Villa las Estrellas
Tulum, Mexico
Beautiful hotel on Tulum beach with idyllic sea views from each room; well-designed simplicity at its best
With white linen curtains blowing in the breeze, ginormous hammocks
swaying on private terraces and blue, blue water just metres away,
Villa las Estrellas is the epitome of barefoot chic. Set in the
middle of Tulum's broad white-sand stretch, this romantic beach
house couldn't be better placed for a relaxing holiday. And
although the number of buzzy cabana hotels lining the beach
increases every year, Tulum's vibe remains lovely and
laid-back.
Inside Villa Las E you'll find a fantastic restaurant and 6
stylish, minimalist rooms under a traditional Mayan
palapa roof. It has the feel of a private house, rather than
a cabana, with loads of space and beautiful furnishings throughout
- four-poster beds, mosaicked tables, white-wood lanterns.
As with everything, if you look a little closer it isn't perfect.
Much of your stay here will depend on other guests - if they smoke
or talk loudly or have heavy feet, you'll know about it. It's also
devoid of mod cons (no phones, TV, limited WiFi), though that's
half the point. But it's immaculately clean throughout and with
celebrities booking it out for Christmas, we're clearly not the
only ones with stars - estrellas - in our eyes.
Reviewed by Cat Martin
Last updated 26 April 2012
Highs
- Simple but stylish and beautifully designed. After researching all of Tulum's accommodation, we're happy to report that this is the very best
- Amazing, uninterrupted sea views, and being able to walk straight out from the hotel onto that white-sand beach
- The restaurant serves the best food in the area - delicious ceviche, guacamole and paella
- There's no stress thanks to the thoughtful and attentive owners Simone and Thais, despite the language barrier (he's Italian, she's Brazilian)
- Watching pelicans fly by in formation every morning
Lows
- Rooms vary in size, and 4 and 5 are directly above the bar so you may hear the music (in #5 in particular), but it winds down at 10pm
- Be aware of a few things: you can't flush toilet paper down the loos and the showers take a while to warm up
- Lighting in the bedrooms is a bit dim
- By 4.30pm the sunshine dips behind the trees so you need something else to do
- You have to wait until 8am for your first coffee of the day
