Price Band: $$$
Tags: Beach, romantic, secluded, eco-chic
Encantada Tulum
Tulum
Encantada Tulum
Tulum
Encantada Tulum
Tulum
Encantada Tulum
Tulum
Rates, availability and more…
In a nutshell:
Tradtional Tulum hotel with a contemporary twist and luxurious touches. Fine bedding, indulgent bathrooms and breathtaking views make this the hotel of choice for guests looking for a simple but high quality property. Adults-only, stunning beach, great restaurant.
Tulum is all about simplicity and proximity to nature; to enjoy it at its best you just need a cute room on a fantastic beach, fresh, tasty food and a great service when you need it. Encantada offers all of this, with finesse. No air-conditioning or plunge pools, but high threadcount linens, indulgent bathrooms with powerful showers, a friendly barman serving great margaritas, and sublime ocean views. If you want to experience Tulum without any rough edges, this is the place.
Encantada is a totally smoke-free hotel; smoking is prohibited not only in the guest rooms but also in the public areas and on the beach. The cozy restaurant serves wholesome and delicious meals with an emphasis on high quality ingredients. You can’t go wrong when morning starts with a light and tasty breakfast washed down with good coffee and consumed with your toes in the soft white sand. The beach is seriously good at Encantada – the property is located in the quieter, southern part of Tulum’s beach zone, near the biosphere reserve. Its immediate neighbors are private residences, so you don’t feel hemmed in by bigger hotels. Most times you can look up and down the beach, and barely see a soul.
Perfectionists will want to book one of the two upper level beachfront rooms – the views are incredible. Actually the views are pretty good from most of the rooms (only the two garden view rooms don’t have any sea views) but from the lofty front row position they are absolutely mesmerizing.
All the rooms have the same amenities – indulgent king size beds draped in fine netting and cooled by powerful fans, a spacious bathroom with a large shower and soft, fluffy towels, and a balcony or terrace. The little details have been taken care of; windows are all well screened, the wi-fi works well, and there are plenty of electrical outlets, including some right by the bed that are ideal for a small fan (provided) and for charging your smart phone.
In short, we reckon that this is a little piece of perfection, for adults at least (children under twelve are not accepted). The only problem is getting a room here – Encantada is popular, and has just eight rooms. We recommend booking well in advance to secure your slice of paradise.
Encantada’s eight guest rooms are arranged over four separate buildings of two storeys, with one room occupying each floor. A wooden staircase leads up to the second floor room of each building. Two of the buildings are oceanfront, housing the upper and lower level beachfront rooms. The remaining two buildings are set back and towards the center of the property, with the ocean view rooms on their top floors and the garden view rooms beneath.
All rooms have the same amenities, except that there is an additional trundle bed in the garden and ocean view rooms that can accommodate a third person if necessary. A maximum of two people can sleep in the beachfront rooms.
The guest rooms are beautifully furnished, with smooth wooden floors and spacious bathrooms and dressing areas. Encantada is one of the few hotels in Tulum that allow the use of hairdryers (they are not provided, but you can bring your own). Tulum currently has no mains electricity and each hotel has its own generator for power. Using high voltage appliances such as hairdryers can blow the entire system in most hotels, so their use is prohibited.
We’re often asked to recommend hotel rooms in Tulum that have a bathroom with a door that closes (open plan bathrooms are popular in the cabanas here). At Encantada, the toilet is housed in a separate room with a door, whilst the shower and dressing area are open plan.
Summary of room facilities
All rooms
Ceiling fans, wireless internet access, walk-in shower, toilet in separate room with door, balcony or terrace, outlet for hairdryer, beach towels, room safe, electricity 24 hours.
Garden view (Flores and Tierra)
Ground floor, garden view, king bed and pull-out twin bed
Ocean View (Sol and Luna)
Second floor, partial ocean view, king bed and pull-out twin bed
Beachfront Lower (Arena and Mar)
Ground floor, ocean view, king bed
Beachfront Upper (Estrella and Cielo)
Second floor, ocean view, king bed
The two garden view rooms, Flores and Tierra, are on the ground floor and set back from the beach. Each room has a terrace to the front, furnished with chairs and a table.
The interiors are almost identical in all of Encantada’s guest rooms. The comfortable king bed takes center stage in the main part of the room, with the dressing room and bathroom to the rear. The rooms are almost octagonal in shape, with full length windows and doors occupying the three front sections of the building.
The bathrooms at Encantada feel very indulgent. There’s a large step-in shower lined in beautiful blue tiles, and a roomy vanity area with a pretty blue basin. Windows of opaque blue glass divide the sleeping and bathing areas.
The two ocean view rooms, Sol and Luna, are on the second floor, above the Garden View rooms. A flight of wooden steps leads up to each room.
Inside, the canopied king size bed is positioned to take advantage of the ocean views. Once the sun sets, the housekeepers will turn down the bed and draw the fine netting around it. Reading lights are conveniently placed behind the bed, and there are electrical outlets there for your phone or iPod.
The bathrooms are stylish and inviting, featuring a pretty tiled shower that has plenty of hot water. Towels are soft and fluffy, and a range of natural soaps, shampoos and body lotions are provided.
The front of the room is made up of three sets of full length windows, each of which can be opened to allow access to the terrace. The terraces are furnished with wooden chairs so that you can admire the view whilst you relax in the shade.
Encantada’s most sought after accommodations are the beachfront rooms. Estrella and Cielo are the two upper level rooms, and Arena and Mar are on the ground floor. Each room has a generously size balcony from which you can enjoy some of the finest views in Tulum.
The upper level units have the prime views and the most privacy, but the ground level rooms have the advantage of being just a few paces from a dip in the Caribbean. Since the ocean front buildings are perched on the sand dunes, even the ground floor rooms have nice views and plenty of privacy.
The cozy restaurant at Encantada is quickly gaining a reputation for delicious cuisine. Fresh fish tacos, homemade guacamole, fajitas and salads are just some of the dishes on offer here.
An excellent range of tropical cocktails are available too – ask the barman to mix your favorite, and enjoy it outside as the sun sets.
Breakfast is served here each morning and includes coffee, fruit juices, fruit plate served with yoghurt and granola, toast and home made jam. The bread is also made freshly on the premises and is delicious. A range of other dishes, including omelettes and huevos rancheros, is also available.
This is the beach of your dreams – soft white sand that’s cool to the touch, a sea of vivid turquoise and blue, and gentle surf. What’s more, it’s beautifully quiet, and the beach stretches for miles in either direction.
Relax in your beach chair at Encantada, and take in the fabulous views. Take a stroll or a jog along the water’s edge, visiting nearby beach bars for refreshment, or head into the biosphere reserve for spectacular isolation.
How to get here
By air
The nearest airport is Cancun – by road the journey to Encantada takes about two hours.
Driving directions from Cancun
From Cancun airport, head south following the signs to Playa del Carmen, Playacar and Tulum on the highway #307.
You will pass Playa del Carmen and Playacar and also the entrance to the ruins at Tulum. Turn to the left at the major crossroads with the road to Coba. So, when you see a turning to the right to Coba, you should turn left.
You will be heading directly towards the sea on a very straight road. As the road approaches the sea it bends to the right. Follow the road right and ignore the turning to the left hand side.
Encantada is located about 6km (4 miles) further along on the left hand side of the road, at around km9 on Boca Paila road. Look for the entrance after the hotels Luv Tulum, Om, Hip Hotel and Suenos Tulum.
There is free parking for guests just off the road by the hotel.
