Inspector Visits: Be Tulum Earns Its Key on the Busy Shores of the Caribbean

"Simply the very best version of very typical Tulum, this One Key beachfront hotel in the Zona Hotelera delivered a child-free, small, intimate campus with two pools and a gorgeous, dark, beach-chic aesthetic. My suite was as close to the ocean as possible without waking up wet; inside, a thatched-style ceiling and wooden accent wall warmed cool concrete floors and stone walls, with books and figurines (a pregnant clay warrior caught my eye) to keep my visual interest. Other rooms sit further back in the hotel’s little jungle, some with private plunge pools. Dining spans several venues—one for traditional Mexican food, one for seafood or grilling on the beach, plus a terrace and bar—and the location puts me minutes from three MICHELIN-selected hotspots (NÜ Tulum, Wild, and Hartwood) that share the same jungle aesthetic while serving a variety of creative dishes. The glitz is balanced by the area’s more spiritual side: I sweated through a traditional temazcal in a canvas tent, while other options include cacao ceremonies, pranic meditation, and vinyasa yoga, many held at larger sister hotel Nomade next door. A beautiful wood-platformed indoor/outdoor spa sits just across the street, easily booked through a friendly concierge over WhatsApp and charmingly shared by tiny frogs inching along the deck. Despite high-end amenities and the occasional influencer sighting, the place felt pleasantly down to earth; staff weren’t overbearing—sometimes even lax—and at the outdoor restaurant two resident dogs made friendly appearances, only haphazardly shooed away by servers, a charmingly chill touch I found comforting about luxury in Tulum." - The MICHELIN Guide