My husband and I stayed at Suenos Tulum for a much needed holiday just before Easter. Tulum was highly recommended by my sister and her husband for its relaxed atmosphere. We could not get a reservation anywhere and then, while surfing the web, I came across Suenos Tulum, a brand new hotel on the beach. The photos of the property looked amazing, so we booked a master suite without knowing much about it.

When we arrived, very late at night, the manager was there to greet us. Our room was steps from the beach with a beautiful view of the sea. Because they use solar energy, the evenings are incredibly romantic, with dim lights and candles illuminating the hotel. I fell in love instantly - and did not want to leave!

The beach is so pristine (they rake the sand every day), the room was lovely with lots a nice architectual details and the food they prepared was all local - and delicious. The property pays homage to the mayan gods and blends in very harmoniously with the local environment (see the photos). And the staff was great, they felt like friends we would hang out with, if we lived in Tulum.

There are so many wonderful details about Suenos, it's hard to put into words, it was a magical place and we will be returning again - and often!

Thanks to the Jeep Liberty we got from Hertz at Cancun airport, we arrived unscathed through all the potholes on the dirt road leading to Suenos de Tulum, and bounced our way into Suenos after a very smooth fast drive on the 307, albeit, wet with the pre-storm rains. Large wooden gates dominate the wall that surrounds Suenos and while we were contemplating how to get in, they just seemed to open with a very friendly Alan there to greet us.

We had asked for one of the end buildings and were given the Selva Master Suite – like being on the edge of a tropical paradise with no one for miles! Up the stairs 2 flights and I was ready for what I had seen on the website, extremely clean, comfortable and roomy with a sea view terrace. It had everything for our needs: a very large comfortable bed, ample shelves with additional ones cleverly built into the headboard, hanging space, a very attractive and clean bathroom (hand painted toilet and very colorful tile work with a spacious enclosed shower that always had hot water) and nice towels. Bathrooms are a peeve, I require the bathroom to be impeccable and we were not disappointed. I fuss over clean floors and was very happy to notice that there never was any sand on our floor every time we returned home. No worries there, our room was clean beyond most expectations (as was the resort, with the staff always at it)! There was a constant breeze throughout and at night (with the sliding doors shut) the fan was most welcome with no need for any mosquito netting. As I am a mosquito's favorite meal, I came prepared with the Mosquito Deleto (tiny gadget by Coleman) and serious repellent. These came in handy on night's out since the rains brought mozzies and they in turn sought me out!

Suenos has a bit of a jungle like setting, green everywhere and there is that secluded feeling all around. Lit torches and low lighting on the ground help you find your way around at night. A lantern may be requested for additional room light if desired, although, low wattage lighting gives the room a much more romantic feel! In the daytime, that feeling of privacy and seclusion continues as the way into Suenos is not very visible from the beach and is unmarked (except for nature's marker!). We didn't seem to get too much traffic this part of the beach as it far south of everything. The beach was (miles and miles) of white fine sand and should any seaweed wash up on it, the staff got to it before you woke up for your morning swim. There are a couple of palapas directly in front of Suenos on the beach with nice cushioned lounge chairs, a shelter from the intense sun. An added bonus is a pool which I jumped into when it got too hot. Scattered nearby are some native designed tables and chairs between the pool and the dining area, good spot for a quick snack or drink.

Breakfast consists of tropical fruit, yogurt, a small pastry basket, juice and coffee or tea. The dining area is a nice open air palapa style restaurant, but doesn't function as such - dinner is arranged if you want to dine on site - like having your very own chef! This adds to the feeling of privacy, since it doesn't operate as a restaurant, you're only around people staying at the resort. There were only 2 other couples at the resort at any given time during our 4 day stay.

We gave George, our chef, the night off and went next door (5 minute walk) to Las Ranitas for an excellent dinner on our first night. Setting was very nice, open and colorful with friendly staff. We found ourselves there for lunch over the next days. The few dining places we ventured to were Tita Tulum (good Mexican and just a 10 min walk north) for lunch on a rainy afternoon; Mezzanine for cocktails and dinner. With us coming from NYC (and London) where Thai cuisine is rampant - or all else for that matter - we didn't have our hopes up, but it was okay, their chef being away. Something different to break up the normal fare. It is a really breath taking place to park yourself and enjoy the hip scenery and delicious cocktails. It is as visual as their website. Oh, and it is a beat away from the ruins. The ruins: overlooks a fantastic beach, we found the end of the day to be a perfect time to go - tours were leaving and seemed to have the place to ourselves.

Ana y Jose's was another lunch choice and an excellent one! Their outdoor restaurant with its umbrellas has a great sea view. They also have a very nice bar adjacent to the main restaurant – the whole place has a sand floor - they brought in the beach! We ended up coming back for dinner – we had planned on Posada Margherita but had too much fun having drinks with our neighbors at Suenos, by the time we reached Posada, they had stopped serving dinner! On the walk back, we were fortunate enough to come across a turtle on the beach coming to lay eggs. This is when our flashlights came in handy. Almost tripped over her! At Suenos, we had George's dinner one night. It was delicious: grilled fish and grilled shrimp in a light sauce. Delicious as it was, it also was the most we paid for a meal (3 course meal with beers and a cocktail, $60) in our whole trip through the Yucatan. We walked into Amansala for lunch one day, found the menu somewhat limiting and a "morning after the night before" ambience permeating the place, and walked out. I experienced an exquisite massage ($80 US, cash) at Coqui Coqui, a fairly new resort (some building was going on), next door to Tita Tulum. The resorts' rooms were done very well, (true to their website), the upstairs rooms being the preferred ones.

We ventured in to town for dinner one evening, then realized that we were giving up beach for town sidewalk and some traffic, since we weren't in Tulum long enough we decided against it. There will be another time, as Tulum is a must to come back to and Suenos is a very special place, many thanks to Elizabeth and George along with Alan, who manage this effortlessly. If you are looking for very simple comforts, relaxed, tranquil setting, great beach and lots of it, swimming in the pool and you are happy just reading a book and nothing else, then Suenos could possibly be for you.

On our recent road trip across the Yucatan, we wanted to stay at an ecotourist resort for one night. We had never tried this new trend before and I wasn't sure I would like it. Usually Suenos has a three night minimum but they agreed to allow us to stay only one night. We were the only guest that night so we had the beach and pool all to ourselves. The beach was clean and beautiful and water was perfect. Somehow the pool was cooled so it was very refreshing. It seems to be much newer than other resorts in the area or at least much less weathered. We were on the third floor of a cabana so we had an excellent sea breeze. I think 2nd floor rooms would be ok, too, but ones on the first floor may be a little warm in the summer. Our room was very minimalistic--a king size bed with mosquito netting and built in shelves on the back side of the headboard featuring one lovely vase. The bed faced a wall of glass looking out over the beach and ocean. There was no other furniture in the room which allowed one to focus on the gorgeeous view. The bath was small but had a unique painted toilet and an artfully tiled shower. As for the echo part, the lighting at night is really dim but lanterns are available at the check-in desk for reading. The shower was not cold as I expected but lukewarm. I missed my blowdryer but let the oceanair style my hair. Mosquitoes were only a problem at dusk when we made the mistake of leaving our sliding glass door open without closing the screen. We were very comfortable sleeping under the ceiling fan. Something tells me that this was a pretty luxurious way of experiencing eco travel (and pretty expensive at $175 a night) and a good first experience.