The Nomade Tulum Hotel is a highly sought-after vacation spot in Tulum. It is rated one of the best in the area. Not only is it stunning with a boho style that is very consistent with the overall vibe of Tulum, but it offers some stellar amenities such as inexpensive yoga and meditation classes. Keep in mind that while it works for some, it might not work for others. I was one of the latter. I will go into detail about that down below.
Keep reading for a detailed and 100% honest full review of the Nomade Tulum Hotel.
Location of Nomade Tulum
Nomade is one of the most southern hotels in the hotel zone of Tulum, meaning that it is close to the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve (great for day trips!) but further (30+ minutes) from the Tulum Mayan Ruins, which are at the entrance to the hotel zone in the north.
I flew into Cancún international airport, which was the nearest airport, but now there is a brand new Tulum airport, which cuts the travel time about in half and is the new closest airport to Tulum’s hotel zone. It is still 45-70 minutes from the Tulum Intl airport to the bottom of the hotel zone.
Taxis were crazy expensive and required you to agree on a price prior to getting in. A rental car could potentially be a more affordable option if you plan to drive around a bit, but parking is tight and hard to find in the Tulum hotel zone. Rideshare service is not widely available, so walking or taking a taxi is your best bet for moving around.
Our hotel said to expect $50 usd to drive from Nomade to the restaurant and bar zone a bit further north but still in the hotel area of Tulum. As it was only a 20 minute walk, we opted to do that instead.
What to Expect from the Nomade Tulum Hotel
If you are one to look for a hotel with boho chic vibes that fully commits, you will be a huge fan of the Nomade. Surrounded by lush jungles sits a beautiful hotel that oozes a great jungle feeling and features plenty of natural materials and Mayan culture. You’ll find plenty of lush pathways around the property to get lost in (both figuratively and literally) and the best part? You’ll find the white sandy beach expands throughout, giving you that tropical feel with every step.
Follow your way through the tropical greens past the main building and you will find yourself facing a stunning turquoise ocean that is truly a sight to see. The sea views are incredible. The hotel’s light-dappled jungle paths that’ll get you there are a sight to see as well.
Aside from the vibey hotel feel, you’ll find rooms and luxury tents to stay in, which are equipped with open-air bathrooms that I was impressed by. In the rooms, you will find comfortable bedding as well.
The hotel features a lively restaurant with nightly live music from a DJ as well as a wellness experience that you’ll want to tell everyone about. Their free yoga sessions and meditation classes are phenomenal with a spiritual focus.
Another feature you’ll likely love is their poolside and beachside service. The service paired with the light snacks and comfortable loungers was one of the highlights of my trip. The sunny weather made for perfect beachside afternoons as well.
It wasn’t all good, though. During my stay, I experienced less than perfect service from the hotel staff which honestly threw off my entire trip. The group that I was traveling with experienced several problems throughout the length of our stay and they were not met with the level of care that I have experienced from luxury hotels in the past.
Accommodations at the Nomade Tulum Hotel
My group decided to stay in the luxury tents offered by the Nomade Tulum Hotel. The Deluxe Tents featured a large, king size bed, comfortable linens, and a beautiful set up of furniture fit for a long stay including colorful poufs, low tables, and ample storage space for clothing.
Included with the deluxe tent is your own, private bathroom with an open-air ambiance, separated by a sliding door from the tent. They were beautiful and fairly private. While you didn’t have to worry about anyone outside of the bathroom seeing you, you could hear everything around you. At one point one of my friends mentioned that she heard employees outside of hers loudly singing in the morning. So keep in mind that the tent experience is not soundproof.
The tent experience is also not light-proof. Due to the open-air bathroom, I was awoken by the morning sunlight each day as there was no barrier offered to prevent the sunlight from coming into the tent. The tent itself isn’t light-proof as well. I wasn’t bothered by this. If you are worried about it, I would suggest bringing along a sleeping mask.
Our tents were tucked away in the greenery but there are options for beachfront tents, too. Keep in mind that because they are beachfront you will lack quite a bit of privacy. You’ll get beautiful views of the sea, but people as well. The beach surrounding the property is fairly busy and during our stay, we had to walk right in front of quite a few people’s tents to get where we needed to go. If I were to go back, I would not choose one of the oceanfront suites.
Each tent comes with a private terrace, which offer seating like a hammock, bean bag chaises, or small sofas. I didn’t spend much time in mine, but it was a quiet, private place to enjoy the warm Caribbean winds coming off the water.
While the tents were nice overall, we did find a lot of inconsistencies between them. For example, my room didn’t have tissues and the air conditioning didn’t work properly. As for one of my friends, her tent had a small rip and at one point an animal got inside and ate some of the food she brought in. We were not told to not keep food inside our tents, though upon asking to switch rooms, my friend was told that we should have been informed of this at check in.
That experience is one of the many that we endured during the trip where the service was less than perfect. My friend spent nearly an entire day dealing with the issue. Eventually, she was put into a different room, but it took far too much effort to make that happen.
Amenities at the Nomade Tulum Hotel
When it comes to what they offer and their common spaces, the Nomade Tulum Hotel will impress you.
My only complaint was the size of their pool. I wondered if it was for visitor use or just for show because it was so small. Turns out, it is for visitor use. For what the pool lacked, though, the hotel made up for tenfold through its other amenities.
First off, their poolside and beachside service was phenomenal. My group was well taken care of each day via friendly and careful service. They are quick to take your order and deliver it promptly. I suggest bringing plenty of beachwear on your Mexico vacation to this hotel because you are going to want to spend plenty of time here!
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that the beach is pretty lively with hotel guests. This is not the place to go if you are one to enjoy a quiet day on the beach. I thought that the service, experience, and view more than made up for it, though.
Turquoise waters and white sand on a tranquil stretch of the Riviera Maya made for a stunning view. A lot of seaweed rolls in with the waves, however, staff are quick to work to remove as much as possible to keep the amazing beach enjoyable.
Another offer from the hotel is their wellness activities, which are ideal for wellness-minded travelers. I was very impressed by their offerings. They have everything from yoga to meditation and feature popular Cacao Ceremonies. The classes take place in an open-air pavilion, the yoga shala, which is just as beautiful as the rest of the hotel. They also have a meditation tent called the Gathering Nest and meditation workshops along with a variety of spiritual talks.
The classes are also pretty affordable considering the price of the hotel. I paid $25 for the classes I took. Some of the yoga classes are even free. They offer quite a few free daily sessions. The classes would make for an enjoyable stay if you are looking for that “retreat” feel.
Food at the Nomade Tulum Hotel
There are two spots for food inside the hotel property. The first option, La Popular, you will find on the beachfront. This is the restaurant that serves food and drinks to those by the pool or on the beach.
This restaurant offers small bites. Think ceviche, tacos, and chips and guacamole. The food is good, but it is expensive. It’s the perfect place for lunch while lounging on the beach.
You can dine at it during the day without sitting by the pool or beach. They have small tables as well as communal ones.
The other restaurant on the property, Macondo, is perfect for breakfast and dinner. I am not sure if they offer lunch as we stuck to the first restaurant for the mid-day meal, however, I was impressed by all of the offerings for breakfast and dinner. It has a Moroccan feel to the space and features a live DJ soundtrack on some evenings, which made for a very fun arrival.
For breakfast, you can expect American-style foods such as acai bowls and avocado toast. I was surprised that they didn’t offer Mexican classics such as chilaquiles or huevos rancheros. For dinner, you can expect Middle Eastern-inspired dishes.
We loved all of the food, however, both locations offered slow service and expensive menus. The main restaurant offered an average of $30 per person breakfasts and $100 per person dinners. While the food was fantastic, I did feel as though the prices were a bit much.
Service at the Nomade Tulum Hotel
This is where this review takes a turn. From check-in to check-out, my group experienced poor service from hotel staff, specifically the front desk team. I have stayed at quite a few hotels in Mexico, including some of the best resorts in Cabo, but this hotel did not hit the mark.
Checking in usually sets the mood for the trip and our experience was not what I would expect from a place that charges $600+ per night.
To begin with, they did not have my reservation. Booking a room is difficult as their booking site books for both their location and their sister site, which led to my room being booked for the wrong location. I believe this was a hotel issue as I received texts via WhatsApp confirming my stay leading up to check-in. They were aware we were traveling in a group before arriving and had confirmed so via text messages.
Then came the wait. Checking in was such a long process, easily the longest length of time I have experienced attempting to check into a location.
After check-in, the concierge service escorted me to the wrong tent. We ended up having to backtrack to find my actual tent.
The service during the stay was also not what I would expect from a luxury hotel. It was nearly impossible to get a hold of the front desk. Not only was there no easy-to-find number located in the tent, but they didn’t respond to my requests. I had to put in multiple requests to get what I needed.
My group was also not given a map at check-in which led to finding ourselves lost all around the property. Eventually, I found out that they had maps but I do not feel as though you should have to request a map yourself. That should have been given during check-in.
The Verdict: Should You Stay at the Nomade Tulum Hotel?
Would I stay at this Tulum hotel again? As of today, no.
I do not think the Nomade Tulum Hotel lives up to the hype. It is beautiful, yes, but I will not be back because of the service I experienced.
Please note, though, that the service is not equal across the board. One of my friends was thrilled enough with her experience that she was planning a trip back to the hotel as we spoke.
With that, it could have been an outlier of a trip. Their service may usually be better, but personally, they did not hit the bar. I suggest booking the Nomade Tulum Hotel with caution.
If you want to plan a Mexico vacation and want a spot with better service, I suggest staying at any of these luxury hotels in Cabo.
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