We LOVED Retiro Maya.

The location is... in a word: paradise. The beach is pristine, with sand soft as cotton and waters warm as your spit (that really is the best description for the water temp) and ever-changing in its shade of blue. One of my favorite things was watching the clouds morph throughout the day.

The rooms are great -- rustic, cozy, intimate. Without doubt, we had the best room on the beach, with nothing between out front porch and the ocean except that soft-as-cotton sand. Obviously, you don't have all the amenities of a 5 start resort in Cancun, but if you did want that, you'd go there. The night-time breeze through your cabana is far more luxurious than an AC.

The staff was warm and friendly. My Spanish is still in its developing stages but we had very little trouble communicating -- they were THAT nice. The restaurant fantastic. We only ate there once because we wanted to explore as much of Tulum as we could ( and because we preferred beer and tequila for breakfast) but the night we did, bf had the biggest lobster he's had in his life. Yum.

Finally. The owner, her daughter and her dog, are fantastic. They were tremendously accommodating of our fear of commitment and let us book two nights to start, at the week-long rate. We thought we might want to check out other resorts to get the most of Tulum but we ended up staying for the whole week. The owner was even kind enough to loan us her camera charger and spare battery; and offered some much appreciated guidance when bf and I got into a big silly fight (who fights in paradise? apparently, we do.)

I especially appreciated the owner's honesty about her resort -- she warned us, very matter-of-factly, that theft is not terribly uncommon and gave us tips to keep our belongings safe. In addition, the resident guard dog, a gorgeous golden lab (I think), named Luna, checked in on us in the mornings and periodically throughout the day to make sure all was good.

In sum: we have endless praise and not a single complain of our stay at Retiro Maya. I was a little surprised by the reviews I've heard but, well, maybe like most things in life, its about fit. Retiro Maya was exactly what we were looking for -- a cozy little getaway, submerged in luxurious natural beauty.

Oh! and with awesome nightlife at a resort just a walk on the beach away....

First, Big thanks for Joy (the super cool cook at Retiro Maya who stumbled upon the place while traveling some years back and has been there ever since) for hooking us up!!!

Secondly, I would say the Retiro Maya bar/lounge is the place to be on a Saturday night in Tulum! The music was amazing and the margaritas and pena coladas couldn't have been better! The staff at Retiro Maya are great and even the dog is cool!

Retiro Maya is quaint and perfect for those travelers who are looking to completely disconnect from it all. The cabanas are located on a beautiful stretch of beach in Tulum just far enough from it all while being close enough to ride bikes into Tulum Pueblo (the town) or to the Tulum Ruins. There are plenty of great places (restaurants, bars, and boutiques) to stumble into either walking along the beach or the main road. Staff at Retiro Maya can also hook you up with guided tours to cenotes and other hidden treasures in the area.

Tulum is a great destination all in itself, but it was also very easy to take a day trip to Chichen Itza and other great sites around the Yucatan! Staying here was one of the highlights of our trip.

I am already looking forward to my next stay here!

I'm going to say some things were not satisfactory, but I might go here again. First time in Tulum and I have nothing to compare with. I have traveled many times to the Yucatan and left a wonderful place in Majahual to come here. I went with a friend and we were surprised at having the worst cabana assigned to us after reserving and sending full payment weeks in advance when others seemed to drop by and get better locations. To start, we were next to the bar and restaurant at the top of the hill from the beach. Not quiet as advertised but a great location if you like Salsa and other Latin music as the owner has good taste and likes to dance. We spent one night in this location and had a rat share our accomodations until my friend ran it out with a banging shoe on the bathroom floor. The rat was sick and I think it must have eaten in the restaurant. Don't eat there--breakfast was dismal, ruined toast, no milk, and the plate of fruit was tasteless--in the best fruit eating place I've ever been! The restaurant manager is rude, but the staff is helpful and kind. The owner moved us the next day to the quieter north side of the property and closer to the beach. She was very accomodating and helpful. The rooms are fine--rustic cabanas--but if you're a privacy freak, forget it. There are sightlines into bathrooms and you are elbow to elbow on the property--the band took their break at our bathroom wall and I had to kill the light. We also got bit by bugs we couldn't see that jumped on us from the sand on the floors of the cabanas. We also got mosquito bites and a spider shared our bed. Did I say the beach is fabulous? We liked the people we met here and found the experience as a whole okay. I can't say if there is a better place for the price $150 American for oceanview in February--no food. They do give you towels and that's good and it feels safe there. I'd have to think hard about booking again. We actually overhead a local in town talking on her cell phone with a friend who was trying to find a place in Tulum for under $100 without rats--we laughed--this was before we checked in.

We just returned from 2+ weeks at Retiro Maya and to be brief, it simply could not have been better. We rented the 3 bedroom house that is part of the place and put our au pair in one of the cabanas. The facilities were great, far superior to the house we rented last year. The location is superb, on the best part of one of the best beaches in the world. But what really makes it special is the people who comprise Retiro Maya. Their warmth made us feel like part of the family. This clearly stems from the owner, Senora Lu, who was a wonderful hostess. Her daughter, Erika, was always helpful and wore a genuine smile. Everyone went out of their way to make us feel at home and to enhance our stay. They bought a car for our 2 year old to ride around in and a kite for our boys to fly. Our kids had a special experience and came to refer to the staff as their friends. The cleaning staff arranged their daily visits around our daughter's nap time. When we needed a new bottle for the water cooler, it was there within minutes.

I was surprised to see that there were some negative reviews of late. I can only guess that people were not prepared for a rustic experience in Mexico--after all, Florida it is not (thankfully from our standpoint). Yes, it does take a couple of minutes for the hot water to go on and once or twice we had to shower in water that was just warm. As for the restaurant, I can only assume that anyone who wrote anything negative hasn't been there in recent weeks, because the new chef, aptly named Joy, is a talented, passionate and kind 21 year old from Tijuana who trained to cook in California and is turning out great stuff, including the best salads we've had in Mexico. It is not cheap, but no more expensive than other restaurants on the beach and less than some. For cheap, go to the pueblo and eat at great tacquerias for $4 a person. But we had some fine meals here and really appreciated the special meals they cooked for our kids. And the bar is not necessarily part of the long-term plan of the place, as it was supposed to be a yoga studio/meeting space. But when all the groups who had booked it canceled, the owner, who is after all in business, converted it. And it is a great bar, with an excellent variety of live music 5 nights a week.

Retiro Maya may not be for everyone, but for those who seek a beautiful, rustic location with incredibly warm, friendly service and a relaxing vibe, you will love it.