help needed-scared by reviews

[scar]

we were thinking about staying at parayso for three days in march with another family. we got a good rate via their web site but the reviews i have read are terrible.
could you help us find an alternate?

here are our facts - 2 families with 5 children traveling together. kids are older. 3 boys ages 14,and 17(2) and 2 girls ages 12 and 14. we go to the akumal or pdc area most years in march during our schools spring break as we are teachers and forced to travel at this time. we usually day trip to tulum to enjoy the beaches so are some what familiar with the area. usually go to playa kin ha for a day and comb the beaches and let the kids play in the surf.

with out ever seeing this property or being there we liked the following about parayso

1) location (near beach clubs and bars/restaurants. we like to be near other people and don't like being off by our selves some where.
2) large enough rooms with 3 beds/room so our family of 4 would only need 1 room and the other family of 5 would need just one room. price for the biggest rooms with 3 beds was $195 night. we are only staying 3 nights and don't spend much time in the room.
3) pool- seems like a nice break from the ocean

what we didn't like

1) negative reports
2) no curling iron or hair dryer (wife only - daughters fine with it)
3) no on site bar/restaurant
4) filthy pool, no towels etc.

we have sent inquiries to Tita Tulum but no response and Zamas is a possibility but i remember it being kind of rocky over there and maybe farther from the other beach clubs,bars, restaurants

we are looking for a place in/close to the most action and like the idea of not needing 3 rooms. really would like to spend no more than $225 a night /family as we are spending much more for our 1st 5 days at an all inclusive near pdc. decided we liked the tulum area enough that we wanted at least 3 nights there. would consider 4 if thats what it takes to get a price break. air conditioning is not a must or is a pool but both would be nice.

do you have any suggestions?

thank you!
Don in Wisconsin

[TnTWalter]

Are you sure you're family's ready for the rustic-ness of Tulum accomodations? You cannot flush toilet paper, there will probably be no curling irons or blow dryers, most places do not have A/C, showers are salty water, some do not have electricity at night.

Just want you to fully prepare your family so there are no SHOCKS.

You are pretty limited with pools [I also wanted a pool for DH when we looked]. Suenos has a nice pool. They have 2 cabanas for families. but remote location. http://suenostulum.com/ Ana y Jose has pools and might suit your family better not sure if price will work. http://www.anayjose.com/ Zulum has a tiny pool not sure about accomodations. http://www.zulumhotels.com/#stop There's Las Ranitas. There is a pool that certain units share. Might be too far south but here you go. http://www.lasranitas.com/las-ranitas.html

[PhyllisB]

Yep, your wife is going to have to give up the hair dryer and curling iron. Many places on the beach have generators or solar or wind for electricity, but they don't generate enough power for those kinds of appliances. Tulum is off the electric grid (one of the reasons I love it!).

You're right, it will be hard to find a place with three beds in a room, but you might be able to inquire about whether a place would be willing to add a cot or small mattress for you.

I haven't traveled with a group that size, but (depending on your budget) you might try Casa de las Palmas or look into a rental house - many of the rental homes are more isolated in the biosphere but I think there are at least a couple on the main drag (Behla, and maybe a couple of others).

Nueva Vida has a lot of different types of rooms & accommodations, they might have a decent mix of things. You might also try Casa Violeta.

Wait on Tita a bit - or try emailing again after a few days if you don't hear anything. They have two beds in the rooms, and might be able to add another in. They are very family friendly and have the on-site restaurant.

But I'll wait for Minnie or pepper to chime in -- or other folks who have traveled with a family group before.

[minniemex]

First off, your recollection of Zamas is correct. Their beach is situated in a small cove with alot of iron shore. A majority of their rooms are also located across the beach road on the jungle side. Not exactly the place I would be looking at.

Beachreader gave you excellent info on Casa de las Palmas. That would be an excellent choice, although, checking their calendar, only have a few days available in March.

Another option might be Zamna. Here is a link to their website ~ http://www.vrbo.com/global/siteFrame.aspx?l=17349&k=1

Another possibility would be La Luna ~ here is a link to their website. http://www.vrbo.com/128997

I agree that Zulum might be a choice for you as they do have a few double bed rooms and a pool. If my memory serves me right I think they may be trying to be "all inclusive" for meals. That part doesn't fit your profile. Not sure if you can book just the room, but worth a try.

Another, and one of my favs, is Nueva Vida de Ramiro. It is somewhat confusing, as some of their rooms are now"Hechizo de Luna" I would also give both of them a try.

http://www.hechizodelunatulum.com/

http://www.tulumnv.com/en/index.html

There is a thread in our FAQ section that lists lots of property's web site addys ~ you might want to peruse that.

You can always take the rooms at Paraiso with the understanding that this is as you say "just a room" and you spend hardly any time there at all.

Also, very few places have pools. They are a rare commodity in Tulum and in most cases, not really kept up all that well.

[minniemex]

Oh, and I almost forgot. You are not able to use hairdryers in Tulum. No ones electrical will support the use of "electrical appliances".

[Mindy in Tulum]

Ahhh this whole thread reminds me of all of the things that I love about Tulum... but that does not really help find the best room.

[beachreader]

Some great information above, and on the thread from yesterday: http://tulum.info/showthread.php?t=4163.

No hairdryers or curling irons on the beach road. I hope something so small won't ruin the whole trip!

Have fun finding a place.

[PhyllisB]

Minnie mentioned La Luna -- they're doing some upgrades to the property coming up, and insiders in the know may have whispered to me that they may even put in a pool. I'd get in touch with them, tell them the size of your group and see what they can do for you. One of their buildings, Captain Dales, might work for one family, and then I think they have another unit that has an upstairs/downstairs type setup that might work. There are also some other possibilities there too.

[pepper]

Since I've been seeing scar all around...I did a bit of thinking on my flight to MI today...

What about Puerto del Cielo? They have a pool and maybe they have decent prices? None of us have stayed there, so I'm not sure how it is. But do know that you'll definately NOT be able to use hair appliances.

[pepper]

And btw - Capt Dale's is a GREAT cabana!!! King bed down and 2 queens up in the loft.

[gocubzzz]

Just a thought.

If you have to have A/C , Hairdryer.

Los Lirious provides both. No pool.

Happy travels.

[PhyllisB]

What I'd probably do at Luna is book Captain Dale's (if it's available), then book one of the cheaper units set back a bit on the property. Use Captain Dale's as your hangout spot because it has the awesome huge porch.