In the swimming area, they have an artificial reef built to break the waves and it is quite shallow, so the conditions were great for beginner swimmers. It is REALLY rocky, so I would definitely recommend some water shoes to protect your feet. We saw lots of fish and a stingray! 5. Misc. Thoughts: This resort is humongous. It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the lobby to Casa 6 (the family/kids area). Thankfully, they have a very efficient electric train system that runs every few minutes at all hours of the day and night. The bellhops will transport your luggage to and from the lobby and your building, too. Speaking of the bellhops, they were also very helpful with arranging taxis too and from our excursions! We don't have children, but this seems like a great place to bring your young kids. There is an extensive playground and kid's pool/splash pad. It looked like there was a kids menu at every restaurant, too. Compared to other area resorts, the Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya is a great bang-for-your-buck option. Overall, we really enjoyed our stay and would recommend it to you and your family in the future.